On the top of the Oxford Canal

We are moored tonight (Sunday 19th) on the summit level of the South Oxford Canal at Fenny Compton so here is the story of how we got here:

On Thursday we set off from Yelvertoft and soon came to Crick Tunnel seen here. This was the wettest tunnel we've come through so far. It is nearly a mile long and there were quite a lot of drips from the roof.

Beyond Crick it is just a short way until we reached the top of the Watford flight of locks. There is a lock keeper here so we went and told him we wanted to go down the locks and then waited in a queue of 5 boats which started under the M1 bridge. Below the locks is Watford Gap services and through the Gap of its name the canal, railway, M1 and A5 squeeze through side by side.

Watford Locks consist of a staircase of 4 locks with a single lock above and two singles below, making 7 locks in all. In this picture Leo is coming into the top lock. Behind is the service block for water, toilet emptying and a small shop. The flowers at the locks were lovely as always.

Here is Leo coming across the short pound below the top lock and into the staircase locks. Watford has side ponds all the way down which save water as half the lock full can be left in the side pound at each level.

And here we are in staircase where the bottom gate of one lock is the top gate of the next one.

Beside the pound below the staircase a very large swan family was having a grooming session - the other adult was still in the water.

Here we are in the bottom lock with the old lock keeper's cottage to the left.

After a night near Welford Hythe Marina we stopped at Norton Junction to fill our water tank. one of the differences between boating life and land life is that you have to fill with water every few days and also empty the toilet. It makes us careful in our use of water but we can't do much about the toilet.

 

 

At Norton Junction we reached the end of the Leicester Branch and joined the main line of the Grand Union Canal. Left goes to London but we went right and soon came to the Braunston Tunnel seen here. And yes, that is the light at the end of the tunnel over a mile away.

Just as Birmingham is the centre of the motorway network in England, so Braunston is the centre of the canal network and there are numerous boats, boatyards and a marina below the six locks that follow the tunnel.

This photo looking the other way from the last one shows the bottom lock with a dry dock on the left and a shop on the right.

We moored here after 4 locks with 2 still to go. After shopping in the village where there is a wonderful butcher which also sells fruit, veg, bread and cheese, we decided to have lunch at the Admiral Nelson which is the white building in the picture. We haven't been to a pub for around 5 months so we were a bit unsure but it was fine eating outside on well spaced tables with a one way system inside for ordering food and drinks. And we hope you have noticed the Yorkshire flag which we are flying this year.

After lunch we came down the last 2 locks and this view is taken looking back to the bottom lock.

After a slow cruise past many moored boats through Braunston we came to Braunston Turn - another canal junction where right takes you onto the North Oxford Canal leading towards Rugby and Coventry. Our way was left under the first of the two fine cast iron bridges towards Birmingham and Oxford.

Here is the sign at the junction.

After a night moored near Flecknoe, we carried on yesterday (Saturday) past Napton Junction. Here the Grand Union to Birmingham goes right and we went straight on heading for Oxford. Soon the canal (now known as the South Oxford) goes round Napton Hill where this windmill shown is a prominent landmark.

Once round the hill we came to the bottom of the Napton Locks. Unlike those at Braunston these are narrow locks and we had to queue for a short while until it was our turn to go up. In the picture Leo is on the right with Sandpiper on the left which is first in the queue.

Going up the Napton locks was very slow. We're not sure why but there were a lot of boats which were not a slick as they might have been in working the locks. This view is taken looking back as we climbed six of the seven locks to a mooring place with a view over the fields.

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That evening Helen cooked a wonderful roast meal of pork (from the Braunston butcher) with all the trimmings. Lovely!

Today (Sunday) our friend Maurice, who lives not far away, joined us. Here we are at Marston Doles top lock with Maurice opening the gate to let us out. This lock took us onto the summit level of the Oxford Canal which wanders about the countryside for the best part of 10 miles before the Claydon locks which mark the beginning of its descent towards the Thames at Oxford.

Here is a strange sight - a narrowboat in a field. We've passed this before and can only conclude that a channel was dug to the canal into a pond and then blocked up once the boat was inside. I guess it saves licence fees, but it seems a bit drastic as an avoidance technique.

Maurice was taking some action photos of us on the stern, so we took one of him!

And here we are moored tonight at Fenny Compton. Note the elbow greeting for social distancing.

The only way from here lies downhill, so tomorrow we will start our descent. Our son, David, is coming to join us for a couple of days which should be fun and he will certainly be put to work as there are many locks down from here.