How to get there - Cricklade is on the A419 half way between Swindon and Cirencester.
Suggested Launch Site - There is a slipway and street parking in Thames Street, beyond the junction with Abingdon Court Lane.
General
Description - This trip is best done in the Spring before the river gets too weedy and levels drop too low. If you have left it too late it may be better to start from the Red lion at Castle Eaton or the campsite (Second Chance Touring Park) at Marston Meysey.
This stretch is free from motor cruisers which can not get beyond the roundhouse at Inglesham but it can be shallow and you need to be alert to possible obstructions/fallen trees etc. We did this trip at the end of may after a period of heavy rain and the river was high enough to carry us over the fallen trees with a bit of wiggling. It would be wise however to go equiped to cut your way through fallen trees if necessary.
The Red Lion at castle Eaton (4 miles from the start) has a sign welcoming canoeists so it would be an obvious place to stop for refreshment.
The river is narrow to begin with but widens with every tributary.This trip was done as part of a four day trip to Sandford (south of Oxford)with Overnight camping. The first nights camping is at the Trout Inn, St Johns which is riverside and therefore required minimal portaging. Facilitites are limited to those of a pub/restuarant but the toilets are accessable day and night.
There is one lock to transit and you will find the Lock-keeper friendly and chatty.
Day2 of this trip is
here.
