Hillmorton top lock

Not much to report today, no ice and a bit more wind, it started fine but started raining just as we pulled in to moor up, not even anything worth a photograph.
A little late getting away as I needed to do some banking, thankfully Lloyd’s AI helper soon gave up on me and gave me a real person. The problem was my stupidity or over confidence. Once away our first stop was Dunchurch Pools to fill with diesel at £1-01 p/l domestic, we use around 10 L/day this time of the year and a bit more when its as cold as this week. We timed it right as no one else was on the service pontoon.
That sorted we were on our way again, meeting a few hire boats as its half term week. We were hoping to moor between bridge 72 and the locks because the edge is better and there is a good hedge between the canal and the railway, unfortunately several other boaters have already had the same idea.

Today’s Journey

4¾ miles with no locks in 2 hours

As it was a short blog you can see everywhere we have been on this Google map. The current rout is always blue

Willoughby

Sorry last nights blog was so let getting away, I had next to zero internet/phone signal all afternoon and evening where we moored, then just before bed it was 2 green lights on the MiFi and we were good to go. I checked when I got up during the night, as you do and still two greens, this morning we were back down to a yellowishy green.

We woke to a sunny but chilly morning, again it was -2°C overnight, but very little thin ice on the canal and that had been broken by the time we set off a little before 11. There was quite a bit of traffic about today and I would estimate we met 12 to 18 boats in the three hours. As we left we had quite a nice view of the windmill in the sun shine.

Just beyond Napton Narrowboats there is still a lone soldier standing in the field on the off side.

The widebeam boat is still moored in the same spot on the Grand Union just past Wigrams Turn. As we passed under bridge 107 I looked back at the sheep on the brow of the hill.

At bridge 102 I did my good deed for the day, on our way out I noticed the sign for The Olive Bush that was against the offside bridge spandrel wall was in the canal but the top still anchored to some bushes. so I stopped just under the bridge and retrieved it until the next gale. On the other side of the canal  built on the line of the disused railway is this huge building, I don’t know if its just a house, club or what. Just past Nethercote bridge 101 the towpath is in quite a state with mud and standing water, not somewhere you want to be walking without your wellies on.

If anyone is looking for a leisure mooring there is one just outside Braunston by bridge 97 they only want £360 per month for it, probably cheaper in Braunston Marina. We saw our first lambs of the year just at the tend of the moorings before the Puddle Bank but they didn’t look that new.

At Braunston Turn we turned right as we had no reason to go into Braunston this time. The wind didn’t feel quite so cold now and I probably got my best snap so far of Braunston Church.

Just before we were going to moor this large flock of geese came round and landed on the off side, wecarried on a bit further and moored on the piling just before bridge 85 and had a little dabble down the weed hatch for a small piece of rag round the shaft. Yes it was cold.

 

Today’s Journey 

8¾ miles with no locks in 3 hours

Napton

Well I wasn’t expecting that this morning, there was ice all over the canal and it was only just freezing when we went to bed, the coldest it got overnight was -2° C. A boat came crashing through at about half nine and I could see the ice was a good ¼” thick, We decided to wait a bit as it warmed up and set off at 11 am after another couple of boats had been through. The second surprise was round the corner, no ice. In fact the next ice of any quantity was at The Engine Arm.
We caught up with the boat that passed us at Marston Dole top lock so we stopped to fill with water. This gave me the opportunity to get a photo of this three wheeler, you don’t see many of them about.

By the time the tank was full there was a boat coming up between the two lock so I set the top lock for him.
Bridge 118 as looking the worse for wear, one side the spandrel wall has actually fallen down with a large crack running to the Arch. From the other side day light can easily bee seen through the cracks.

Down to Napton top lock and already the locks had started leaking away, it was rather slow to refill with only on top paddle operational.

