UK Canals - Journey reports

Oxford Canal:Back to Barby

The wind has got up for the first time after the last 10 days or more.  Pity we didn’t have the wind generator up last night!   However it is just as cold and cruising into a head wind not at all pleasant.   On the Grand Union section we found long lines of moored boats on the popular piled lengths, but as were are early risers, no moving boats until the bridge at Braunston and another bridge shortly after on the Oxford again.  At the latter there was no immediately obvious precedence, so we both slammed into reverse and we were waved on.  I felt sorry for this boat after a kind gesture, they were caught by the wind now a side wind and rapidly taken to the bank.  Getting off a bank, likely to be aground perhaps in a side wind is a challenge.   All credit to him he knew the moves but watching behind it was indeed a struggle.   For my part I was almost certainly under dressed for the weather and on our arrival  still had enough mental energy to put the boat into a narrow pontoon mooring in a crosswind but was definitely borderline hypothermic with uncontrolled shivering when back on the boat.  Thank goodness for the solid fuel stove which is always on in this kind of weather.  Home tomorrow.

Grand Union Canal:Wigrams Turn

Another sunny day in prospect and no ice for a change.  Shortly after leaving our mooring we passed a line of moored boats in a popular overnight spot and then after, the construction site for HS2 which will have to cross the canal in due course.  To the south east a cutting through the hillside is being excavated and a massive spoil heap being built up.  No real sign of the final line although it does run very close to a 180 degree turn in the canal before ultimately crossing it on a viaduct near Willison’s Bridge.  No sign of that work yet.  Eventually we reached Marston Doles and were pleased to find no queue.  This was an illusion.   We dropped down in the top lock only to find no water below.  An investigation revealed one boat badly listing and another stuck trying to get into the lock below.   A CRT team was shortly on hand and some water let down to get the boats moving, however the real problem was revealed as a broken ground paddle in Lock 15.  When the lock was drained the flow through the broken paddle culvert created “suction” at the rear of the boat making exit possible only with rope assistance.   We were the last through and the lock is now out of use indefinitely until repair work assessed and completed.   Quite a big job I suspect.   We have stopped for the night just after Wigram’s Turn.   It will be the remains of last night casserole and a Cabernet Sauvignon.   (Poor signal here:photos to follow)

 

Oxford Canal:Knotts Bridge

Monday 19th April

Actually we are nowhere special but just a staging post dividing up the journey neatly.  Ahead of us are the HS2 (Highspeed Railwayline No2) construction works.  More of that tomorrow.  We are on the summit level of the Oxford Canal with stunning views except that this whole length of the towpath is bounded by a high almost impenetrable hawthorn hedge.   The photo shows our mooring but I did find a very small gap in the hedge through which I poked the camera to give an ideal of what I am talking about.  

The morning started off with ice on the roof again.  Pat tells me that the boat inside was at 13 degrees C first thing.  The fire has been banked up at 10pm last evening and was still glowing red, so just a couple of logs on top and in a short while we were up to 20.0C.

The mission today was to stop at Fenny Compton Wharf for a pump out.  Self service with a token.  A good flow, but our tank is large and the 8 minutes allowed is never enough for a complete job, especially when it needs a good flush out.

Then we motored on to the top of the hill.  Actually of course it’s all on the level.  It is just the surrounding hills that give the impression that you are travelling uphill.   Pat has the slow cooker on with a nourishing beef stew for this evening.

Oxford Canal:Claydon Top Lock

Sunday 18th April

A short day again today.  Cropredy Marina is expanding again with a third basin under construction.   It looked full.  All the boats are at home.   That’s good.   But come the summer, when they come out in force the Oxford Canal Locks will need to be doubled.   Again, all locks in our favour so the trip was a breeze with just two boats opposite direction in the Claydon flight and with a volunteer lockie undergoing training on the Top Lock.   Nothing to do!   I had commented previously on the great vegetation clearance on the canal.   This does not appear to be the case from Claydon down towards Oxford.   There was a large submerged tree root above Elkington Lock which came as a surprise.

Oxford Canal:Cropredy

Saturday 17th April

We are trying to split up the return journey to arrive back at Barby on Thursday, so today’s plan is for a 3 hour day aiming for Cropredy to give us TV time in the afternoon.  First a quick visit to Morrison’s to get a paper - bit of a souvenir edition commemorating the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral due to start around 14:30.   Then Town Lock and the lifting bridge with the stiff hydraulics.  MF was designated for that and yes it was stiff to lower the bridge but nowhere near as difficult as most of the bottom gate paddle gear.  When we got to the next lock which was in our favour, suddenly there was a boat behind and one in front.  So we racked up the pace slightly and went into max lock efficiency mode for the next two, but they were both in our favour too with downcoming boats to help and strangely, at Cropredy expecting the usual congestion, the lock was waiting for us with the gates open.  No one in sight.  Moreover, there was a 24 hour mooring for us close by.   So all in all, our 3 hour journey took just two.  After another freezing start, the day turned out quite warm with full sunshine.

Oxford Canal:Banbury

Not far today!  Needing food for the next week we went down through town lock stopping for water on the way.  Pat had to do the lifting bridge which is hydraulically operated with the windlass.  There were complaints that winding the bridge down again was extremely hard work.  Morrison’s supermarket is not visible from the canal but is easily accessed from Bridge 168 (Samuelson) which is at the end of the long straight.   There is good mooring there though it tends to be popular.   One re-victualled the next winding hole is about 1/2 mile further on.  It is a bijou narrow hole and needed a bit of Austin Powers type manoeuvring to get in and out made a little more worrying by spiky bush remnants on the corner and a fallen tree branch jutting into the end slightly.  However, all was executed safely.   Returning past Samuelson Bridge we moored on the straight before the narrows on some decent piling.  Quieter and less likely to disturb residents with engine running as we will need late afternoon. The photo  is of our final mooring looking back towards  Banbury.  Town  lock  is   just  round  the  corner.

