The next family activity was a boat trip up the River Thames. We rented a boat at Surbiton for the day. We took turns piloting the boat upstream. Crew members may be found here! There are several locks along the Thames that have to be negotiated during the journey. At the Molesey Lock, we passed by this topiary.
Topiary At Molesey Lock, Thames River Cruise
Much of the Thames River, above Kingston, is equipped with locks. So the river tends to be very calm, as seen in the image below.
Boats Along River Thames
We passed a lot of water birds during the cruise, including Swans, Cormorants, Canada Geese and Common Terns. We were fortunate to pass by a Grey Heron, that I captured in this image.
Grey Heron, River Thames
Some years ago, David Gilmour (guitarist for Pink Floyd), bought a barge/house boat that is moored on the Thames. He later converted this into a recording studio. Here it is. Albums that were recorded and mixed here include “Momentary Lapse of Reason”, “Division Bell” and “Rattle That Lock”.
David Gilmour’s Recording Studio
We had a life ring installed above the cab. I made this image looking upstream through the ring.
View Up The River Thames
We navigated through three locks on our cruise upstream. We moored above the third lock (Shepperton Lock) and stopped for lunch at the “Thames Court” pub. Several “Narrow Boats” were making their way up the river.
Narrow Boats On Thames
After a leisurely lunch, we headed upstream to the Chertsey Lock where we turned around and started our return cruise. We made our way downstream, working our way through the locks. Here we are waiting for the lock to drain.
Waiting For Lock To Drain
This is a view behind us showing the closed lock doors.
Closed Locks Behind Us
Finally, the lower gates were opened and we could proceed.
Leaving The Lock
Here is an image of Mike “driving” the boat near the end of our cruise.
Mike, “Driving” The Boat
Finally, here are Susan and Warwick relaxing with beers while Mike was driving!
Susan And Warwick, Thames River Cruise
A fabulous time was had by all.