By the road bridge at the tail of lock 12 someone has deposited a pile of brick rubble on the offside. As we chugged down the flight I spotted this tree standing on the off side . How much longer it will be standing is very hard to say.You can see right through the trunk

Down near the bottom of the flight CRT were hard at work putting new lock mooring posts, it looked tough ground to be digging into. Down to the bottom lock and a chance to say hello to Stephan who is the CRT supervisor for this bit of the cut, its several years since our paths last crossed. Round the bend and a nice little mooring for the night.
After lunch it was a walk up to the post office stores for a few goodies.

Today’s Journey

2½ miles with 9 locks in 2¾ hours

Marston Doles

Last night we ate in the Wharf pub at Fenny Compton. We have eaten there many times over the years with different management in place. Last night was very good, we booked a table for 7pm and they were very busy, even so the staff were attentive and friendly which made it pleasant and the food was spot on.
This morning the rain had finally stopped but still grey and even cooler, We were away at about 11 am and met one boat on route. The wedding bridge is looking more weathered now, for a long time it looked like a couple of planks, which actually is all it is clamped to a beam.

Many years ago this use to be a boat house, its slowly been sinking away over the years  and will soon be forgotten. This is the tip of the gable end.

There was no one working on HS2 today , being Sunday, coming the other way the wall under the bridge took me a bit by surprise, today I slowed for a better look and they are actually separate preformed panels that look as if they run down to the canal bed with the stone work already on them.

We come very close to the line again a little further south while actually travelling north along the canal.

Its along here that there are some strange things attached to the top of the piling, probably 6 in total spaced out along the length of the piling on the off side. The only think I could thing would be a surveying aid, but why there.

We carried on past the boat floating in the field, the water level in its little pond is probably 6” higher than the canal level to moor in almost the same spot as we did coming and we knew this would be the last mooring before the Marston Doles locks.

Today’s Journey7 miles with no locks in 2¼  hours.

Fenny Compton

As expected we woke to the sound of the rain, amplified by the dripping trees, one of the reasons I avoid mooring under trees, but here I had no choice. It was gone ten before we were away, 20 or three boats had already passed in both directions before we left and the levels in the 5 Claydon locks was mixed. This is a better view of the off side tree below the locks, OK in day light but something to be aware of a dusk.

One of the boats ahead of us had an interesting arrangement for his heater exhaust, I have never seen one installed like that before .

We also saw a boat whose occupants had put their name forward for a Darwin Award, I hope they have a working CO detector

I mentioned the other day about the overnight mooring ban down the flight, its OK during the day so I don’t quite understand the reasoning, but these are all the moorings that CRT provided in the no mooring area.

At the top lock after Diana had set it for me two boats arrived to come down, so I had a chance to nip off the boat and snap this old tractor at the holiday cottage. As you can see the weather is ucky.

We chugged on and my word it was chug in some places, well under 3MPH to avoid pulling a wash, stirring the muck as we went until we got to Fenny Tunnel where things improved. We were almost at the Wharf when we met a policeman wandering up the towpath, he enquired if there were any “barges” moored further along, so I dont know what he was looking for. We moored just before the Wharf and noticed another officer standing under the bridge.
Once moored it was time for a 250 hour filter and oil change, Its the messiest filter change I have ever done, I normally use a 3 finger filter wrench to remove the filter but this time I used a chain wrench that I had (I don’t have it any more) and it made a hole in the filter housing leaking oil down the engine and onto the base plate. Once I realised what had happened I caught the rest of the oil,  but had to wait until it had drained before I could finish removing the old filter. If you have one like this be warned.

Today’s Journey2 miles with 5 locks in 2 hours

Claydon bottom lock

Not a great rush this morning as we didn’t plan to go far, Down through Cropredy lock and passed the canoe club before pulling in to fill with water by thewinding hole, another slow tap but at least there is decent waste disposal with bins for glass. Once almost topped up, there was another boat waiting by now, we winded and headed back towards Cropredy lock. I can’t say I have really noticed Cropredy Church before, maybe due to the largeoverhanging willow tree. I owe this tree one as I ended up with red eye for a week some years ago when it flicked me in the eye.
I looked up Cropredy Marina last night, I think it says they have 350 berth now, its a good job they don’t all want to go out on the same day. Well worth a look on Google Maps. I wonder if these old boats will ever be  saved, they have been here several years now, Many years ago a friend of mine use to moor his boat in that cut.

