All the way to Oxford - river navigation and strange shaped locks

We arrived in Oxford yesterday and this posting describes our trip down the last of the Oxford Canal and into the city over the last few days.

On Thursday (23^rd July) we went under Haddon’s Lift Bridge. South of Banbury, there are innumerable lift bridges but fortunately most of them are left in the raised position like this one.

Here we are waiting for our turn to go into Nell Bridge Lock. In the pound below here the canal crosses the River Cherwell, not by means of an aqueduct but on the level so that the river flows into the canal on one side and out the other. If the river is high this stretch can be unnavigable. It wasn’t when we passed.

Less than a mile further on is Aynho Weir Lock and the picture shows Leo waiting for this lock. The River Cherwell flows out of the canal under the arches on the right. If the river is running fast boats can get pinned against the arches.

Here the Cherwell is flowing into the canal from the other side.

Aynho Weir Lock only falls about 2 feet (but can vary depending on the river level). In order to supply enough water further down the canal it has a curious diamond shape so that although the fall is small, the volume of water is much greater.

This is Somerton Deep Lock, at 12 feet, is the deepest on the Oxford Canal. There was quite a queue of boats here waiting to go down the lock. Because it is so deep it takes longer to fill and empty and so causes a hold up but gave us plenty of time to exchange news with other boaters which we find is one of the joys of canal life.

This is looking down the canal from the bottom gate of Somerton Deep Lock. You can see the lock beam of the open gate.

And here is Leo down the bottom of the lock with some of our new friends opening the gate for us .

We spotted this tiny greenhouse at Somerton.

We moored on Thursday in open fields at Somerton and went for a walk into the village. Having a boat called Leo we are always on the lookout for lion related objects and found this lion face on a corbel in Somerton Church.

We spent an extra day at Somerton mostly doing jobs on Leo and enjoying the lovely open mooring by a large field running down to the Cherwell. On Saturday we carried on through Upper and Lower Heyford and met these two large boats below Heyford Common Lock – a motor towing a butty. As Helen opened the lock gate to let Leo out, the way ahead was blocked by the motor and the canal further on by the butty. However the boats had plenty of crew and all was sorted out with good humour and no delay.

This huge tithe barn is close by the church at Upper Heyford.

This lift bridge at Heyford was not kept in the open position but fortunately it is powered so Helen was able to open it with just a turn of the CRT key. The other two people are not leaping into the water but are magnet fishing which seems to be getting more popular. Tie a strong magnet to a rope and throw it into the canal and see what comes up.

This is taken from the bridge at Heyford Wharf and shows how close the railway and the canal are here with even a handy station right alongside the canal - and a hire boat base on the right.

On Saturday the rain came down in the afternoon and we stopped above Pigeon Lock to have lunch and get out of the rain. The rain stopped later so we walked into Tackley where we found this Tithe Barn on a green in the village. There is a small shop in the village which stocks local produce and looked good but it is only open in the mornings. The rain returned  soon after we set out but we had boots, waterproofs and umbrellas so we stayed dry.

Unusually on Sunday we had an appointment as we had arranged with our friends Stephen and Margaret to meet at Thrupp for tea in the afternoon. Part of the route to Thrupp involves one section where the canal and the River Cherwell are one and the same. Having come down Baker’s Lock we joined the river. The view here is looking back to where the river comes under the curved bridge with the channel to Baker’s Lock on the right where you can just see a blue boat moored.

Here we are out on the Cherwell. We passed a quite a few people in canoes and some were swimming in the river. The river goes round some very tight bends and we met a couple of other boats on this section.

We left the river at another strange diamond shaped lock – Shipton Weir Lock. As before this increases the volume of water in a lock which has a very small rise and fall in order to provide enough water for the larger locks further along the canal.

Thrupp is a lovely spot and here we are cruising through it. There is a sharp right bend and another electric lift bridge. Beyond this are some public moorings if you are lucky to find them empty. We have passed this way before and never found space but this time our luck was in and we moored right outside the Boat Inn where we enjoyed a Sunday roast lunch before our friends arrived in the afternoon. It was good to catch up with them by a socially distanced tea with us on Leo and Stephen and Margaret sitting on chairs on the bankside.

On Monday we reached the end of the Oxford Canal by arriving in the city. On the way we came through Roundham Lock where some CRT engineers have found a novel way to repair the bottom gate with lengths of sheet piling and a ladder arrangement of beams to replace a broken gate beam. The gate really is in a sorry state as it also has one paddle bandaged up in yellow tape to show that it is broken and out of use.

There are two routes to the Thames from the Oxford Canal. We passed the first which is called the Duke’s Cut below Duke’s Lock shown here. Our aim was to continue into the city and enter the Thames a few miles downstream.

Here you can see the Duke’s Cut going under the bridge. Having come down one lock, the Duke’s Cut then goes up another lock to reach the level of the Thames at this point.

