by G Levenson

“You’re OK for Southend,” quipped the gentleman on the footbridge to Monkey Island, at Bray. He and his companions were taking the air after an expensive lunch on the island and felt charitable towards the sweaty figure in string vest and jeans rowing a loaded dinghy down the backwater. I nodded and replied, with equal good humour, that I had already sailed the same dinghy all the way to Southend. That foxed him!

On this occasion I was coming downstream from Wallingford to Windsor to fill in backwaters and the other sides of islands that I had missed on previous cruises. En route I was noting potential and actual launching sites, as before.

The last list finished at Henley, and we carry on from there. R and L refer to right and left banks of the river, and the grid references to Ordnance Survey sheet 175.

L 785850 Hambleden. Slip at boatyard at side of old mill in backwater above lock. Gives onto stretch from Henley.

R 786845 Aston. Old ferry landing. Good gravel hard. Parking in the lane. Nice spot for a picnic in meadows along towpath.

L 787846 Mill End. Other side of the Aston ferry. The lane leads to a 9 inch drop into river.

L 805837 Medmenham. Old ferry slip at bottom of Ferry Lane from Dog and Badger on A4155.

R 806837 Medmenham (opposite). Green lane from Frogmill Farm on A423 leads to 1 foot drop into river. Concrete edge.

R 824842 Hurley. Concrete slip. On a pleasant green that extends up-river over half a mile with a very low bank and many sandy beaches for paddling. Parking anywhere along the bank. 40p per car. Trailed craft no doubt extra. Nice reach for sailing.

R 828842 Hurley. Public green below lock with low bank, but tree-lined. Cars 40p and trailers 50p.

L 828844 Harleyford Marine Ltd. Swish marina with all mod cons, and supermarket. Slipway probably expensive.

R 849859 Marlow. Meakes Boat Centre. Slipway a bit cluttered with craft.

L 852862 Marlow. Public slip at bottom of St. Peter Street. Parking limited and crowded evenings by patrons of the Two Brewers.

L 891872 Bourne End Marina. Slipway seems steepish from river.

R 898856 Cookham. Public hard, gravel, at lower side of the Ferry Hotel just below bridge. Limited parking in lane. This is Stanley Spencer landscape. Through bridge to a fine sailing reach to Bourne End bridge and beyond that to Marlow lock.

L 905825 Taplow. In millstream backwater above Boulter’s lock. Concrete slip at Thames Water station.

R 903828 Maidenhead. Boat Showrooms of London Ltd. Concrete slip but with moveable footbridge over. Probably would not move the bridge but would offer services of crane. At bottom of famous Cliveden reach.

R 903824 Maidenhead. Boulter’s lock island, with road bridge from R bank. Steep slip at Boulter’s Inn under archway. Below lock.

R 903797 Bray. Public gravel hard beside Waterside Inn, Ferry Road. Parking limited.

R 916786 Bray Marina, Monkey Island Lane. Slip on river frontage, but cluttered with bits and pieces.

R 945773 Windsor. Racecourse Yacht Basin in Clewer Millstream backwater. Gives access above Boveney lock. Slip.

R 954773 Clewer. End of Mill Lane off A308. Steepish public slip into pretty but weedy millpond above a 12’ bridge.

L 965773 Eton. Very light craft can be carried from car park across the Brocas green and launched at a small sandy bay in the bank.

R 967772 Windsor. Public slip just above bridge. More in theory than practice because it is locked and you have to look for a car park official with a key. Add to that that it is on the busiest one-way road in the town.