The Jake seal of approval

Day two of my post paddling recovery period. I have been pretty bad and taking it easy but I started to go stir crazy and so decided to go out for a drive. We ended up in the highly picaresque little village of Clifton Hampden and stopped to stretch our legs by the river and at the same time check out the potential of a canoe put-in suggested on the Paddle Points website (highly recommended to any fellow water people). Apart from a gate that may or may not be bolted its a perfect little spot to set off from. Even Jake gave it the nose of approval.

It's long been a favourite village of mine not least because its the location of The Barley Mow pub which I've been using for 26 years (as far as I can remember). It's gone all "gastro pub" now but even so its well worth a visit. It features prominently in Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat where he describes it as the "finest pub on the river!" - not sure it could still boast that now but its still a great place for a pint, particularly on a fine summer evening. In Jerome's day the ferry man would sit in his own little place in the inglenook , able to stay warm (and lubricated) while keeping an eye out the window for custom approaching his boat. The ferry is long gone now, replaced by the rather fine bridge in the picture, but the inglenook remains.

The canoe launching point is on the edge of the church yard and therefore only a few yards away from the grave of one of my childhood heroes, David Shannon of 617 squadron, one of the Dambusters.