Off the Thames and back on the Oxford Canal.

 Another warm and sunny day.  We left our moorings at Osney just after 10am, starting late as wew ant to reduce our daily travelling time.  Stopping earlier in the afternoon results in colder water the following morning.

Thames above Osney passing Port Meadow

We need to go through the low right hand arch of Godstow Bridge

In King's Lock - the wheel on the beam raises and lowers the sluices

After Osney the Thames markedly changes character.  Narrower, shallower and more meandering with some very sharp hairpin bends.  The locks are smaller and simpler, the second one we passed through, King's Lock, was manually operated without any power assist.  After King's Lock our route took us off the Thames onto the very narrow and winding Duke's Cut.  At the end of Duke's Cut there is a 7 foot wide canal lock which is followed by the junction with the Oxford Canal.  As we were entering the lock another boat arrived from off the Thames that was clearly at least 8 foot wide! Fortunately it was just able to turn around to head back onto more suitable waters.

On the first Oxford Canal lock, Dukes Lock, we were held up for a while as the bottom gate would not open far enough for the boat inside to leave.   One of the boaters waiting to descend used the boat pole to investigate the obstruction and was able to clear away gravel and assorted debris permitting the gate to be fully opened.

That problem resolved we were able to continue up the canal ascending two further locks until 2pm when we found a suitable mooring near to Kidlington.  I am leaving the engine running for a while as our domestic batteries are showing too low a voltage and so are probably beginning to fail.  A long period of charging may help matters.

6.62 miles, 6 locks, 4 hours travelling

Back in the marina

On the Coventry Canal near Streethay

We are now moored back in our marina after a 4hour 40min voyage from Tamhorn Park Bridge, not counting the stop for lunch at Fradley Junction.  We will stay the night here and go home in the morning.

On our way back after a couple of walks around a nature reserve

Moored near Curdworth Bottom Lock

For the second morning the fire failed to last the night so when we awoke the boat temperature was showing 10 degrees.  Easily solved - turn on the central eating and go back to bed for a hour.

After breakfast we walked around the lake next to our moorings.  It was created from gravel workings and now forms part of a water park.  There were a large number of very noisy black headed gulls and a few teal, tufted ducks and a gadwall.

Middleton Lakes RSPB Nature Reserve

Having returned to the boat we cruised a mile back towards Tamworth and moored again next to further lakes, this time an RSPB reserve.  Another walk was rather more fruitful providing good views of tufted ducks, shovellers, teal, another gadwall, various geese, shelduck, great crested grebe, little egret and best of all, a group of 4 avocets, the delightful bird used for the logo of the RSPB.

Then back to the boat and on with the cruise.  Back to Fazeley, left towards Fradley arriving in the early afternoon where we had moored on Monday night.  The wind was getting stronger and colder so we decided to call it a day.

Out again - a short 4-5 day trip

After what seems a very long winter we are out again for a short trip.  It gives us a chance to check that the new alternator fitted a couple of weeks ago performs as well as the engineer predicted and reduces the amount of time we need to run the engine in order to recharge the batteries.

Swan nesting at Hopwas

We set off yesterday from our marina, turned right at Fradley Junction onto the Coventry Canal and moored out in the countryside at Tamhorn Farm Bridge.  This morning we cruised the couple of miles to the Ventura Park shopping complex in Tamworth to stock up with groceries.  After lunch we set off again turning right at Fazeley Junction down the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal where we turned round at the winding hole at Curdworth locks and moored up for the night.

The alternator seems to be working well.  Its charging voltage rises to the maximum within a minute from starting the engine whereas the old one took two hours or so.   However we dont have any way of checking how well the batteries are charged other than checking the voltage the following morning.