We found moorings surprisingly empty in Oxford and moored close to Isis Lock which gives access to the Thames. We plan to stay here a couple of nights. There was more rain today but after it stopped we went for a walk on Port Meadow -  a huge flat area of land by the side of the Thames. The picture of the Thames looking downstream from Port Meadow shows Bossom’s Boatyard to the left and the route towards London is under the bridge to the right.

A couple of red kites were soaring on the strong wind above the meadow and I was able to get this picture as we sat on what is called “Round Hill”. Anything less like a hill it would be difficult to imagine but it is circular and it does – just – rise above the surrounding very flat meadow. It is apparently a Neolithic burial mound which explains why it is there. The red kite is clearly missing some tail feathers but seemed to be enjoying soaring on the wind currents nevertheless.

Today we enjoyed a day of sightseeing in Oxford where, at least in the morning, there were remarkably few people about. But you will have to wait for our next posting to see some of the pictures of the city. Our plan from here is to go up the Thames to Lechlade which is the navigable limit. With the forecast being for a spell of hot weather it will be good to be able to swim off the boat in the river if we need to cool off.

Going downhill towards the Thames via Banbury

We are moored tonight (Wednesday 22nd) just south of Banbury heading for Oxford. It has been a few days since we crossed the summit level of the Oxford Canal and we are now descending gradually towards the Thames Valley.

The summit level of the canal is very twisty and on the southern section just before the descent towards Oxford there are a couple of feeders that supply the canal with water from nearby reservoirs. Every time that a boat crosses the summit it takes two lockfuls of water - one on the way up and one on the way down - and this water has to come from somewhere. The picture shows the towpath crossing the feeder from Boddington Reservoir. What is noticeable is how clear is the water coming in compared with what is already in the canal.

Eventually on Monday we came to a queue of boats waiting to descend the five Claydon locks that lead down off the summit level.

We dropped down 2 locks and then moored to wait for the arrival of our son David, shown in the photo with Helen. David came to visit us for a couple of enjoyable days and he brought the sunshine with him.

Note the plastic duck with ribbon on the bollard. We have a collection of plastic ducks on Leo each of which has been rescued from a canal or river. This particular duck was rescued in 2012 from this very lock - Cropredy Lock. As a result we always give him an option to go back in this lock when we are passing. As on previous occasions he decided to stay with us.

As you can see David is still smiling after helping us down the locks to Cropredy.

This unusual narrowboat is called Sue Perb and is owned by two ladies who have written a number of articles for Waterways World, describing themselves as the Windlasses. We've seen the boat before on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Burnley but this is the first time they were onboard and we were able to say hello.

Here is an unusual way to fill the canal!

This is Hardwick Lock on the way from Cropredy to Banbury. David is on the right and helping with the lock.

And here we are in the centre of Banbury. We moored just outside the centre at Spiceball Park and walked in. You can see a new building surrounded by scaffolding. There are two large redevelopment sites either side of the canal. The sunken boat on the left is an old wooden narrowboat that is waiting to be restored by Tooley's Boatyard. Tooley's is famous as the place where Cressy was altered to become a cruising boat for LTC Rolt one of two pioneers who together started the process of saving the canals for leisure use.

Banbury is an historic market town with some fine buildings and was the childhood home of a friend of ours. This picture shows the Banbury Cross from the nursery rhyme, though in fact the cross is a Victorian replacement of the original.

And here is the "fine lady upon a white horse". A rather fine bronze representation with some interesting extra features to look for, like the butterfly on the flower garland around her head.

Banbury has a number of spandrels - iron sculptures above some of the narrow lanes. Usually these are arches joined to the buildings either side, but this one was only fixed on one side. It is one of four on Butchers Row showing local trades and celebrating Banbury as an important market town. This one has three animals hanging from rings are a sheep, a pig and a cow and could be for a farmer or a butcher.

This early Victorian building advertising its wares has been recently restored.

We said goodbye to David yesterday so today (Wednesday) we carried on with just the two of us. After a hard morning's shopping we took Leo through the centre of town and in the picture we are waiting to go down Banbury Lock.

After a morning session shopping in Banbury we left the town after lunch and enjoyed a good view of tedding and baling in the fields outside the town.

South of Banbury there are lots and lots of lifting bridges like this one. Fortunately they are mainly left in the open position for boats so don't have to be raised to go under them. You might wonder how a pedestrian closes the bridge if they are on the side away from the pivot. Generally, but not always, there is a rope or chain hanging down to enable the user to pull the bridge down to use. They are finely balanced and not to hard to move.

This is Kings Sutton Lock which at 10 feet 8 inches is the deepest we've met so far. Unfortunately the bottom gates leaked so badly that we had great difficulty in getting the lock to fill to let us in even with the top paddles fully open. Two athletic canoeists turned up and helped us get the gates open for which we were very grateful. We are moored below the lock tonight. Apart from the noise of the M40 this is a pleasant and remote mooring with views of cows opposite.

Apart from round Banbury the Oxford Canal is very rural and pleasant and we are enjoying a spell of fine summer weather, so all is definitely well with us. The next few days will see us gradually dropping down the valley of the River Cherwell towards the Thames.

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.