Twisting and turning

Do you remember that village fete game where you try and steer a probe along a devilishly twisted length of wire without touching the edge and sounding a buzzer?
Well that's what today's length of the river has been like. We've been twisting and turning our way through stretches that wound back and forth, the river ahead sometimes seeming to almost disappear between the trees. If they were tarmac the bends
would make a driver's dream of an Alpine pass. In a boat, it's slower and harder work and slightly tricky if you happen to meet someone coming downstream under a bridge on a hairpin bend. As we did!
Followed by meeting a sailing dinghy on the next bend and a single scull rowing skiff a couple of bends later. As we also did.
But it's been a great day - 13 miles and five locks that have taken us within a couple of miles of Lechlade to another quiet, rural mooring on the edge of the sleepy picture postcard hamlet of Buscot where the local stately home, Buscot Park, is owned by the National Trust – though the toffs who previously owned it still live there. For a glimpse of how the other half continue to live see this which might encourage you to vote Labour if you don't already!

The river has been almost totally isolated from the outside world, at least all the way to Radcot where a large pub, mooring area and camp site attracted the crowds. Since then we have seen more boats about, a fair few of whom have probably come for a free viewing of the Fairford Airshow. Unfortunately we missed our chance to see the Red Arrows today but they will be back tomorrow.