Tag: oxford canal

Trapped again


We said goodbye to Braunston and turned left onto the Oxford canal We had a real spring in our step cruising in the sunshine.

looking back to Braunston from the oxford canal

And moored up at the beautiful bridge 100, to absorb the rays.

But winter wasn’t done with us yet, as there was a frost with ice on the water when we woke the following morning.

Bridge 100

And to add to the gloom, we got an email notification from CRT informing us that the planned winter repairs at Stockton locks were overrunning due to the winter weather. Instead of a leisurely 3 day cruise to the locks we were trapped again for another week. And the weather was decidedly iffy. Nothing else for it but to get the jigsaws out.


With dwindling food supplies, and the towpath too muddy to trudge back to Braunston, we moved up to Flecknoe and walked up the hill…

…To the Old Olive Bush pub for Sunday lunch. It happened to be Mothers day so we pushed the boat out and treated ourselves to pudding as well. Really fantastic meal, and warm welcome from landlady Linda and the locals. We’ll visit this pub again.

homemade chocolate fudge pudding

With just 2 more days of captivity we moved on to Napton Junction, and turned right towards Warwick along to Grand Union Canal

Shared the Calcutt locks with another inmate bemoaning the delays.

So much more fun doing locks with company

The fuel boats had also been caught up with the extended stoppages so we popped into Ventnor marina for diesel. (£1.30l) It always seems a very welcoming marina especially with their golden daffodils outside.

Ventnor marina entrance

Then joined the queue waiting for CRT to let us on our way.

Time to move on from Oxford

We had found ourselves moored below Medley bridge for almost a week, thoroughly enjoying being tucked away peacefully, yet close enough to enjoy the best of Oxford’s lively atmosphere. We had even been lucky enough to realise that a pair of kingfishers had a nest right opposite us.

A kingfisher treat

We suspect the young had hatched, but they stay in the nest for 3 to 4 weeks, it would have been pushing our luck to stay on the off chance of seeing the brood emerge. We were also running low on water so needed to move on. It was only as we were pulling away that we saw the nice post we had tied to actually had a notice on it…. 2 days only

A very well camouflaged sign

Ah well, we will show them the photo to prove our ignorance if anyone pursues us for a mooring fee. We actually feel quite strongly about respecting mooring restrictions, otherwise it would be hypocritical for us to complain about the continual moorers who belligerently believe it’s their right to moor wherever they want for as long as they want. Being continual cruisers we haven’t set out to do any of the recognised cruising rings promoted by the hire companies, however we set off to do the Oxford ring.

Screen shot from AC canal planner

We left the river at Sheepwash channel,

Sheepwash channel

Where the Rewley Road swing bridge is being restored as a scheduled ancient monument. I’m very glad it will remain open, as it takes 2 men to operate it, allowing passage into Oxford,

Rewley road swing bridge


Through Isis lock

Isis Lock

which is effectively the end of navigation on the canal for most boats as the short branch that continues only has a 35 foot winding hole.

Looking down past the residential moorings towards the terminus of the Oxford canal

So we cruised north up the Oxford canal

Past some houses with lovely gardens


And returned to the river via Dukes Cut

Entering Dukes Cut

before continuing our journey downstream past Medley bridge and onward.

Its approximately 8 miles and a 4 hour journey, but the environment agency that looks after the river has some frustrating rules about the water points, only using a rigid 7m hose with no fittings, in theory to prevent contamination and back flow, however as we have a 20m flexible hose with brass fittings we are going to have to make some compromises. And so this time we opted to return to the canal to fill our tank. But it wasn’t just a maintenance cruise, we did also see some lovely canal, and some very nice homes.

We made the mistake of cruising past all the rowing clubs on Saturday morning.


It was very busy, although if the bridge grafiti is to be believed not everyone is taking the strain.

“Perfectly Legal” -someones got a sense of humour,

We’ve enjoyed Oxford far more than we expected. Its been fun to explore and theres still plenty left for the next time.

Banbury

We’ve spent more than a few weeks on the periphery of Banbury this year.

