Cruisers Outnumber Narrowboats

Leaving last night's mooring

We had a quiet night moored against the dutch barge above. We said good bye to the family who had kindly allowed us to moor against them, and set off downstream. It was raining so we kept the hood up - the good thing about the Thames is that the high bridges mean we do not have to lower the hood to get under them. We stopped at Benson - famous for its air base which is now closed - to get fuel and water. The fuel was the most expensive we have come across anywhere!

The centre of Wallingford

We reached Wallingford fairly quickly and found a place to moor in the centre. After tying up, and climbing the high quay,we headed into town to get some food and to explore. In the centre of Wallingford is this object and engraved over the top it says "Keep the pavements dry" - now what is that about? We spotted a launderette and so returned to the boat with our shopping and then went back to the launderette with the washing. While it was churning away, we explored an antique/bric-a-brac centre and enjoyed a lavish lunch - coffee and chips!

Cute cygnets

We decided to stay put since the weather was pretty awful, and so we cleaned the boat and Angela played with the waterfowl. As the afternoon wore on, it brightened up and we enjoyed some sunshine sitting on the bank watching the gin palaces coming and going. Slowly the moorings filled up until everyone had to keep shuffling about to squeeze more boats in.

Tonight's mooring

By the end of the afternoon, many boats had given up trying to squeeze in and had headed on, and some had berthed alongside others.

Our view tonight from the galley window
We plan to get up early tomorrow and head off, to try to make up for some of the time lost today

Big River

 Approaching Folly Bridge near Oxford

Our mooring close to the centre of Oxford proved to be really quiet inspite of its proximity to roads and houses. We upped sticks and set off, just down the river to the first of many Thames locks. We purchased our expensive Thames license and then decended the lock being on the Thames is a bit of a treat because most of the locks are really well kept and they are operated by lock keepers.

 Kaitlyn about to be eaten

 A Lock Keeper's cottage

 We were joined for the first few locks by two glass fibre boats and we played leapfrog with them for most of the morning. One would stop, then the other, we would pass, and then they would catch and pass us and so on. We finally lost touch with them when we moored for lunch in Abingdon. It became increasingly windy and at one point a cushion from the front of the boat was blown overboard. We only became aware of this when all the people on a passing boat shouted "cushion"! We managed to retrieve it and it is now drying out.

 Abingdon

 Full safety gear in use

 Now that we are travelling on a big river, we have attached the anchor, ready to chuck overboard should the engine fail, and Kaitlyn donned a lifejacket. We will also wear these when we reach the tidal section below Teddington in a few days time.

 A beautiful Thameside house

 There are some truly fabulous houses backing onto the Thames, with beautiful gardens and boat houses. It is hard to pass these by without at least a bit of envy.

 A cute white duck -photo by Dan

Tonight's mooring

 We searched forages for a mooring where we could meet up with Tamlyn and Luis who were due to collect Dan and Kaitlyn. Moorings are hard to find on the Thames, with most of the banks either being private property or deeply covered in bushes and impossible to get near. We reached Shillingford where there are some moorings, but they were all taken. We nearly squeezed in between two other boats, but couldn't quite fit. After circling back, a chap on a dutch barge kindly suggested that we could moor alongside him. We took him up on this offer, and that is where we are tonight. Tamlyn and Luis managed to find us and after some dinner, all four of them left us, leaving the boat feeling very quiet and empty.

The Thames

A cute spider

A bright but cool morning today, as we prepared to set off heading for Oxford.The spider above was found in the boat and was about 2 feet across. (I might have exaggerated a bit there!)

Our mooring in Thrupp

There were a few boats about but generally it was prettty quiet. We met one boat on a narrow section of canal, and in moving close to the bank to create enough space for it to pass, we went aground. It took quite a bit of time, heaving on poles and all standing on the side of the boat, to refloat Banjo.

Some cute sleepy ducklings

Dan opening a lift bridge

There are loads of lift bridges on the Oxford canal. On the northern section, most of these are left open, but as we got nearer to Oxford, they were generally closed. The bridges are finely balanced and can be opened by lifting the edge of the bridge. As it lifts, the centre of balance moves due to a clever gearing mechanism, and the bridge pulls itself open. To close, you pull on the chain, and the process reverses - simples!