There are many tails about boaters having a Tea Pot on the roof and what it could mean about the occupants and visitors, but this is the first time I have seen one hung out like a pub sign.

I am quite happy to pick up the odd bit of rubbish around locks or on the towpath, but I draw the line at dog poo bags, why bag it if you are then going to leave it in the middle of the path?

Some how this sign has escaped CRT bright blue sign campaign and the old black and white BW one stands proudly by the lock.

We didn’t want to do the Claydon 5 today, that may be a mistake as we have rain forecast for tomorrow and I don’t like doing locks in the rain. We could have stopped mid flight ignoring the no mooring signs like other people do, but we thought it best to pull in on the straight below the locks for the night.

 

Today’s Journey 2¼ miles with 5 locks in 2¼ hours

Cropredy

Well there goes the latest plan. Just received notification that Little Bourton Lock is closed due to a gate failure. It .could have been worse, we might have been the other side of it, so Cropredy is the end of the road.
Last night there were two boats ahead of us, this morning the front one set off about 9-30 and we left at 10-30, surprisingly some ot the 5 Cropredy locks were already full.
At the second lock down this sign is on the lock beam. I know its bad form to moor in a flight oflocks but in  this case the pound is longer than some in the Napton flight and even has mooring rings along its length, but is officially “No Mooring” The bottom offside gate has a skeleton lock beam, better than closing the lock until a new beam is available .

Below the flight the red bushes on the offside looked quite striking with their new growth, I think its only new wood that is red.

If you are coming this way at night in the dark take great care, a fallen tree on the offside has only been cut back half way across the canal. I always find passing Clattercote farm interesting, as well as a rather splendid butty in the shed, there tends to be things around the yard as well. 

There have been notices about letting water down at Elkington lock for sometime, but I think these a new reworded ones.

We passed the now huge Cropredy Marina on the offside before mooring for the night a short way above Cropredy lock, tomorrow we will lock down and fill with water and then depending if there is an update on Bourton Lock we will wind and go back or carry on to Banbury.

Today’s Journey

2½ miles with 8 locks in 2 hours

Claydon Top Lock

This morning the stove was still not running correctly, so I went on the roof and used the boat hook as a chimney brush. It dislodges a lot of fluffy soot which came out like a fountain and landed like black snow on the roof. Thankfully its improved things and I will bring the brushes back next trip.
O I forgot to mention, it decided to rain while I was doing this.
The rain stopped and we were on our way, you can’t do this part of the S Oxford without photographing this boat.

It wasn’t long before we were passing the canal side Glamping site but it looks like the hot tub and Tepee cover have been put to bed for the winter months.By now we could see signs of HS2 in the distance, we couldn’t understand this structure at first as it looks like a bridge, but the line doesn't cross the canal here. When we got closer we could see it was in fact a bridge to give land access to both sides of the line.Next on the list was the HS2 canal crossing, they still have the temporary access bridge in the foreground and beyond the new rail bridge is Wilsons Bridge No.128.

The offside bridge retaining wall has been built and for a new bridge I think it looks quite acceptable, I don’t  know what is planned for the towpath side and at the moment its part of a long diversion.Knotts Bridge No.130 has disappeared completely since we were last this way, I wonder if that will happen to more of the decaying ones around the system.

On to Fenny Compton with boats moored before the bridge but only one between the pub and the long term moorings up by the marina. Diesel at the marina is a good price at 95p/L for domestic use. Quite surprisingly there was a boat moored between bridges 137 and 137A. At the far end of the old opened out tunnel we met the only boat of the day, I think it was a Marque Boat like ours, called Spirit of Albion. We carried on to moor for the night just above Claydon Locks behind two other boats, lets just hope they don’t set off the same time us us in the morning.

 

Today’s journey10 miles with no locks in 3¾ hours