Kenneth Grahame’s old line still fits: there is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. This page is not a Bolinder technical manual — it is a place to enjoy a modern couple’s Thames cruise, moorings, and the small dramas of river life, then wander back to engines, craft, and locations on this site.
The film
Thieving Neighbour Caught On Camera! Narrowboat Life On The River Thames — Ep 173 follows narrowboat life on the Thames. Credit the uploader; the film is not owned by this site. We embed the official YouTube player only.
Lechlade and the upper Thames
The non-tidal Thames is managed for navigation a long way upstream, but for most powered craft the usual practical limit is around Ha’penny Bridge, Lechlade (Gloucestershire / Oxfordshire border country). Above that the river tends to become shallower and more overgrown; smaller craft sometimes explore further, but a full-length narrowboat journey often treats Lechlade as the memorable turning point — the “end of the navigable Thames” in everyday boating talk.
Open Lechlade / Ha’penny Bridge area in Google Maps · Inland Waterways Association — non-tidal Thames notes
The “thieving neighbour”
The episode title teases a thief next door. On the water, the culprits are often not human: cows in the field beside the mooring make surprisingly convincing suspects when something goes missing or a bankside visit leaves a mess. It is the sort of joke that only makes sense after you have lived with a rope ashore and livestock on the other side of the fence.
Air show skies (minor note)
In the same stretch of journey the boaters can sometimes watch aircraft associated with RAF Fairford (often heard or mis-typed as “Fairfoot”) and the famous Fairford / RIAT air-show traffic. One very large American transport may appear only briefly in the film — so it deserves only a light mention here.
The huge USAF airlifter most people mean is usually the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy (not a “C-15”). It is sometimes casually mixed up with the older, smaller C-141 Starlifter; the Galaxy is the truly outsized one. The clip is not a clear aircraft documentary — enjoy the river first.
Open RAF Fairford area in Google Maps
Why on a Bolinder site?
Bolinder engines earned their reputation on working and leisure craft in the UK waterways world. Pages like this keep the setting in view: rivers, moorings, locks, and the people who still travel slowly. For engine sound and starts see Sound & video; for other makers in context see Not Bolinder; for named waterways with maps see Locations.
Educational / atmospheric only. Film and maps are third-party; we do not own the YouTube content.
Related: Sound & video · Boat stories · Locations · Not Bolinder · Enthusiasts