Ducks pursuing the steady stream of bread being thrown from the back of Banjo

We reached the outskirts of Oxford, and stopped to re-fill with water and a spot of minnow catching. The last few miles of the Oxford canal are filled with permanently moored boats which makes for very slow progress. Finally we reached the southernmost end of the canal, and the lock onto the Thames. We negotiated this without incident and pulled out onto the Thames - in front of a trip boat full of tourists. We accelerated to a good 5mph and started looking for somewhere to moor. We found somewhere pretty quickly, just beyond Osney Bridge.

Kaitlyn surrounded by ducks and pidgeons

The mooring below Osney Bridge

An archer's view from the top of the castle

We decided to explore and headed into Oxford. We had a tour of the castle which was fun and included a climb to the top of the tower where we were rewarded with some great views over the city. Tomorrow we set off down the Thames where the large locks are operated by keepers - bliss for the lock crew!

The one that got away

 Kaitlyn with Dog Boat's dog

It was bright this morning and we breakfasted in our shiny new covered back deck, out of the cool breeze. We set off and found a boat coming out of the nearby lock, leaving it in our favour, which was a great start. The next lock was also in our favour and as we were waiting for it to empty, a small dog appeared which Kaitlyn befriended. When its owner appeared, we recognised him as the captain of what we have come to know as the 'Dog Boat'.We have played leapfrog with this boat for several days, and usually pass it when it stops to let the dog have a walk. Today, it is heading the other way, so I guess it's goodbye.

 Angela enjoying having a lock crew to share the load

 An approaching boat covered in flowers

 The junction with the River Cherwell

The River Cherwell follows beside the canal for mile after mile, and the two join for a few miles. The flow wasn't too great today, and had little effect on us. After a couple of miles, the two split again, and we turned right, back onto the Oxford canal and straight into a lock.

Like the lock we saw yesterday, this one is this weird shape having a narrow entrance and exit, but being wide enough for 3 boats in the actual lock. It isn't deep, but takes quite a while to fill and empty. We carried on heading south, passing through lush countryside, looking for a clear bank to moor up for lunch. The banks are thickly covered in what looks like huge bunches of rhubarb, offering litttle chance to get close. After a few miles, we did find a spot and moored up next to a small bridge. Kaitlyn fished with a net again, and had an exciting encounter with a crayfish which alas escaped. By the time we were ready to leave again, Kaitlyn had caught a large number of tiny Minnows which were returned to the water to grow a bit, before we left.

It's a Cracker! 

We debated whether to press on and try to make it into Oxford, but based on stories of scarce moorings in the city, we decided to stop early and aim to get into Oxford at about midday tomorrow, when finding a mooring is more likely. We topped up with water in Thrupp and met this fine 4 year old horse called Cracker by the lift bridge. We went through the electronically controlled bridge and found a spot to moor, in front of a row of little stone cottages. We spoke to a lady who was monitoring usage of the moorings, to discourage those outstaying the 48 hour mooring limit, and who recommended the nearby pubs for food. So, we obviously had to have a pub meal which was very nice.

Actors and smells

Banbury smells! We noticed a strong smell, a sort of cross between roasting coffee and bad drains, as we approached Banbury last night, and the smell was still there this morning! A quick scan of the internet suggests that the smell is not unusual and stems from either a paint factory or a Kraft food factory - either way, we were not disappointed to leave it behind! We forgot to mention yesterday, that we passed a boat which was being driven by someone who looked just like actor Timothy West. It turns out that he and his wife, Prunella Scales, are keen narrowboaters from this part of the country, and so it probably was him, but alas we have no pic to prove it. Before we left Banbury, Kaitlyn did a spot of fishing and caught the above fish - no worries about tea tonight!

 Deep in thought

This morning's weather was rather like yesterday's - grey and cool with spots of rain falling. We set off, passed through a lift bridge and a lock in the centre of Banbury and headed out into the country. It stayed pretty cool but started to brighten up a bit and the rain clouds disappeared.

 Today's cute creature - a pedigree piglet

We came across a rare breed farm with a shop, so we stopped to explore. There were all manner of sheep, chickens, geese, ducks and lots of pigs. The one above had managed to get through a fence and then could not get back and was running up and down squeeling.

 A lock with a very narrow, low bridge on exit

Several of the locks on this stretch of canal are followed by bridges with tiny holes to take the boat through. The walls bear testimony in the form of deep scars, to just how small they are.

 The lock crew in action at Anyho Weir lock

 Anyho Weir Lock

This lock is a complicated affair - the River Cherwell joins the canal briefly, before falling over a weir which is immediately followed by a bridge and then the lock. The lock itself is an odd shape with narrow entrance and exit but is wide in the middle.

