UK Canals - Journey reports

Oxford Canal:Newbold

We were moored above the locks last night and set for a quick descent of the three Hillmorton Locks, one of each pair in our favour with volunteer lock-keepers coming on duty as we came down. Pat asked about the construction work going on back near the two high railway bridges.  It turns out to be a 6000 home development, hence the new road and services being built which we have watched over the last few years.   The new bridge over the canal on the other side of the Clifton Cruisers bridge on the bend is nearly finished.  New old is our last overnight on the canal and we will be back home on the weekend with lots to do before the boat is ready for its journey to the paint shop.   The roof is now in a dreadful mess and a complete strip down can’t  come soon enough.

Oxford Canal:Hillmorton

 

 

A hard frost overnight.  The toll house at Braunston in the first rays of the day.   Though clear at the time, rain was threatened in the Met forecast from about 9:00 am.  Rather than wimp out this time we thought we should go for it, so left the mooring, winded, and set off for Hillmorton in the knowledge that there are lots of places to moor up on the way should we need to.   We got there by 10:00 and the rain still hadn’t set in, so perhaps they got it wrong?  

Grand Union Canal:Braunston

After the deluge yesterday today dawned fine, but with the threat of more rain later.   Over the last couple of days a Cutweb (Cutweb Internet Boating Club) miniGIG has been evolving based in the Admiral Nelson at Braunston.   The miniGIG is where Cutwebbers, posting on the Cutweb internet site, find themselves by chance in the same neighbourhood and plan an impromptu get together in a pub of course.   So it was that such a meeting was planned this evening.   We had abandoned our original plan to aim for the Blue Lias, so it was just a matter of turning round and returning to Braunston.   Turning round on a canal is not quite straightforward as most boats are too long to fit across the canal and for us this meant a 2 1/2 hour trip to find the next (wide) turning point and return to where we started from.   Then we continued on back to Braunston to find a nice mooring just before the turning point and marina entrance.   This is still about half a mile from the Admiral Nelson, but to get closer would mean going through Braunston Tunnel to find the next turning point to get back.    Having moored, the next job was a shopping trip.  The village (and shop) is at the top of the hill, so a nice bit of exercise.  On the way I discovered an unlisted (in Nicholson’s guide at least) refuse site at the back of the toll house.   Very useful!.    In the evening, we walked up to the pub and met up with our mates for a drink and a meal.   It seems a well run place and dog friendly too.   Standard sort of pub menu but good.

Grand Union Canal: Br 100

Heavy rain first thing with prospect of more to come with showers later.   So we really have nowhere to go other than to be back at Brinklow for the week-end.   So we shall stay here today, go to Napton Junction tomorrow, turn and stay the night at Braunston before a slow return to our marina. Time to get a few internal jobs done!

Grand Union Canal:Br 100

Cold morning again with wind chill.  As we need gas there is no point in rushing as Braunston Marina doesn’t open until 09:00.   Even at 8:30 there seemed to be a lot of boats moving and like yesterday meeting oncoming traffic not always in the most convenient of places.   At the bridge on the bend, just before Braunston turn, a fast boat had come up behind and I had a brief mental aberration thinking that the service point was immediately after the bridge and had steered left just as a boat appeared in front.  Got into a bit of a mess!   Everyone was nice about it but I really did feel an enormous pratt.  However to make up for it after we did manage a nice turn and reverse into the marina service berth.  It’s all self service of course but well organised with a neat trolley to move gas bottles around.   Then we moved off again back in the direction of Napton Junction, and stopping at our usual mooring at Bridge 100.   It had been a sunny day and in the afternoon the wind dropped and in the shelter of the cratch it was a chair out, shorts and T shirt, a beer and a bag of crisps.   Almost like summer!   Also managed to get a first coat of varnish on the rubbed down front doors and some paint on the worst of the roof - before the rain comes.