Off Again to Banbury

Today's Canal - Oxford

We drove up to the boat yesterday. We were well organised and so were able to get away well before 11. Most of the car packing was done the day before, leaving only the fridge and freezer as the main remaining items.

We made very good time, with all the roads to Newbury rather quiet. The stretch of A34 up to Oxford was  busy with the usual nose to tail trucks but we still kept moving with the ETA at the same as when we set off. However we suddenly encountered a slow tail back and the ETA leapt forward over ten minutes. Not being a motorway we did not have regular overhead signs to update us and it was only just before the M40 that we discovered the cause. A lorry had broken down, blocking one lane so everything had to funnel at short notice into one lane. After that we were back to the original speed. At least it appeared not to have been an RTA.

Once at the boat we unloaded and stowed. Later we took the boat for the short grip to the service point to fill with diesel before taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon.

This morning we had to make sure we were up in reasonable time as the boat cleaner was coming to complete what she had started when we were back at home. With Christine substantially out of action when we came to the end of the last trip it was worth being able to come back to a nice, clean boat! (There is a message coded in the last sentence but you will just have to work it out for yourself!)

Whilst the cleaner was at work we went into Banbury for a visit mainly to Morrisons for a good shop to re-stock the larders but also whilst doing that to charge the car back up to 95%.

Our immediate plan is partly determined by going to a funeral in Hungerford next Wednesday. Going north from the marina does not give us a good option for travelling there by train so we plan to return to the marina and use the car. But watch this space - it could change. The funeral is for Ann, one of Mike's fellow Waterways Chaplains who, together with husband Steve has been supporting a lot of boaters on the stretch of the K & A.

Back at the boat it was almost time for lunch and we were ready to leave the marina just before 2. We have commented before about the twisting route we have to take to get from our mooring either to start a journey or to visit the fuel point. This picture was taken from the stern as we started to reverse from the pontoon so you can see that we are rather close to the narrows into the next part of the marina. The swing bridge is normally left across the water as it affords pedestrian access to the far side of the marina and is in frequent use. This means that Christine has to go ahead so that it is open as soon as the boat is ready to come through - even on a calm day the breeze can easily push a stationary boat into the wrong path! On the other side there is a narrows with landing stages either side so we can wait there, even doing that part single handed if need be. We have found that coming back in, the turn is just too tight, especially of there is a boat in the adjacent (not today and yesterday). Instead we go right forward, turn about and then come into the space with much less difficulty.

We turned right and retraced the route we covered just over a month ago. There were not many boats on the move but it seem that  quite a lot had m oved. That is, the number of boats appearing to be used by liveaboards were moored at all the usual places. Even so, there was rarely a lack of space,

Down through Cropredy Lock  and we found, to our relief, that Christine's arm has recovered sufficiently to be able to steer into and out of locks - this makes otherwise single handing very much easier, not having to walk back from the lock to untie and bring the boat in.

As we neared that first lock we could see that a boat was just leaving and they signalled that they were leaving the gates open for us, making it even easier! nothing had gone ahead of us so that the next three locks were all almost full, just needing the leakage to be topped up.

Yes, that is not an especially interesting photo but it is intended to convey today's weather. Despite forecast for sunny spells and 20C, kit was actually permanently grey and sufficiently chilly to put on an extra layer over our late spring short sleeves gear,

After Little Bourton Lock our first night stop on the last trip) we were tempted to carry on to the next lock. 

Yes, the dreaded yellow bags are still decorating paddles at both ends of Hardwick Lock. After this lock we were further tempted to look for our overnight mooring in Banbury. The final stretch was long enough for Christine to make tea and put jam into croissants as we cruised along. 

We did exchange a friendly wave from a gentleman in the conservatory as we passed this house once again - alas we were just to slow to capture the action in the shot.

There were several mooring spaces just before Sovereign Wharf so we popped into one of those rather than risk finding the central area fully occupied. At least we are out of range of the worst of the motorway noise.

4.7 Miles - 4 Locks