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POSTED: 03 JANUARY 2012

Destination: The River Thames

Skipper JOHN ROZENTALS survives some mutinous moments but thoroughly enjoys the history, beauty and tranquillity of England’s River Thames. Images: SANDRA BURN WHITE.

“Look,” I keep reassuring my First Mate as we ride a late-afternoon train from Heathrow to Le Boat’s Thames base in the village of Benson to pick up a two-berth motor cruiser that will be our home for a week on England’s longest river.

“They wouldn’t let us do this if it was too difficult for a couple of novices.”

I don’t think either of us is entirely convinced, but the ease with which we negotiate our first lock and moor outside a delightful pub in the historic town of Wallingford allays most fears.

A couple of pints of best bitter — accompanied by a hearty dose of comfort food — at The Boathouse wash away any that remain. It’s the perfect antidote to a tiring day that began many hours ago with a lengthy train ride to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Our Capri TS is certainly comfortable enough. It has a couple of outside seats at stern but otherwise is totally enclosed. There’s a galley with table and benches, fridge, TV and gas-fired stove; a smallish double bed up front; and, in between, a bathroom that’s a bit of a squeeze. But, hey, this is the smallest craft in Le Boat’s fleet and there is plenty of hot water as long as you run the engine for a few hours every day.

We’re on what Le Boat calls its “Scholars’ Cruise” and the itinerary suggests motoring upstream to Oxford and downstream to the rowing course at Henley. But you’re boss of your own destiny on the river and we decide to ignore the latter and spend more time wending our way to and from one of the cradles of English learning.

Wallingford proves an excellent place to start our exploration. County realignments now place it in Oxfordshire but it was once the chief town in Berkshire and an important component of the fortified defence line against potential Viking invasion.

In a genealogical witch-hunt related to Star Chamber proceedings of the early 17th century, we also venture by taxi a few kilometres to North Moreton. We don’t find much fresh information but we do discover a quintessential time-warped English village with thatched roofs and a superb old pub called the Bear Inn. Not to mention a decaying church and an eccentric vicar almost more interested in our family history than we are.

Wallingford is a beautiful town to stroll around and offers plenty of opportunities for stocking up on provisions ... and for just sitting on deck admiring the cathedral and old bridge and chatting with fellow travellers moored nearby.

Yes, the Thames is a friendly, easy-to-use place. The lock keepers sympathetically understand the difficulties that first-timers encounter and the river’s regulars, many of who live on longboats inevitably embellished with rooftop gardens and sun lounges, are only too willing to catch a rope and help you tie up.

There are plenty of well established mooring places with nearby facilities, but it’s also easy to rough it elsewhere. Just drive a few pegs into the bank alongside the river’s towpath and attach some ropes.

That’s how we spend our second night on the Thames and revel in its absolute peace and calm, even at a time when much of Britain is under some pretty severe weather. Just beware the steep banks and the nettles.

Oxford, of course, is a sublime destination in its own right and worth a visit regardless of means of transport. I’d venture, though, that tying up for a couple of nights a few hundred metres from Folly Bridge and not far from Christ Church Cathedral and College is among the best of the university city’s experiences.

Then it’s back down river to Benson, this time stopping for a night — and to empty our waste and refill with fresh water — at Abingdon, where William the Conqueror once celebrated Easter. Remnants of the abbey and surrounding gardens make for several fascinating hours of discovery.

All in all, it’s a very different and invigorating way to explore an iconic corner of England. Le Boat’s charter rates start from about $1400 per week, plus insurance and fuel. We paid $160 for collision-waiver insurance and, surprisingly after a week’s motoring, just over £30 for fuel. Larger boats, taking up to 10 people, are also available.

Le Boat offers similar arrangements in England’s Norfolk Broads, France, Scotland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Ireland.

Disclosure: John Rozentals and Sandra Burn White were guests of Le Boat.

Above: Autumn colours peep through the greenery that lines the Thames at Abingdon. Left: Detail from quadrangal decoration at Oxford's Bodleian Library. Below: The Head of the River Inn, Oxford.

Above and left: Skipper John guides his Capri TS along England's longest river. Below: Ample wildlife along the Thames.

Above, left and below: A visit to Christ Church Cathedral and College is an absolute must in Oxford ... a legendary institution with outstanding architecture and a long tradition of housing some of England's brightest young minds.

Above: The Boathouse, right by Wallingford's historic bridge. Below: Wallingford Town Square.

Above: The magnificent gardens of Abingdon Abbey. Below: Looking towards St Helens parish church from our mooring at Abingdon.

Above and below: Our Capri TS ... a pleasure to park and ideally suited for a leisurely few days on the Thames.

The village of North Moreton, about five kilometres west of Wallingford, dates from before the Norman Conquest ... above, the Bear Inn; left, medieval All Saints Church; below, one of the village's many outstanding thatched cottages.

Above and below: Nowhere near as daunting as it seems ... the system of locks that help make the Thames permanently navigable.

Above: Takeoff ... The Thames is a haven for ducks, geese and other waterbirds. Left: Shingle outside one of Abingdon's many inns. Below: Ruins at Abingdon Abbey, possibly founded by the Saxons in the 7th century.

Above and below: The Thames is literally lined with green beauty and fascinating history.