Fobney Lock

This morning Pat & Grannie left on the 8:34 from Midgham. That just leaves me, Bella & Cassie. Fortunately PLUTO is going our way so that I can pass the numerous obstacles in the most expeditious manner. These consist mostly of movable bridges. The first at Woolhampton is just after the lock, but after the river Kennet joins the canal. There is always a strong flow through the narrow bridge opening and the road which it serves is quite busy in the morning. It is necessary to have the bridge ready before leaving the lock and if one is single handed means leaving the boat, walking the 200 yards or so to the bridge, opening it, walking back, mobilising the boat, whizzing through the opening and then trusting that you can catch a bollard on the other side to stop the boat to return to the bridge to let the road users through. Much easier if there are two of you. The next bridge at Aldermaston is a huge lifting bridge on an A road. Huge queues of traffic can build up if it is not operated expeditiously and indeed, the mechanism is locked out during rush hour and has a refractory period after use, so that repeated transits are not possible. The remaining swing bridges are not such a problem. Anyway, in company it is much easier, so I was grateful for the help. We have stopped for the night in the middle of nowhere, although a short distance from Fobney Lock. This is bandit country in summer as kids from the local housing estates use it as a swimming pool and the centre of Reading can also be a problem with hooligans. So our plan is an early start and breakfast at Wetherspoons! (FYI Wetherspoons is a chain of popular, low priced pubs known for real ale and good food. They serve breakfast from 10 am.)