The wind was calm when we set off at 9:30 with Mike driving Densie whilst Denise did the packing. By 10:45 we were moored on our pontoon after emptying the waste tank.
2.21 miles, 1 hour 15 mins
Total statistics for trip:
61.92 miles, 44 locks, 2 lift bridges, 32.5 hours cruising.
Last night we ate out again, this time at The Folly next to the canal at Napton bottom lock. Very good "pub grub" style menu. I really enjoyed the faggots in gravy with chips and Denise enjoyed her burger both helped down with Hook Norton beer.
After the sun comes the rain. Today started with very heavy rain falling from very grey clouds. However by 9:20 the rain had stopped although the weather was cold and the sky still very grey. So we set off dressed in our full water-proof gear with woolly hats and gloves and made fast progress off the South Oxford Canal, up to Braunston on the Grand Union where we joined the North Oxford Canal.
Here we were pleased to see "Naughty Lass" moored up at Braunston - this being Robbie Cummings' boat featured in the BBC series "Canalboat Diaries". We nearly knocked against her as the waterway was restricted by another boat on a waterpoint. But spurred on by the thought of starring in a future Canal Boat Diaries we carefully avoided this with a couple of inches to spare.
We debated about whether to complete the journey home today but the wind soon turned too blustery to make it easy to manouevre in the marina so we moored up on the towpath at lunchtime. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks much calmer.
7.73 miles, 0 locks, 2 hours 55 mins.
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| Morning view from our mooring at Wormleighton |
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| Road bridge for HS2 works, perhaps for the railway as well |
The first "sight" was the major works for HS2 which cut across the empty rural hilly landscape. Further on as we cruised towards the first of the downhill locks at Marston Doles the wind became stronger. By the time we reached there it was sufficiently strong to make it difficult to move the boat away from the side after stopping whilst the locks were prepared.
After the 2 Marston Doles locks a further mile took us to Napton top lock after which we stopped for lunch for the first time this trip. Eating hot sausage rolls whilst trying to control the boat did not seem a good idea given the conditions.
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| Moored below Napton bottom lock |
After lunch we descended the remaining 5 Napton locks where we were helped by 2 volunteers who said that we were only the 3rd boat they had seen all day and were about to go off duty when they saw us approaching.. We moored for the night below the bottom lock at 2pm.
6.73 miles, 9 locks, 4 hours cruising
Last night we ate out for the first time on this trip. Our pub of choice was the Brasenose Arms in Cropredy. A really enjyable evening with very good food and beer. We will be back.
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| Densie entering Claydon Lock 17 |
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| Carved tree-trunk near our moring at Wormleighton Hill |
This morning the weather was cooler and with much less sunshine than yesterday. We set off at 9:40 and ate lunch on the move. At Claydon Locks we were pleased to meet a couple of volunteer lock keepers who helped us through. Then onto Fenny Compton where we stopped for water as on our journey in the other direction on Sunday. Beyond there the wind got stronger and the temperature lower so we moored up at Wormleighton Hill at 15:00 near where we had moored on Saturday night.
8.92 miles, 8 locks, 5 hours 20 minutes cruising
We awoke to sunshine, a good start to a day which provided the best weather we have had so far on this trip. We walked back into Banbury to buy a new vacuum cleaner for the boat as we can no longer source the filters needed for our previous one which we have owned since we bought the boat 17 years ago.
On the way back we popped into Tooley's boatyard which somewhat incongruously has been preserved alongside the modern shopping centre. Its dry dock dates back to the late 1700's and it was here that Tom Rolt's boat Cressy was prepared for leisure boating. "Narrowboat", the book he wrote describing his voyage, can be seen as leading to the serious use of the canals by pleasure craft.
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| On the way to Cropredy |
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| Moored in Cropredy |
We then took Densie half a mile up the canal to a mooring within easy walking distance of a large Waitrose where we bought the extra supplies needed for the remainder of our journey. After eating lunch on board we set off northwards back to Cropredy where we plan to eat out this evening.
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| Densie passing beneath Banbury lift bridge |
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| Moored outside a restaurant complex |
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| View down the Oxford canal in the middle of Banbury |
After leaving Cropredy at 9:35 we descended 3 locks spread over 2.5 miles of empty countryside and then passed under the M40. This was quiickly followed by another lock. A further couple of miles cruising took us through an area of light industry into the centre of Banbury where the canal forms the centre-piece of a modern shopping area.
This section is terminated by a lift bridge and a lock where there are always plenty of spectators watching and occasionally helping the boats passing through. We carried on to the outskirts of the town where there is a winding-hole which enabled us to turn Densie around and return to the town centre, again passing through the lock and lift bridge.
We moored up for the day at 13:15 and after lunch on board walked around the town. On the plus side central Banbury is attractive with some old buildings and a very wide range of small shops. Sadly half the shops are empty and there did not seem to be many customers around, perhaps Monday is a quiet day.
3 hours 40 mins cruising, 6 locks, 6.44 miles, 2 lift bridges (the same one twice).
We woke his morning to find the bad weather had returned. Fortunately no wind but everything was wet. Not actually raining, just grey clouds and dampness condensing out of the atmosphere.
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| Fenny Compton "Tunnel" |
But by 10 am conditions seemed to be marginally better so we set off from out mooring. The canal continues to take extravagent meanders, after travelling more than a mile we were less than half a mile in a straight line from where we started. First place of interest was Fenny Compton Wharf about half a mile outside the village where we filled up with water. Here the canal passes through a narrow section cut into the hillside. It was formerly a tunnel but was opened up over 150 years ago.
3 miles further on we reached the 5 Claydon locks which take the canal down off the summit. These were followed by 3 further locks leading to the canalside village of Cropredy where we have moored for the night.
5 hours 15 mins 8.89 miles, 8 locks
Much better weather today, no rain, no wind, just a little cold.
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| Looking back down the Napton flight |
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| Approaching Marston Doles top lock |
We set off at 9:30, passed through Napton Junction onto the (south) Oxford Canal.and reached Napton bottom lock after 2 miles. Then the 7 locks of the Napton flight spread over a mile followed a mile later by the 2 locks at Marston Doles took us up to the top pound. This is some 10 miles long and meanders around the hilly countryside following the contour at about 110 metres.
After lunch on the move we moored up near the route of HS2 some 3 miles from Fenny Compton .
5 hours cruising 9 locks 9 miles
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| 2 Great Crested Grebes gettingto know each other in the marina |
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| On the Grand Union between Braunston and Napton Junction |
