Abingdon Marina Park can be reached by walking along South Quay. The park has waterside views back across the marina to the houses and long boats of the marina development.

The park has a large green area in the centre with trees and a circular walk round what feels like a island. When the bottom of South Quay floods it becomes an island. At other times it has a path accessible by all.

The River Thames is on the other side and a channel connects Marina and Thames.

You will see mostly dog walkers down that way. It is also used for health walks, and is a place where you can find your own space.

P.S Rewrote this piece as it did not look right on re-reading. Apology for the offence to all overs of this park.

Thanks to Captain K for this report …

This week on behalf of the Environment Agency, an independent company has been dredging the river just up from the swimming pool and being a boater I couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask about the operation.

“Are you going to remove the huge tree and silt near the entrance to the lock”

“No, we’ve only been tasked to dredge this bit!

“But this stretch doesn’t need dredging?”

“We know that, what’s more yesterday we had to pull a boat off that ran aground in the middle of the river at the stretch by the lock you refer too!”

“Clearly then you’re dredging the wrong part?”

“Quite possibly! but this is where the E.A want us to dredge, not up there!”

“So where are you taking the spoils? I see you taking it by barge downstream.”

“We’re dumping back in the river just past Culham Cut !”

“But that will silt up the weir and new Culham Hydro Project?”

“Quite possibly.”

Abingdon Lock is getting to be more than a way of getting from one level of the River Thames to another.

The Whippet Kitchen opened last weekend – serving coffee, tea, home-made cakes, and ice cream. It got its name from the whippet that lives at the lock cottage. The cafe will be open most weekends over the summer, but being a small operation that cannot be guaranteed.

There are now even more sculptures by the artist known locally as ‘River Banksy’. Sculptures just appear overnight and very little is known about the artist.

Abingdon Lock has some new signage – taken from ‘The Idiots Guide To Boating’.

There is also a sign warning of a bee nest at the weir. At first the bees were suspected to be the endangered White Tailed Bee, but on closer inspection they turned out to be just common tree bees (see inset).

There were lots of little goslings out with their parents this evening. They will need to keep warm through the current cold snap.

Looking across to St Helen’s Wharf, there are the very old Long Alley Almshouses (built 1446-7), and the newer Brick Alley Almshouses (built 1718-1720), and the pollarded Plane trees. They create a harmonious view with all those vertical lines in the water.

Next door is the Old Anchor Inn where new people have recently taken over.

At the Cricket ground somebody has made a fence out of pallets, possibly so they don’t loose their cricket balls quite so often.