Down the Napton flight and onto the Grand Union Canal

 We set off in warm sunny weather at 8:40, starting early as we wanted to get within easy reach of our marina for the journey home tomorrow.

About to leave Lock 10

Looking back at Lock 10 from Lock 9

Looking back at Lock 9 from Lock 8 (bottom Lock)

About a mile after leaving our mooring we reached the top lock (lock 14) of the 7-lock Napton flight the bottom one being lock 8. Although the locks were easy to operate our descent was slow as we were travelling close behind another boat and each time they went down a lock we had to refill it so we could also descend.  Sadly there were no boats coming up who could do the extra work for us until the bottom of the flight.

Moored between Flecknoe and Lower Shuckburgh

At the bottom lock we dumped our rubbish at the adjacent waste facilities and continued the 2 mile journey to Napton Junction where the Oxford Canal joins the Grand Union.  The weather was becoming increasingly hot so we stopped for the day at 12:35 on an isolated mooring only a few feet longer than the boat, so no danger of noisy neighbours, unfortunately there is no shade.

PS the temperature in the boat is now 37C!

Daily travel details

Distance: 5.85 miles
Locks: 7
Duration: 3 hours 55 minutes

HS2 and Marston Doles

 Bright sunny weather again this morning as we set off at 9:00.  The impressive part of the journey was to see the progress which has been made on HS2 since we were last in the area in April 2025.

Railway viaduct crossing the canal

A detailed view of the structure

One can now see a large railway viaductcrossing the canal and a very high embankment dominating the attractive,  gently hilly and very quiet countryside. The next couple of photos shows what has been done in the past year:

A photo from April 2025 - what on earth is this?

Now we know- an underpass through the embankment!

Back to our journey....

The first Marston Doles Lock

Moored below Marston Doles Locks

After leaving the HS2 construction site a further 4.5 miles took us to Marston Doles where 2 locks lower the canal off the summit level.

Daily travel details

Distance: 6.76 miles
Locks: 2
Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes

Through Fenny Compton, no locks today

 

Site of Fenny Compton Tunnel

Taking on water at Fenny Compton Wharf

We set off at 8:45 in bright sunny weather along the top level pound. The tree lined canal took us to the Fenny Compton "tunnel" which had been converted to a cutting in the 1860s to the water point next to the Wharf Inn not far from the village of Fenny Compton where we stopped for 20 minutes to fill up with water.

Bridge 134 near Wormleighton

The canal continued past the site of the medieval village of Wormleighton about a quarter of a mile from the current one.  It then followed  an extravagantly meandering path travelling west for a mile, and then passing through a hair-pin bend to continue eastwards. There is a bridge on the corner preventing any visibility of boats travelling in the opposite direction.  Needless to say we did meet another boat there but managed to avoid a collision

Moored  near Bridge 130

We moored about half a mile later in quiet empty countryside shortly before lunchtime. 

Daily travel details

Distance: 5.97 miles
Locks:0
Duration: 2 hours 55 minutes

Cropredy to Claydon - a day of locks

 We started early at 8:45 today in fairly cool and cloudy weather as we wanted to ascend 9 locks by lunchtime when we normally stop for the day. But the first stop was at the services wharf at Cropredy to dispose of several bags of recyclable, kitchen, and general waste which had been cluttering up our kitchen area for a few days.

In Claydon Top Lock

Moored at Claydon Top Bridge

Then onwards up Cropredy lock to the sound of the nearby church bells, a set of 3 individual locks and finally the flight of 5 Claydon locks. Fortunately 7 of the locks were set in our favour so we could enter almost immediately. 

When we reached the moorings above Claydon top lock close to lunchtime there were only two unoccupied spaces. one of which we were happy to take, the next opportunity to moor being the best part of an hour's cruising away.

Daily Travel Details

Distance: 3.57 miles
Locks: 9

Duration: 3 hours 5 minutes

Cropredy again, nearly

 We are now in the final few days of our holiday.  But beyond Banbury there are very few shops and we still have 5 evening meals to arrange.  So we walked the short distance from our mooring to  Waitrose and bought 3 bags of provisions. 

Near Bourton Bridge

Ascending Slat Mill Lock

By 11:15 we were back on the boat and ready to leave. We left Banbury, yet again in sunny warm weather, ascended 3 locks and passed under the M40 ending up about half a mile short of Cropredy.

We were getting hungry as our morning shopping limited the time available for cruising prior to lunch.  The alternatives were to stop where we were as there was a usable mooring or to carry on to Cropredy which would have taken another half hour at least.  We chose the former option and moored up at 13:30.

Daily Travel details

Distance: 3.49 miles
Locks: 3
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes

In Banbury again

 

Moored in Castle Quay in Banbury

Another sunny morning though with quite a cool breeze.  We set off towards Banbury at 9:05 passing through Grant's Lock and then Banbury Lock where we stopped at the water point to fill up our water tank and also to dump all our rubbish at the nearby canalside facilities. That done we passed below the lift bridge, the last one of our current trip, into the the Banbury Castle Quay area where we were lucky to find a mooring.

We shopped for groceries at the nearby Lidl, of which we were previously unaware until it was recommended by another boater.  After lunch on board we walked into the the town centre.

We will be staying in Banbury for 2 nights and so won't publish the next blog until Saturday.

Daily Travel Details

Distance: 2.94 miles
Locks 2
Moveable Bridges:1
Duration: 2 hours

Across the Cherwell again to King's Sutton

 

Ayno Weir Lock - the canal rises 1 foot to the Cherwell

Densie entering Nell Bridge Lock after crossing the Cherwell

In King's Sutton Lock

King's Sutton Church from the canal

When we set off at 9:35 the weather was much the same as it had been since the heatwave ended. The pictures here show different views of some of the sights described on our way downstream. We moored above King's Sutton Lock at lunchtime.

Red Kite in a tree watching the haymaking

Our most memorable experience today was watching a farmer on a tractor haymaking.  Unlike the flock of seagulls that often follow the tractors, this time it was a flock of 10 red kites, one of which sat in a tree watching the activitity.

Daily travel details

Distance: 5.57 miles
Locks: 3
Moveable Bridges: 2
Duration: 3 hours 20 minutes