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Quiz about A Boat Trip along the River Thames through Oxford

A Boat Trip along the River Thames through Oxford Quiz

The Thames is an icon of England. This quiz will take you on a boat trip along it's length from the start until you leave Oxfordshire.

A multiple-choice quiz by romeomikegolf. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
romeomikegolf

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
259,701

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
987

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. You want to begin your idyllic journey from as close to the source of the river as possible. Where do you pick up your boat? Hint

London

Abingdon

Lechlade

Oxford

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Within a few minutes you encounter your first lock. This is St John's Lock. There is a statue on the lockside. Who does it commemorate? Hint

Old Father Thames

Prince Albert

St John

Queen Victoria

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. As you continue your trip down river you pass Buscot and Grafton locks. You arrive at what is, reputedly, the oldest existing bridge across the river. Where are you? Hint

Buckland

Pink Hill

Eynsham

Radcot

4. As we leave we follow the river through the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. There are many places to stop, but if you want to see Oxford itself you need to carry on for quite a few hours yet. The first Oxford lock you come to is Kings Lock. After another couple of hours you reach Godstow. There is a pub just across the river that featured in a well known TV series. Which one?

Answer: (One word - last name of main character)

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. As you leave your mooring there is a flat expanse of land on your left hand side. Because you are in a boat, and you must 'drive' on the right, you cannot land. There would be no point in trying though, as the river at this point is very shallow along the left hand bank. Which ancient part of Oxford are you passing?. Hint

Port Meadow

The 'Bumps'

Magdelen College Meadow

The Isis

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. From this ancient site we continue into Oxford, passing under Folly Bridge. If you moor up on the right hand side, and take a walk back and over Folly Bridge, you come to one of the most famous colleges of the University. Here you can walk through the gardens and follow both the river and a backwater. Which college's grounds are you in? Hint

Magdalen

Lonsdale

Oriel

Christchurch

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. After spending the night opposite you get up bright and early to continue your journey. You pass the college boathouses and begin to leave the city. One of the last locks is the beautiful Iffley lock. As you go through the lock keeper admonishes you for going too fast. What is the speed limit on the river? Hint

8 kph ( 5mph )

4 kph ( 2.5mph )

15 kph ( 9mph )

12 kph ( 7.5mph )

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Leaving Oxford the river turns south. You are now heading for Abingdon. Until the County Boundary changes in the 1970's you would be heading into a different county. Which county was Abingdon part of before the change? Hint

Buckinghamshire

It's always been in Oxfordshire

Wiltshire

Berkshire

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. As you continue south you eventually arrive at Clifton Hampden. There are one or two mooring places here, and you decide to stop because you know that the nearest pub is mentioned in a famous book about a boat trip along the river. The book in question is Tales Of The Riverbank.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. You leave Clifton and carry on with your journey. There are only four locks left before you leave Oxfordshire and enter into Berkshire. Which of the following is the last lock you go through that is in Oxfordshire? Hint

Cleeve

Benson

Days

Goring

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. You want to begin your idyllic journey from as close to the source of the river as possible. Where do you pick up your boat?

Answer: Lechlade

The closest point to the head of the Thames that you can hire a boat is Lechlade-on-Thames. Beyond Lechlade the river is only navigable by very small, shallow draught, boats. The actual source of the river is close to Kemble in Gloucestershire.

2. Within a few minutes you encounter your first lock. This is St John's Lock. There is a statue on the lockside. Who does it commemorate?

Answer: Old Father Thames

The statue of Old Father Thames was commissioned in 1854 for the Crystal Palace. The artist was R Monti. Following the fire in 1936 the statue was moved to the source of the river, only to be re-located again in 1974 because of fears of vandalism. St John's Lock gets it's name from a nearby Priory that was established in 1250, but which no longer exists. St John's is also the highest lock on the river, being 234ft ( 71.5m ) above sea level.

3. As you continue your trip down river you pass Buscot and Grafton locks. You arrive at what is, reputedly, the oldest existing bridge across the river. Where are you?

Answer: Radcot

Radcot Bridge, supposedly, dates from around 1200AD. There have been three battles around the area, the first occurred in 1387, the second during The Wars of the Roses and the third was a Civil War Battle in 1645.
http://www.faringdon.org/hyradcot.htm

Answer: Morse

The pub in question is The Trout. It featured in more than one episode. On the far bank of the river from the pub are the remains of Godstow Abbey which was built around 1133. It was sacked during the Civil War by the New Model Army led by Fairfax. The pub is on the site of the hospital that was attached to the Abbey.

Answer: Port Meadow

Port Meadow is the largest area of Common Ground in Oxford. It extends to some 440 acres. Freemen and Commoners of Wolvercote still have grazing rights to this day. In the middle of Port Meadow is a burial mound, which gives it the status of both a Site of Special Scientific Interest ( SSSI ) and a Scheduled Monument.

Answer: Christchurch

Christchurch Meadow is a well known place to walk and picnic in Oxford. It is roughly triangular in shape being bordered by the Thames, the River Cherwell and Christchurch itself. Christchurch Meadow is the site of the first balloon ascent by an Englishman. James Sadler lifted off on 4th October 1784 and rose to a height of around 3,600ft.

He landed six miles away at the village of Woodeaton.

Answer: 8 kph ( 5mph )

Basically, the speed limit is just above walking pace. The reason is to prevent excessive wash eroding the banks, and to prevent a nuisance to other river users. There are always some people who ignore this limit, especially when approaching a lock. On many trips down the river in our narrowboat we were passed by glassfibre cruisers who wanted to get into the lock first.

The look on their faces as they realised that we were still going to get into the lock with them, in 25 tons of solid steel canal boat, was absolutely priceless.

Answer: Berkshire

A quick look at an old map will show you that Abingdon was once in Berkshire. The boundary between the two counties was the course of the river. Oxfordshire was on one side and Berkshire was on the other. The site of Abingdon has been occupied since the Bronze Age. It was once the home of the MG car marque.

Answer: False

The book was "Three Men In A Boat" by Jerome K Jerome. The pub in question is the Barley Mow. At the time of writing this quiz, April 2007, the pub is still there and open for business.

Answer: Goring

Goring Lock is between the villages of Goring and Streatley. They are on opposite sides of both the river and the County boundary. The weir between the two is a beautiful site, and well worth a visit with a camera. I hope you enjoyed your trip along the upper reaches of the Thames, and look forward to seeing the lower part from Reading to London.

Source: Author romeomikegolf

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor minch before going online.
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