Ahead could Ingelsham be seen
With footbridge low and rustic scene

The mast must now descend quite fast
To paddle Gipsy through the arch

With mast and sail up high again
The voyage downstream can begin

The little boat will have to tack
From side to side alack alack

of navigation, where the rivers Colne and Thames, and all that remains of the old cut of the Thames and Severn canal meet. I saluted a troop of scouts on the footbridge, then turned downstream. The cows panicked at the sight of me, stampeding along the bank. Back at the Swan, I dropped sail and mast outside the pub, sipped a half of cider and then paddled

through the bridge, carefully selecting a bank where I could moor head to wind. With mast and sail once more rigged, I waved farewell to Ian, who was poised with camera on Lechlade bridge, at about 12.30. There was no craft at all moving on the water, and I whistled down to St John’s Lock, where it was a nice surprise to find Ian waiting. It was open my