Maps
Right bank just above Shiplake Railway Bridge
The River Loddon rises from chalk fed springs at Basingstoke, and flows north easterly.
In the upper reaches of the Loddon, and some of its tributaries,
river channels are wide and shallow, typical of chalk fed streams.
However, broad lowland river valleys, through which the Rivers Loddon,
Whitewater, Hart, Blackwater and Bow Brook meander, dominate much of the catchment.
Map: Loddon Drive roofed Bridge
Roofed Bridge over the River Loddon near Thames
Map: St Patrick's Stream flows into the Loddon
Up the Loddon on the left bank (your right as you go upstream)
is St Patrick's Stream which is an outflow from the Thames and bypasses Shiplake Lock.
1881: George Leslie -
This backwater is called St. Patrick’s Stream – why I do not know; it is a very peculiar backwater, because it flows from the Thames itself into a tributary stream, and, united with the waters of the tributary, rejoins the main stream below the weir. I know of no other backwater on the river by which you can avoid going through a lock; the stream in St Patrick’s Water is very strong, falling as it does all the way without arrest, whereas the main stream has a weir on it, with a fall of three feet six inches.
[ Shiplake Lock now has a drop of 5'1”. The stream however is not strong (due to its weeds). My maximum speed punting down it in 2004 was 4.50mph. Weeds and trees were the problems. ]
It is
perhaps best to explore this stream on the down journey, as the labour of going
up it is great. The character of this
little river is not very varied or interesting, but you meet no steam-launches,
the water is clear, and there is an air of general wildness about it. The only object of interest on it, is an old
farmhouse about half-way up, with a little bridge over another small stream
which flows also from the Thames, from above the weir; you cannot pass, however, by this to the main
river on account of a small weir across it.
Burrow Marsh, as this farm-house is called, has lately become the summer
residence of my friend Mr. W. Field the artist, a younger son of the late Edwin
Field; he comes
down here also in the winter occasionally, for the purposes of fishing and
wild-duck shooting.
In the
meadows about the Loddon and St Patrick’s Stream in the spring time the
beautiful fritillary or snake’s head can be found growing in great abundance;
it is a most
engaging flower, something between a wood-anemone and a tulip, generally of a
brownish chocolate colour, with pale spots on it, but sometimes pure
white; this flower is admirably suited
for the embroiderer’s art, and I confidently recommend it to young ladies of a
“crewel” disposition.
Snakes Head Fritillary
Map:
Footbridge over St Patrick’s Stream
St Patrick’s Stream almost choked with weed in July 2004
St Patrick’s Stream is arboreally challenged, as is the punter!
St Patrick's Stream, George Leslie, 1881
St Patrick's Bridge
Over St Patrick's Stream close to its start on the Thames right bank.
2004: Graham Summer's description is going down St Patrick's Stream
(from the Thames a mile above SHIPLAKE LOCK into the Loddon
and then back to the Thames just above Shiplake Railway Bridge -
You will be delighted to hear that St Patrick’s Stream is not only punt-user friendly: it is one of the joys of punting the Thames. At its head, [a mile above Shiplake Lock] there is a mini-weir that – in most water flows when a punter is likely to be afloat – has a drop of all of 3 inches which, if it threatens to impede the punter’s progress, the punter crosses by initially standing at the back of the punt, and then moving to its front as soon as its centre has crossed the ‘weir’.
[ I saw no sign of this entrance weir in July 2004. ]
Graham Summer continued -
Thereafter,
the Stream continues to be shallow, and moves fairly swiftly between open fields
and frequently passes amongst trees whose lower branches only just clear the
water. This means that the punt must be carefully steered to take the line of
least arboreal resistance, and may require the punter to lie down at times (not
merely for purposes of recuperation) to avoid being dragged overboard or, in
any event, retained in the branches while the punt continues downstream on its
own. The
branches can in fact prove to be very helpful, as the punter can hang onto them
while manoeuvring the punt with his / her feet. Some of the corners are quite
sharp, but still easy to manage; and the flow of the Stream takes a lot of the
hard work out of the descent.
Occasionally
one encounters fisher-persons (you don’t catch me being politically incorrect),
but they are usually so surprised that their usual antipathy to punters seems
to be in abeyance (although possibly it is because the winding nature of the
Stream means that you are in sight for too short a period to permit them to
react).
After what may be about half a mile – it is very difficult to tell with the twists
and turns of the stream – you meet the faster, deeper (about 3 feet), and wider
(about 20 yards) River Loddon. The Loddon has a firm bottom, and it flows from
your right to your left (skiffers should note that punters look in the
direction in which they travel).
If you are so minded, you will punt down the Loddon faster than you have ever punted
anywhere – until it flows out into the Thames just opposite Shiplake Lock, and
just upstream from the railway bridge.
The descent is not an experience to be missed by any punter going from Sonning to
Shiplake – skiffers eat your hearts out (alternatively, if you do try it, let
St Patrick’s Stream scrape your bottom off).
I have used St Patrick’s Stream on at least half a dozen occasions, most recently with
my wife in July 2003 in our 2-foot racing punt – when the Stream was as I
describe. The first occasion must have been in the late fifties, at a time when
one could still hire a pleasure punt from St George and the Dragon at Wargrave.
I hired such a punt, and - not knowing anything about the waterways in that
area – I found the fast flowing Lodden and (you’ve got to show them that you
are British) set off upstream.
When I reached the junction where faster water was rushing in from my right, I decided
to see if I could shove the punt uphill against the flow – at times managing
only a few feet per shove. After about half an hour I emerged unexpectedly into
a wide and tranquil river that I could not identify with any certainty; and
while "Dr Livingstone I presume?" seems to have acquired some
notoriety, I am not sure if the same can be said of my words to people passing
in a cruiser "Excuse me, is this the Thames?".
Much as I enjoyed the experience, my suggestion is that you descend the Stream.
[ When I punted St Patrick’s Stream in July 2004 the weed meant there was almost no current and it was difficult to get through in places. Trees were also a problem. ]
(SHIPLAKE LOCK)
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS