UK Canals - Journey reports

Oxford Canal:Banbury (Castle Quay)

I returned to the boat bringing clean laundry and as it was the middle of the afternoon, thought it a good idea to move the boat up through Town Lock and the lifting bridge to save time in the morning.  This was done and rubbish deposited.  The bridge is worked from the “opposite side” by hydraulic means using a windlass.  Coming up it is easy to moor up to work the bridge as there is a water point and bollards.  Once through the bridge the mooring is not so generous, just one bollard and the site is partially obstructed by boats moored at Tooleys Yard.   However it was possible to stop the boat with the stern just past and to loop a rope over the operating gear to enable me to get off and shut the bridge.   There was a space on the quay near enough for me to get a hookup onto the electric pedestal that Chloe and I played with on our outward journey.   I had complained and had received a message to say that the problem had been dealt with, so I was very pleased to find that it had.   Now I can get fully charges over night.

Oxford Canal:Banbury (Castle Quay)

I returned to the boat bringing clean laundry and as it was the middle of the afternoon, thought it a good idea to move the boat up through Town Lock and the lifting bridge to save time in the morning.  This was done and rubbish deposited.  The bridge is worked from the “opposite side” by hydraulic means using a windlass.  Coming up it is easy to moor up to work the bridge as there is a water point and bollards.  Once through the bridge the mooring is not so generous, just one bollard and the site is partially obstructed by boats moored at Tooleys Yard.   However it was possible to stop the boat with the stern just past and to loop a rope over the operating gear to enable me to get off and shut the bridge.   There was a space on the quay near enough for me to get a hookup onto the electric pedestal that Chloe and I played with on our outward journey.   I had complained and had received a message to say that the problem had been dealt with, so I was very pleased to find that it had.   Now I can get fully charges over night.

Oxford Canal:Banbury (Tramway Road)

Like yesterday we started early and didn’t meet another boat until Aynho Lock.  A first time hire boater with his family were finding it impossible to open the bottom gate.  On investigation it transpired that the top gate paddle was about three inches short of being completely lowered.   Their boat was short, so we got the two of us in at the same time.   The next lock is Nell Bridge which has a very narrow passage and no landing below the lock.  Further more, the towpath changes sides and he access from below is best from the lock landing, across the bridge and main road.  Not at all obvious.  To compound matters, a boat was exiting the lock which added further confusion.  They asked us to go first, and my plan was to go up, then work the lock for them, however, two boats were waiting to come down and by then the hire boaters partner had come topside.  So nothing more to do.   At Kings Sutton there was a three boat queue.  Apparently the boat ahead had broken off its tiller in the lock.  That took a little time to resolve - maybe 45 minutes.  However, in spite of alll that we arrived at Banbury in very good time, found a very convenient mooring just 10 yards from the car, and all set off for home.

Oxford Canal:Lower Heyford

Anxious to have some rest time at the end of the day we set off early.  There was actually a lot of free mooring space further up the canal we discovered.   Soon we were at Dukes Lock and properly back on our outbound route.  We didn’t meet any other boats until Bakers Lock.  There was a short queue at Pigeon Lockbut after that everything was orderly.  We found a nice mooring on the straight before The Mill Lift Bridge and had a lovely meal at the Bell where the landlord was very welcoming.

Oxford Canal:Isis Lock

Friday

Boats were on the movie this morning and several gaps appeared in the line behind us and the moving boats showed how useless our mooring pins were, so I decided to move back and found a nice gap.  Now we are much more secure.  Today we are waiting for Kai to arrive.  He is driving to Banbury, parking the car in a private (paid) spot right by the canal and getting a train to Oxford.  So we have the day to ourselves.   Chloe took the kids to the “Story Museum” which was a good move.  Later we all walked up the canal where there was a tidy park with exercise equipment.  Kai arrived as planned and we sat and planned the next move which is to get to Banbury in two days.

Oxford Canal:Isis Lock (Oxford)

OK!  The plan today was to get into position to me able to meet Kai from the Oxford Railway Station on Friday evening.  The closest mooring to the station is East Street.  First, however, we found yesterday afternoon that we needed a pumpout.  I had investigated the machine at the Thrupp Service point and found that it needed a token.  There was information mentioning that this could be obtained from the Warden but it was after his duty hours. There was a phone number so I called and the warden very kindly agreed to meet me and sold me the token £15.  As we would need to reverse back through the lifting bridge I thought it wisest to leave this until this morning, then get the pumpout early and leave for Oxford straightaway.  The boat reversed very easily and lined up nicely for the bridge hole.  Job done!  Next was the need for a small grocery shop.   Pat and I had needed this before and I remembered the small Co-op shop on the outskirts of Kidlington and easily acccessible fro the road which adjoins the canal past the Jolly Boatman pub at a small wharf (with 2 day moorings).  There was a space and shopping was quickly done.  Next was to investigate East Street moorings.  It’s three locks to the Duke’s Cut turning and always seems to take an age.  Below Duke’s Lock there was a melee of boats waiting to come up including a Braidbar “The Shouting End” which was initially blocking the bridge hole to the cut.  However, once we had vacated the lock and one boat was able to move, the problem for us disappeared.  Lots of moored boats in the cut.  Kings Lock was on self service as was Godstow.  East Road moorings were full, so we went down Osney Lock (manned) and continued, to turn on the wide river after the Salters Landing noticing no likeyhood of mooring there either.   Disappointed we returned.  The lock-keeper said that a few boats had come off the mooring first thing, so I guess that is the best time to find a mooring there.  Plan B was to look at the canal moorings above Isis Lock.   There appeared to be a space right at the front of the line of moored boats on the designated rings moorings, but we couldn’t get a front mooring pin in, so had to continue up the line to the end where, in the absence of any information to the contrary got some mooring pins in and staked our claim.  Exploring found that it is an easy 10 minute walk to the station and we are in poll position for an early start for Lower Heyford on Saturday, so not at all bad in the end.

Oxford Canal:Thrupp

Overnight the water level had dropped marginally but just enough make the boat list slightly against the bank and tighten the mooring lines. The front was easily released, but until it had been the rear line was stuck fast.   It was a n ice day in prospect ad we set off at a slowish pace allowing Chloe to walk Willow without having to race to catch up.  Actually, the Oxford is generally a shallow canal and speed can never exceed around 3 mph in consequence.   Eventually we encounter the River Cherwell section when there was a noticeable inference in speed without changing the throttle setting.  Once past the flood lock we encountered a stream of opposite direction boats easily around 6 in all which would inevitably form a queue at the lock we had just passed.  At Thrupp there is an electrically operated lift bridge immediately after a 90 degree right turn.  Chloe left off the front, but Will must have slipped on take off because she ended up in the water.  Chloe whipped her out in seconds with no problem.  Just means a wet dog!!  Fortunately we managed to find a mooring.  There is a good service point here with all facilities.  Worth bearing in mind. Thrupp

Oxford Canal:Northbrook

There were several opposition direction boats encountered most of which facilitated lock moves.  We moored up just after the lifting bridge intending to stay there for the night.  I walked up to the Bell for a pint.  Beautiful village wit local stone housed and attractive gardens.  The simple pub sign with just a yellow bell gave the location away with entrance through the back door.  Very attractive old style interior and a lovely garden.  A free house, there were a range of “guest beers” on tap and this would make a good stop for our return to eat out as a family.  Returning to the boat, Harrison pointed out that we were moored right next to an underground wasp nest, and whilst there was a lot of to and froing activity with a queue waiting to gain entrance to the burrow  and not bothering us, my sense told me that that could quickly change once “food” was apparent on the boat.  So we took the opportunity to move on to the water point which we found occupied.  The boater kindly agreed to move a little so that we could tie up and wait for our turn.   This waterpoint is well known as being very slow which is was.  We must have taken an hour to fill the tank.  Then we needed to find a mooring, and knowing that “my mooring” was just a little way further on we set off.   To my amazement, the neat patch of one boat length of moored grass, which I-had cut years ago,  was still there but to my chagrin it was occupied.  No alternative but to carry on which inevitably involved a lock.  Eventually we found a place at Northbrook Spinney which was fine.

Oxford Canal:Nell Bridge

A wet morning again.  It had been decided to take the boat down to Bridge 168 to put it as close to Morrisons Supermarket for a big shop as we could.  Good practice for the new crew - one windlass operated lifting bridge and the Town Lock.  Finding a place to moor is always guess work.  Do you take the first one you come across but walk far or go further with the risk of being disappointed.  We took the risk and after one failure settled for the inset just before the bridge in question.  When the shoppers returned with bursting bags and the trolley I never thought the fridge would cope, however with some cunning moved all was safely put away.  We carried on once all this was done and the rain stopped eventually.  The intention was to moor at the “pig Farm” which is an offside mooring offering a farm shop, attractive grounds and electricity.  We have moored here before and our approach to the farmer was initially looking good until he saw the children, saying that his insurance required that all children were offsite by 6.pm.  That was that.  No choice but to move on and to continue running the engine for the next 2 - 3 hours to restore battery capacity.  We moved just around the corner to some metal piling a few yards prior to the lifting bridge.  No problem.

