Modern Dining in Sulhamstead
With an anchor on board we finally set off . The journey from Newbury was a sorry one - taking us past destitute industrial estates and the whiff of a sewage plant. We stopped just past Aldermaston* and spent a good 2 hours scrubbing and polishing the boat back to her former glory before deciding to spend the night at an amazing mooring just before swing bridge 21 (Sulhamstead Swing Bridge), with meadow views and no trees to shield us from the sun or bathe the boat in pigeon shit.
We pulled up and enjoyed a cold beer on the roof before setting off for an explore through the meadows and into the Brazenhead Copse. We managed to catch the very last of the bluebells carpeting the floor and as the woods were private the trees had been allowed to grow uninhibited. At it's center an incredible old Oak tree curled its way into the sunlight. The hazy sun was low in the sky and we couldn't be bothered to cook dinner so walked to the nearest pub on recommendation from a local cyclist.
The Swan Inn Sulhamstead - providing 'modern dining and fine ales' - we weren't sure what modern dining might involve; blindfolded eating? dinner in a pill? Actually it was pretty conventional and corporate - but a nice menu. We 'modernised' it by having two starters and some side dishes which was more interesting vegetarian option. A few pints later and we weaved our way home in the setting sun, with the horses paying us a wary interest. Our only other neighbour is a friendly overweight duck (I tried to feed him lettuce and he turned his bill up at it - must have been too spoilt with nasty bread). We are the only boat I can see here - completely alone and enjoying the very last rural mooring with a full moon and a clear sky.
Tomorrow we are on to Reading and I'm almost certain we won't be as lucky aestheticly as we have been tonight. So we'll crack open a bottle of red and appreciate this whilst we have it.
*As a note for anyone taking this trip - the facilities at Aldermaston are basic (no recycling and a very basic Elsan - but Tyle Mill was excellent, and you can recycle glass, cardboard and tin here!)
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| The View from my bathroom today- what a throne! |
We pulled up and enjoyed a cold beer on the roof before setting off for an explore through the meadows and into the Brazenhead Copse. We managed to catch the very last of the bluebells carpeting the floor and as the woods were private the trees had been allowed to grow uninhibited. At it's center an incredible old Oak tree curled its way into the sunlight. The hazy sun was low in the sky and we couldn't be bothered to cook dinner so walked to the nearest pub on recommendation from a local cyclist.
 |
| Cold Beer on the roof |
The Swan Inn Sulhamstead - providing 'modern dining and fine ales' - we weren't sure what modern dining might involve; blindfolded eating? dinner in a pill? Actually it was pretty conventional and corporate - but a nice menu. We 'modernised' it by having two starters and some side dishes which was more interesting vegetarian option. A few pints later and we weaved our way home in the setting sun, with the horses paying us a wary interest. Our only other neighbour is a friendly overweight duck (I tried to feed him lettuce and he turned his bill up at it - must have been too spoilt with nasty bread). We are the only boat I can see here - completely alone and enjoying the very last rural mooring with a full moon and a clear sky.
Tomorrow we are on to Reading and I'm almost certain we won't be as lucky aestheticly as we have been tonight. So we'll crack open a bottle of red and appreciate this whilst we have it.
*As a note for anyone taking this trip - the facilities at Aldermaston are basic (no recycling and a very basic Elsan - but Tyle Mill was excellent, and you can recycle glass, cardboard and tin here!)
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