After three nights in Pyrford Marina on precarious moorings being blown around by the wind and rain (no pontoon or finger posts, just roped up at the back and slack ropes onto a pole halfway down the boat) , the washing was all done and dried, and the crew were going stir-crazy. With the water tank at the front of the boat, and a food-grade hose that only reaches halfway down the boat, we were going to have to move somewhere on Wednesday morning or run out of water – just turning the boat round clearly wasn’t an option here!

The river continues to provide a source of dreadful boat names: Weyward Lass and the apparently piano-less Steinwey to name but two, so it was a relief to find ourselves moored next to Ripple (cue the Grateful Dead), Ying Tong iddle I po, and Grin and Tonic. The moulded rubber bow “fender” of Ying Tong makes us suspect it was once a Black Prince hire boat – never seen any others like that.

Thankfully Wednesday dawned fair and relatively calm, so after spending most of the morning filling the water tank from a tap that didn’t give much more than a trickle when fully open, and doing some other chores, we set off back onto the Wey. As it was now lunchtime, the only possible course of action was to moor up immediately opposite the marina entrance at The Anchor for Guinness and lunch.

Then a long haul cruise (45 minutes) to moor up at the entrance to Walsham Lock Weir for a walk into Ripley for afternoon tea and cakes at a the cook’s favourite cafe. The walk is familiar, last done in the Christmas Holidays, but much nicer in the warm sunshine! It’s a hard life.

Walsham Lock is a delightful spot to stay for the night: sheltered, just a few boats across the water, a cuckoo calling, deer in the woods opposite, a bit of white noise from the weir lulling one to sleep, and as we got back from Ripley, and a heron to follow home. (Incidentally, we were at the concert where that video was made – seems a long time ago now).