Just north of the Southam Road Footbridge

Its an ideal place for a continual cruiser, with access to facilities and a good train line but we get the impression that the holiday boaters just pass straight through without realising what they might be missing. Ok the canal itself isn’t going to grace many chocolate boxes, but never the less canal users owe a huge debt of gratitude to Tooley’s boat yard slap bang in the centre.

The busy Castle Quay and Tooley’s boatyard

Tooley’s is one of the oldest canal dry docks still in use on our waterways. Built when this section of Oxford Canal was completed at Banbury in 1778 (it finally made it to Oxford in 1790) it has operated continually ever since. There was a bit of uncertainty in the 1980s when the Castle Quay shopping centre was being built but thankfully Banbury is known for its canal campaigners and the little boat yard with its 200 year old forge and dry dock was incorporated into the structure of the centre and the Banbury Museum

Tooley’s before the development (photo from Tooley’s website)

Tooley’s has helped preserve many heritage boats and Hardy, the last wooden boat built by Nursers of Braunston is moored here now.

Afloat but not quite habitable

However the boat most have heard of is Cressy, a wooden hulled boat that Tom Rolt one of the leading campaigners used to preserve our beautiful waterways.

Photo Taken from the Tom Rolt website

She started life as a horse drawn fly boat in 1915 and after her trading days came to an end she was bought by Tom’s uncle Kyrle Williams. He had her converted to run on steam, but they quickly realised that it was impractical to cruise through tunnels so the steam engine was replaced by a motor from an old model T Ford. Cressy went on to have several other owners until Tom bought her in 1939 and had Tooleys do a complete refit so that he and his first wife Angela could live aboard. They then began a campaign maintain and reinvent the waterways for the benefit of all. If Tom and Angela hadn’t led the way, who knows if anyone else would have fought for what we love so dearly. In 1944 they set up the Inland Waterways Association. There is much much more to this tale, and Tom has ties to many places on the canals, but Banbury is where he set off from on his first campaign. And he is comemorated with a blue plaque and a bridge named after him

Tom Rolt Bridge looking north

Of course Banbury isn’t only famous for its waterways connection, the towns traditions were recorded in a nursery rhyme.

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross, to see a fine lady upon a white horse….. I tried to find out more about its origins, but as with most traditional storytelling words and their meanings have changed over the centuries so I think “you pays your money and takes your pick”

The rhyme we know today was published in 1784 after the canal arrived in Banbury, although I think that is coincidence rather than relevant, as it probably dates back to an early medieval period. The main Banbury cross was demolished by the puritans around 1600 and the current one was built in 1859 to commemorate the marriage of queen Victoria’s eldest daughter.

We’re now heading south on our adventures, but I know there’s more to Banbury still to explore.

Looking down from Tramway bridge, next to Morrisons.

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Happy Easter

Easter and spring, a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, a time for moving on.

Fenny Compton

The past few weeks have thrown up some emotional turmoil for us to deal with and as usual when my mind is confused I struggle to put pen to paper. But now I hope I can start sharing some of the joy we have to be thankful for again.


At Napton Junction we turned right onto the Oxford canal

Napton Junction

Our goal was to get to Banbury so that I could travel back to Suffolk by train. I was going to help Heather trade at the East Anglian Yarn Festival. She’s a talented lampworker making glass beads and glass knitting accessories but its still a big jump from selling through a small online hobby site to making enough stock for a two day event, but what do you know, she smashed it, perhaps not the right phrase for someone who works with glass but not only was the whole event great fun, but FlameKnits was awarded visitors award for best stand in the show.

Not bad for a first time at a show

I’d like to say she gets her talent from me, but I think it would be fairer to say I get my inspiration from Heather. Sadly after we had said our goodbyes, I got a call from one of our family. Cancer was about to get the better of us and we had to say our final goodbyes to David.

Williamscot

It hasn’t been an easy time but we have picked ourselves up and started to cruise purposefully again. It has been an absolute joy to be cruising with happy holiday makers and content cruisers leaving mariners at the start of the season. And we have spent the bank holiday around the lovely village of Cropredy

Cropredy

And with that, we are on our way, heading south, looking forward to a new adventure on waters new to us.

Claydon lock 18