A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I first washed up on the banks of the Thames.
With liquid lunches and post-work drinks taken in Reading’s leafy neighbourhood of Caversham.
The flow of time has seen us move on since I first took up a pencil in anger.
And she snapped the great and the good and was deservedly garlanded.
But still Old Father Thames rolls on and sometimes I roll on a cruise on the river.
Now you wouldn’t expect me to have to get the tube through London.
Le Boat comes in
And boats of all shades and sizes drift down the river.
With our old friends at Le Boat more than holding their own with those around them.
Meandering down from royal Hampton Court.
Down through our old Reading and Windsor stomping grounds to Oxford’s dreaming spires.
Drive it yourself
And why? Because they are offering savings of 15% off all boating holidays for next year.
When choosing budget and comfort boats for short breaks of three to six nights.
And boating holidays of seven nights or more, when booked before Christmas Day.
A self-drive Le Boat cruise allows holidaymakers to explore the western section of the river.
Here, moorings are easy to find and the distance between locks is greater than at the river’s eastern end, which means more cruising.
A royal cruise
Stop at King Henry VIII’s home at Hampton Court, head to his successor Charles’s Windsor for a tour of the Castle.
Or visit Eton College, where 20 prime ministers were schooled.
A seven-night self-catered cruise on the River Thames, departing on 25 March, starts and finished at Le Boat’s base at Benson.
On board a Caprice sleeping up to six, is priced from £1,539/£256.50pp (£1,819/£303pp,saving 15%).
Transport to and from the base is not included.
So whether you’re taking a trip down Memory Lane (and a memorable Christmas party cruise) off the Piper’s Island pier.
Or you’re a first-timer get away from it all on the banks of the Thames.