A Walk along the Jubilee River

Today is one of those gloomy winter days when you go to put the light on, only to find that it's already on. Rather depressing!

So, I thought today would be a great day to share some photos from a very sunny walk I took a couple of months ago. Sadly you can't get a Vitamin D fix from just looking at pictures, but I hope you'll enjoy these sunshine-filled pics anyway...

Back in the middle of November, we had a day of such unexpectedly gorgeous weather that it seemed totally wrong to sit indoors. So, I took advantage of my flexible schedule (definitely one of the perks of being self-employed!) and took a few hours off work to go for a walk with my dad.

As it was such a bright, clear day we expected it to be chilly and wrapped up warm, but actually the day was so mild we didn't even need our gloves. No fumbling with camera buttons with frozen fingers, hurrah!

We went for a walk along the Jubilee River, which flows through the countryside near where my parents live. It's actually not a river at all but a man-made flood relief channel connecting to the Thames. It's been planted and managed to encourage wildlife, and is now a lovely place for a walk or to go bird spotting. 

It was so peaceful, and so beautiful - and so blue!

We walked along the path down one side of the water, then crossed one of the bridges - stopping in the middle to admire the views, of course. 

 

Everywhere we looked there was something interesting to see: flocks of birds, vibrant autumn colours, long grasses, bushes full of red berries. 

And that light. So gorgeous.

On the other side of the river we passed some grazing cattle, who also seemed to be enjoying their afternoon.

 Can you see the silhouette of Windsor Castle off in the distance? 

Eventually we reached another bridge, crossed over the glorious blue again and headed back towards the car with our hearts full of gladness.

 

 

 

Not the fanciest of Nice Days Out - just a simple walk, chatting with my dad - but a special one all the same.

An Autumn Walk Along the Thames

Last week we went for a walk along the Thames to make the most of the mild weather and the gorgeous autumn colours. It was quite a dark, cloudy afternoon, but the river was so peaceful! And the trees so beautiful!

We started with a return visit to Guards Club Island (a tiny island in the Thames which I explored back in sunny September). It's amazing the difference a few weeks can make to the look of a place...

 

 

Then we headed to Boulter's Lock but instead of visiting the Lock itself and Ray Mill Island, we walked up river...

 

 Autumn trees + water = magic!

We passed lots of people out walking their dogs along the riverside, and saw lots of ducks who optimistically swam towards us in the hopes that we came bearing food (sorry, ducks!).

 

We also saw a couple of swans: bright dots of white in the autumn gloom.

All in all, an A+ way to spend the afternoon!

Visiting a Tiny Island

I'd planned to spend all last week working, but the late September sunshine was just so glorious that it seemed a shame to waste it. So, I squeezed in a couple of mini local trips in between the stuff on my work To Do list

I visited Windsor Castle one morning to take the Conquer the Tower tour, where you can climb the Round Tower (click here for a video about the tour). This was highly entertaining, and the views were wonderful - we could see all the way to the skyscrapers in the City of London!

I also took a short trip to Guards Club Park, which is a small park just 20 minutes walk from my local Post Office. I'd never visited it before but had been meaning to for ages because it a) was a location in one of my all time favourite films, Kind Hearts and Coronets and b) the park includes a tiny island! How cool is that?

Not much remains of the old Guards Club - though the spire from the boathouse was rescued and now sits atop a shelter in the park. The ornate footbridge, built in the late 1800s, was saved and restored by the local Civic Society so you can still use it to cross to Guards Club Island when it's open (the island is closed from December - June to protect nesting birds).

As you walk over the bridge to the island, if you look to your left you can see Maidenhead Bridge (which you might remember from my walk along the river earlier this year).

Looking to your right, you can see the Sounding Arch - one of two arches that make up a railway bridge designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 

The island itself is tiny, narrow and totally lovely! It takes just a couple of minutes to walk from end to end but there are benches to sit on and lots of nice views to enjoy along the way.

This is the view from the island, across to the other side of the river:

 

And this is the view back to the park from the base of the Sounding Arch:

 

Guards Club Island was a magical little place to visit! I'm so glad I finally decided to tick it off my "local stuff To Do" list, and I'm very much looking forward to spotting that bridge next time I watch Kind Hearts and Coronets.

P.S. If you ever visit Guards Club Island, make sure you walk along the river to visit Ray Mill Island and its aviary!

Swan Upping!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to take an extended lunch break this week to see the Swan Uppers passing through my home town - enjoying some of the delights of the river along the way.

What on Earth is Swan Upping, you ask?

It's a historic ceremony, hundreds of years old, where the Queen's Swan Marker and the Royal Swan Uppers row down the Thames to conduct an annual census of the swan population - crying "All-Up!" when a family of swans is located. The Royal Swan Uppers wear traditional red uniforms, row traditional wooden boats, and (as they pass Windsor Castle) stand to attention and salute "Her Majesty The Queen, Seigneur of the Swans".

I love quirky traditions like this! I unfortunately missed seeing the Swan Uppers last year (I was too busy working towards a deadline to take the time off) so I was determined to see them this year as they passed through Boulters Lock.

As the scheduled arrival time approached, the sides of the lock began to get crowded as people showed up to watch. From snippets of conversations I overheard it seems some people come back every year to see the Swan Uppers and others follow them along their route up the Thames. How nice!

Just past 1pm the first boats came into view. The Royal Swan Uppers (in red) and Swan Uppers from the Vintners’ and Dyers’ livery companies (white and blue) rowing in traditional wooden skiffs, with support boats behind.

The Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers are two of the only three bodies with rights to own swans apart from the Crown. The Companies' swans are marked with leg rings and the Crown's swans are left unmarked. Together, the livery companies and the Crown maintain the tradition of Swan Upping in the third week of July each year.

Many years ago swans were valuable as food to be served at banquets and feasts, but these days swans are no longer eaten and the emphasis is on conservation and education. The Queen's Swan Warden examines the birds for disease or injury, cygnets are weighed and measured and the swan population is thus recorded. The Uppers meet with school groups along the route, teaching children about the history of Swan Upping and how they can help protect the river and its wildlife.

 
The boats waited for the lock to open, then made their way through the gate...

... and into the lock. Check out the Queen's initials on the oars in the Royal boat and the swan feather in the Queen's Swan Marker's cap!

The support boats fly special flags so the lock keepers can easily identify them. I loved the swan vases filled with flowers on the top of each boat.

We all had plenty of time to admire the boats and the flags as the crews waited for the water level to adjust.

Then the lock gates opened and they were off again!

Next stop: Cookham Bridge (immortalised in Stanley Spencer's famous Swan Upping -inspired painting).

My next stop? Home and my work To Do list... via a leisurely stroll back along the river, of course.

P.S. Can you spot me in these photos from the day? (Tip: I was wearing a floppy black hat!)

If you're interested you can read more about Swan Upping and watch a video of the Swan Uppers in action here.