Oxford Canal: Banbury day 3

No rain this morning.  I did remove the redundant charging wire last night which means I have to run the engine again.  Conversations with other boaters find them just as confused.  One guy who’s boat had broken down and who was desperate for the hook-up found a pedestal at the other end that was live.  ll the others were “occupied” whatever that means with no adjacent boats to be seen.  Put the fan up for the first time this trip as there did appear to be a bit of wind channeling down beteeen the tall buildings.  It did generate for a while, but by the evening all gone.   Family arrived on time at about 12:30 and after the usual preliminaries we all moved off to the “Ye Olde Raine Deer” pub for a lovely Sunday Lunch.  It has very good reviews and the place lived up to all expectations.

Oxford Canal:Banbury Day 2

Raining this morning.  I had plans to get out and take some photographs as there have been quite a few changes since I was here last, but not in the rain which carried on all day into the evening.  First job was to move the boat from its original mooring up to the moorings closer to Castle Quay shopping centre and adjacent to a clutch of restaurants which must be buzzing on a summer Saturday, but which in the rain might be quieter.  There are electricity pedestals here which would be helpful if staying for a couple of days.  However I didn’t want to mess about with tha in the rain, thinking it would clear up later, which it didn’t, so bit the bullet later and set everything up only to find out that they are dead.  The helpline only runs during working hours, so I am not impressed.  It’s looking better tomorrow, so hopefully I can do a sprint round Banbury with the camera.  All in all a very disappointing day - Oh and its getting really chilly and I didn’t want to have to fire up the stove.  

Photo: The new mooring as of today. To the right - the Premier Inn.  On the left the steps leading up to the row of bars and restaurants.

 

 

Oxford Canal:Banbury

Yesterday, leaving the mooring there was about an hour to get to the bottom of the Napton Lock Flight which is the only significant obstacle before Fenny Compton about 6 hours away.

Sometimes things go well, sometimes they don’t.  Today they went well.   By this I mean from a narrow boaters perspective, all the locks were in my favour either full, or being in late stages of opposite direction traffic so that there was no queueing and little waiting around.  Today was 13 locks, so just 5 minutes extra waiting at each one counts for an extra hour to the journey.  Today was 6 hours 15 minutes.   Going downhill, the biggest problem is getting the bottom gates closed on exit, because there is no nice lock landing from which to nip up and close then.  Most of the neat tricks for doing this easily tend to be risky, like jumping gates or climbing up lock walls from the boat in the throat of the lock.  The locks are not of a consistent design either which makes developing a reliable method harder and sometimes there is just no alternative but to moor up below ad deals with them formally.  So, it is always delightful when a windlass handed individual arrives at the lock from below and is on hand to take over, or even volunteer lock-keepers whom I had the benefit of on the third lock. (Claydon Flight).  Photo is of the approach to the top lock.  Leaving Fenny Compton the first “obstacle” is the opened out Fenny Tunnel although it is still known as “tunnel”.  This is narrow in parts but not usually a problem viv a vis opposite direction traffic.  At this time of the morning there was nobody.  Then it’s just all about the locks, mostly spread out.

Grand Union Canal (Oxford section) : Nimrod Bridge 108

No rush this morning, so set off at 08:00hrs. The canal is usually quiet at this time of the morning, which it was, but it usually means lots of moored boats which there wasn’t.  I got just past Braunston Turn in 2 hours, then 1 1/2 to Nimrod Bridge.  This will give me an hour tomorrow to get to the bottom of Napton Locks hopefully just as the volunteer lock-keepers arrive.   Strangely, once moored, there was a procession of passing boats and many not dawdling.  The first came just before I managed to get a solid hook on the piling in the right place, so a struggle to hold the boat quiet is the result.  I can hear Pat now saying, “better get some fenders out” (that’s if she hadn’t done it herself already).   I’ll get onto it straight away!!   Then, maybe I’ll have a look at the starboard locker.  ….   Well I did clean it out.

Summer holiday trip to Oxford and back

At Barby Moorings, Oxford Canal (N).  Arrived here at lunchtime. Warm enough, but overcast with rare glimpses of the sun.  There’s always lots to do before the boat can set off.  Boat electrics to be turned on, refrigerator turned on, then all the provisions for the first few days to be stowed away in their respective places.  Then there’s the wardrobe (actually in drawers).  Fortunately the bed was made ready on the previous visit.  Then the gas!   It was a late lunch.   I microwaved some left over food from Saturday and attacked a trifle which was also a remainder.  Inspecting the “engine  room” showed nothing untoward, but we have had heavy rain from time to time over the last few weeks and there was a collection of water in the starboard locker which of course leads to rust.  The rust will need cleaning out at some stage before winter.  All the unneeded items have been taken off the boat and stored in the car.  All should now be ready for an early departure tomorrow.  The destination for an overnight before tackling the Napton Flight will be Napton Junction.