The lovely town of Henley on Thames hosts one of the biggest rowing regattas there is. And today I went to see it for the first time. British weather being what it is (we've had the wettest April, May & June since 1931!), a picnic was always going to be risky but we decided to brave it regardless and we were rewarded.
We nabbed a table by the towpath alongside the river and set up our picnic for the afternoon. We had champagne and wine, and tucked into smoked salmon blinis, grapes, cheese and crackers, and I even made savoury tomato tarts. It was bright but cloudy for most of the day with only one downpour which had us comically hiding under our umbrellas for 10 minutes.
The people watching was excellent. Unlike Ascot which is all about the ladies' dresses and the hats, Henley is all about the men's wardrobe. The key elements being the blazer, in every colour and variation imaginable, the coloured trouser (pink, red and yellow being the favourites), and for added extravagance, accessorised with a straw boater or bow tie.
In amongst it all we did glimpse the odd rowing boat (including some Australians) but the day ended up being more about soaking up the atmosphere rather than following the racing programme.
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Elizabeth, Ana, Laleh & Tony
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| Prime viewing spots |
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| Picnicking on the towpath |
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| Hiding out from the rain |
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