All the “B”s and not just Biggles.

Down river from Wallingford, a fine Brunel bridge built on the slant: you can’t really see it but the brickwork under the arch is astonishing. And just down the river, a splendid little brick cottage in the woods.

Mooring up at Beale Park, and eschewing the delights of the zoo, we walked across the fields to Basildon Park (after which the writing paper was named), attempting to avoid the main road. And hence cunningly avoiding the problem that the National Trust membership cards we had on the boat were only valid to the end of August, while the new ones are – hopefully – at home.

Quite an interesting place: commandeered during the war, used afterwards to billet the builders of AWE Burghfield, then refurbished and used as a rather spacious family home in the 1950s.

Fran got upset they were digging up the wild flower beds, but to be honest, they were nearly over.