We hauled our lines in just after breakfast and headed upstream towards Windsor, where we were hoping to moor at The Brocas. This is a large open space, ideal for Alfie (our Border Terrier), on the Eton bank of the river at Windsor. I have to admit, the fact that we were also guaranteed a tv signal for the England Group 16 football game in the open spaces of The Brocas, also influenced my passage plan!
Looking across Windsor Great Park to the Castle
After negotiating a couple of very pretty and well maintained locks at Bell Weir and Old Windsor and circumnavigated the vast grounds of Windsor Castle, we passed under the centre span of Windsor Bridge and kept right looking for a mooring at The Brocas. There were already a few boats moored to the bank and we headed for an inviting gap, however it was a little shallow for Anticus. We are just over a metre in draught and the shallow sloping banks meant that without a gang-plank of some sort we wouldn’t be able to get ashore.
Luckily a hastily arranged plan B materialised and we spotted a lovely mooring on the Windsor bank with a view of the Castle.
The view from our mooring in WIndsor
We spent a very relaxing couple of days here, watching the river traffic. Passenger boats heading upstream towards the Henley Regatta, day hire boats nipping around like swarms of bees and the very noisy Windsor Duck amphibious craft giving camera touting tourists views of the castle (and Anticus!).
It really is a lovely place to stop and I would highly recommend it to any passing Captains and their crew. Unfortunately time was pressing and we were all too soon heading back on our return journey to Shepperton. We couldn’t resist a second stop at Runnymede on the way.