Oxford Canal:Arrival Banbury

Heavy frost this morning.   We set off just after 07:30.   Down Claydon Top Lock to discover that the subsequent pound was very low.  However, keeping to the centre of the channel make the next lock touching the top gate.   I asked Pat to let a little water down from the top, not that there was much difference in levels.  Down the second lock when the lengthsman appeared and asked us to go no further because of water levels below.  He was going to have to let a lot down.  So we  went as far as the middle lock and moored up.  There were a couple of CRT guys and at least one mustering volunteer.  They had a fire going in the lock hut and all seemed very cosy.  Apparently the bottom pound is known to leak badly and the top to a lesser extent, so I guess all part of a day’s work.   Pressing on once given the all clear all went very smoothly with just a couple of boats ahead and very little opposite direction.   The bottom paddles have no gearing, just the rack & pinion and they are VERY stiff, requiring many shifts of the windlass to get better leverage.  No boats at the sanitary station in Cropredy, so a quick and efficient rubbish drop.  Coming up on Slat Mill Lock we caught up with our tug “friend”.   He had swapped his tow for a shorter boat and was able to lock down in one go.  He didn’t keep us waiting.   Usual approach to Banbury town past the row of long term moorings.  A couple of spaces remained on the 14 day end, but Pat was afraid of not getting a TV signal there between all the trees, so we continued to find the last of the piled moorings before the bollarded section.  Banbury is a bit of a mess at the moment with a lot of construction underway by the water.  The place might have been  ruined.   The photos taken from the same spot, 180 degrees apart.

 

 Once settled in I went out to explore and to try and find out more about the development.  The red brick building to the right will actually be a Premier Inn.  At least it looks as if a reasonable quayside will remain and the ground floor looks as if it could become a restaurant but as a whole the building does look a little after an old wool mill or warehouse.   Opposite that appears to be destined as restaurant, bars, evening social scene.   Taking after Birmingham perhaps.  At the back on the left a very large Lidl is emerging.  Further back, mostly out of view a large sport complex.

There is a large recreation ground to the right of the second picture.  It is very popular with the young children.

Claydon Top Lock

Wednesday April 14th

The batteries seem to be holding up well.  Ran the toaster this morning.  60 odd amps at 12 volts.  Battery voltage dropped down to 11.95 then back up to 12.5 when the toast was done.   We set off at our usual early time.  Again very few boats moored and we only passed one before Fenny Compton where we met up with and overtook the tug assembly that had eventually overtaken us at around 6pm yesterday evening.  We carried on to the top of Claydon Locks and were pleased to find plenty of mooring there.   It is evident of the past three days that a lot of work has been carried out since we were last this way in dealing with bank side vegetation especially towpath side so that bushes have all be obliterated.  This helps enormously with line of sight on corners.   Not so much sun today.   Much colder.

Oxford Canal:Marston Doles

Tuesday April 13th

Scattered clouds this morning with not much wind and cold.  Ice on the roof.   We passed a few moored boats on the way to Braunston and many more on the GU section to Wigrams turn.  We picked up a following just before the junction and then just after Napton Boats, one in front.  This turned out to be a tug propelling a tired narrowboat which as it turned out provided some interest for the Napton Flight.  The combination was too long for the lock, so there was some delay whilst two locking took place and the two vessels re-united.  Fearing a subsequent very slow climb through the flight we were relieved to learn that the skipper proposed mooring the tug and then roping the dead boat though the first of the closely located locks ahead of us, and our following boat.  Actually this worked quite well.  The shy was clear and the sun quite warm so a really pleasant morning.  We were able to pass the narrowboat before Adkins Lock and continue “normally”.   Hoping to moor at the top of the flight we were disappointed to find a suitable spot, but moved on to the next decent bit of piling about half a mile further on.   It was actually nice enough to get a chair out for a while.  This evening, the second of our Hello Fresh box meals, basically sausage and baked veg.

Oxford Canal (N) Bridge 87

We got the boat sorted out this morning.  Amazingly - it has been over 5 months since we visited and 6 months or more since we were out on the water - everything seems to work.  The engine started first turn of the key.  Just the water system to fill and flush.  It occurs to me that our batteries are now 7 years old and I have never had a set of batteries lasting this long.  I put this down to being sourced from a supply with high turnover so they have not been sitting on a shelf for months, regular water top-ups and a rigorous routine of never letting the voltage fall below 12.3.   I reckon though that sooner rather than later they are going to fail and an over winter would be a likely stress to cause this.  So for our first overnight we reckon to stay close to a source of new batteries should we need them.  Hence just a short trip today.  Braunston and beyond tomorrow.   This is the first day that we are allowed to travel following the COVID lockdown over the last 3 months and we expect it to be busy.

Escape

We are about to escape lockdown.  Just thought you’d like to know.   No messing!  We need to do it before somebody changes their mind because we are desperate to return to our alternative, peaceful, isolated, time travel existence.  We will probably not get very far, but that doesn’t matter.  Left or right?(out of the marina).  Looks like its going to be left.  The boat will have to be brought out of hibernation of course and the winter has had its exiting moments, so we hope that there has not been too much damage.  WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.