A quiet day on the river..

[Sammo]

Decided to go for a run up the river yesterday as the sun was shining ….so off we went heading for the pub at Wallingford……The river was a bit eerie as there didn’t seem to be any boats about ….then I saw someone on the bank with a fluorescent jacket who shouted there was scull racing up at Wallingford ….in fact I later found out it was the annual long distance sculling meet ..hosted by Wallingford Rowing Club with over 250 entrants from all over the place….

Round the next bend a wondrous sight awaited me ..hundreds of rowers heading towards me at full tilt… two, sometimes three abreast all doing a hundred miles an hour…..

I was doing alright till the aerosol in my hooter ran out …..then I was reduced to sticking my head out of the saloon window, sticking my fingers in my mouth and whistling as loud as I could (I didn`t know I could still do that )…It must of took at least half an hour to get through them …all the time weaving back and forth like a demented train driver …then as I rounded the last corner into the reach at Wallingford I had the finish line in sight ….and with both banks crowded with spectators I crossed the line with a sigh of relief....and a wonderful sense of achievement …..and escaped through the bridge to the pub….

So I just wondered…..would pissingoff 250 rowers in one go be a world record…
and, will I now go straight to hell ???…….



...

 

[byron]

Robert, the farmer from the other side of the river waved goodbye to you, he was down on my land with his two toddlers. He told me you had gone upstream at such an inopportune time. He and I wondered if you were just in the mood for some grief with your teenage hormones racing. Why the hell didn't you go downstream to Goring or Whitchurch ?

 

[Brayman]

Better pubs downriver, that's for sure.

 

[Sammo]

The beer is good by the bridge...they give a choice of warm or cold and they take a credit card (she never carries cash) I thought we might try the ale at the rowing club but she said that might not be a good idea…..
As for the rowers …they were heading down to the start line so we never actually interfered with any racing…….which is good….and we did wait till the racing finished till we headed back down….
Fair to say that it made for a good afternoon …..


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[Brayman]

[ QUOTE ]
The beer is good by the bridge...
..

[/ QUOTE ]
Last time I was there they didn't do any Real Ale, has that changed?

 

[Sammo]

I dunno Ian ….I`m not allowed real ale, makes me sing …anyway I decided to go easy on the pop and keep my wits about me ….the luck I was having yesterday there was a good chance that on the way back I would meet the QE2 coming towards me through Brunel bridge....


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