 Lunch stop and duck feeding

The weather finally improved in the early afternoon and got quite warm. Alas this didn't last long and the wind got up and it became quite cold.

By about 5pm, it was really chilly and starting to rain, so we decided to stop for the night as soon as we found somewhere with a decent bank to moor up against. We found a spot just before a lock, and tied up for the night. Two minutes later, a narrowboat thumped into us as it struggled to negotiate the bend in the wind - we untied and moved the boat a bit further away from the corner. In the end, we are moored in a lovely spot, and now it is dark, we cannot see a light in any direction - a little different from the centre of Banbury - and no smell!

It was grey and looked like rain again this morning. We set off after a bit of light woodwork constructing a support to make lowering the roof simpler, and headed towards the Claydon lock flight. There wasn't much traffic about and as we reached the first lock, there was only one boat in front of us.

 A cute mosquito

 As we approaced each lock, there was generally a boat coming the other way which meant that the locks were set in our favour. We spoke to several other boaters, and a common theme of conversation was the problems we would encounter in Cropredy. The forthcoming festival has apparently attracted a great many boats and there were many tales of traffic jams and long delays. We had no real alternative than to continue on into Cropredy. When we did arrive in Cropredy, it was hard to understand what all the fuss was about. There were a lot of moored boats, but it wasn't too bad.

 A cute butterfly

 A pretty canalside cottage

 Angela amongst the thisles in an abandoned lock keepres cottage garden

The weather improved eventually and the sun came out. We were entertained by a group of lads on a hire boat who all seemed to be working to maximise the chances of falling in. They were zigzagging from side to side bouncing off one bank and crashing into the other. Finally, when setting off from the lock moorings, they accelerated quickly but were still tied to the bank causing the boat to lurch violently to one side. We were happy to leave them as we headed off in the other direction!

 Two donkeys waiting excidedly for their tea

We reached Banbury and found a good spot to moor right in the centre.We went on a hike to the nearest food shop - Morrisons this time - and returned with supplies. Tamlyn, Luis, Dan and Kaitlyn arrived soon after and we enjoyed supper under the new hood with rain falling outside - finally, all of the problems with getting the hood finished seem worthwhile. Tam and Luis have left now, but Dan and Kaitlyn will be travelling with us for the next few days.

Traffic Jams

 Back on the Grand Union Canal briefly

The forecast for today was dry and bright, but the sky was black as we prepared to set off. We decided to leave the hood up as rain seemed inevitable. We set off and soon reached Braunston Junction which was manic. There were boats moored on both sides of the narrow canal, leaving only room for a single boat to pass - much stopping and starting and frenzied manouvering to avoid heavy crunches! We squeezed our way through and turned right onto the Grand Union Canal, heading towards Oxford. Moments later we recognised a boat called Kaydee coming the other way - it was Bill and Babs from Kecksy's Farm where Banjo is usually moored. We last saw them on the River Lee near Waltham Abbey back in May. They had been to Bristol and were heading back home in the opposite direction, taking the Grand Union back south.

 A cute foal

 A crowded holiday boat

After leaving the Grand Union at Napton junction and joining the Oxford Canal again, we reached the Napton flight of locks by early afternoon and started to hear tales of woe from oncoming boaters. The water levels on the Oxford Canal are low and so British Waterways have stated that this flight of locks will only be open between 9am and 4pm, to save water. This means that boats arriving at the flight after 4pm have to wait until 9am the following day to move, leading to queues. We were lucky and only had a couple of boats ahead of us, and every lock in the flight had a boat coming the other way which meant that all the locks were set in our favour for once. As we left the top lock, there were over 30 boats waiting, and the locks were about to close! These people have a very long wait ahead.

 Napton on the Hill

 More horned beasts

 Beautiful afternoon

Once clear of the locks, we cruised along through some beautiful rolling countryside in brilliant sunshine, passing several boats heading in the direction of the queue!

Tonight's mooring

We have moored up in the middle of nowhere amongst fields and trees with only the birds and things creeping through the undergrowth for company. Tomorrow we will reach Cropredy, the site of next weekend's folk festival, headlined by Fairport Convention, and where there will be a large number of boats and general mayhem. Hopefully we will squeeze through and head on to Banbury, but there are 13 locks between here and there and some inevitable queues.....