A quick hop to Kingston.

Les and Jaq (nb ‘Valerie) came aboard ‘Chance’ for coffee and cake yesterday morning before we parted company for a while – we’ve had a very short, but lovely, time with them.

Safe trip guys!

Our journey was a short one down to Kingston-upon-Thames.  We passed the lovely house built by the D’Oyly Carte family on their little island at Shepperton.

We took the backwater around Desborough Island, past the imposing Shepperton Manor.  (there are good 24 hour moorings very close to this).

We popped into the very helpful Shepperton marina for fuel………

……… and then back out onto the river – weather wise very much in the doldrums today.  A very strange and gloomy atmosphere, which seemed to promise both rain and sunshine at times, and delivered neither.

We passed some very dilapidated boathouses (this one was still lived in!)…………..

………… and also some very nice ones.

Hampton Court (again!) ………..

……… and further down river we spotted the Gloriana in a backwater at Thames Ditton, after its accident with a bridge very recently.

Finally, we moored up at Kingston in the only space left on the quiet side.  Things seem to have a got a bit busier on the Thames while we’ve been on the River Wey.  The sun finally came out in the late afternoon – a positively Mediterranean feel!

Nightlife is always vibrant in Kingston – this is the party paddle steamer going past us at 11 o’ clock.

We moored at Kingston to be ready for the quick hop to Teddington Lock today to catch the outgoing tide downriver at 1:30’sh and we hope to have an extra passenger on our trip back to Limehouse.