Oh look - we are back in Banbury, surprise, surprise!

Arriving in wet Banbury, a kind boater asked us if we knew of "The Emergency Stoppage"! Yes, we do and have known about it for while (although it is a rescheduled planned stoppage) but .....

Leaving Cropredy past the narrowboats on permit moorings

I am getting a bit fed up with our ups and downs on the South Oxford and now we are prevented from going further south because Grant's lock is closed for work until the 11th March!

New gates for Grant's Lock

New gates and repairs to the stop plank slots we understand. Still, we do have plans to keep us amused whilst "stuck" in Banbury!

It rained for most of our cruise this morning - but at Little Bourton Lock I was once again reminded that Spring is just around the corner.

Forsythia - my mother used to bring a couple of branches indoors as it started to bud and she would revel in the display when the flowers came out - the feeling must have rubbed off! Now I just need some sunshine to make me feel as if warmer and longer days are on the way.

Cropredy to Banbury

2 hours 57 minutes, 4.29 miles, 3 locks

Farewell

We are off - tomorrow we leave Cropredy with happy memories of visits to friends, a trip to Banbury for a meal and Screwtape Letters (a Saltmine production of C S Lewis' book) also with friends, John taking the service at All Saints', Great Bourton today and rain, rain and more rain!

We had one day of sun and this was the view from our portholes in the evening

So what of tomorrow - we shall wait and see, and so will you have to!

Back in time?

One thing that you cannot fail to miss on the way down the locks to Cropredy is the preponderance of old working boats in various states of repair. We passed a few moored between the locks too!

It was not until we got to Clattercote that I "woke" my camera up - the day was dull with the occasional drizzle.

The "pumpkin" boat (see link below)

As we passed Clattercote Wharf and Forge Farm my imagination was woken too - I could almost see what it might have looked like back in time on a wharf with the shed above.

Clattercote Reservoir - another feeder for the South Oxford Canal is due west and is popular for coarse fishing. By the way - we were able to get off the "shelf" that the low water on the summit pound had deposited us on! We just reversed into the middle of the canal and she came off - a good manoeuvre anytime for getting off a mooring!

Our next "back in time" encounter was with Bude (we passed her at Cropredy on our way up) - she was being poled along the pound below Varney's Lock.

Bude - see above link for better photo!

Apparently she was about to go up the slipway opposite once the narrowboat in the shed above had come down.

The pound below Varney's is full of old boats - this is where they seem to congregate because of the workshop and slipway. They reach right up to Broadmoor Lock.

The one in the photo below has seen better days, but moored to it is a well known narrowboat, nb Justice, owned by a well known author in canal land - this book is on my wish list!

Broadmoor Lock is one of my favourite locks - it is usually tidy, it has the "fender shop" and the colours of the bushes change with the seasons.

This was December 2008!

And so we arrived at Cropredy Lock, filled up at the wharf and established ourselves on the 48H mooring for a couple of days. As I write, Cropredy is turning on the sunshine for us - just to remind me that I am rather fond of this village!

Hay Bridge to Cropredy

3 hours 5 minutes, 3.23 miles, 9 locks

Summit pound water level

Well here we are, cheerfully listing and wondering how much further the water level will drop on the summit pound of the South Oxford Canal. The 11 miles actually only cover 5 miles between the two ponts - Marston Doles (Lock 16 and Claydon Top Lock 17), but James Brindley went wandering again!

The opposite bank

Close up of water level drop on piling

It has been a busy day for narrowboats. Hire boats and privateers have passed. About the same number of narrowboats came from ascending Claydon Locks as those who would be going to descend Napton Locks.

Bow view showing canal ahead towards Claydon Locks

Close up of bank - the water covered to half way up the third row of stones yesterday

The level has dropped about 6 inches - I just hope we will not be at a more acute angle when we awake tomorrow! We need more water coming from here!

Feeder Bridge - Wormleighton Reservoir

A day of rest? My foot!

Just a quick blog today! It is supposed to be a "rest day" for me - a quiet day whilst John is off hitting little white balls around a big park!

This is not my foot, but spotted at the Winter Folk Festival at the weekend. Someone may recognise it! Maybe the knees too!

Ha! "day of rest" did I say? So far today I have -
Put away last nights washing up
Folded and put away the dried washing
Made a loaf of bread
Read and answered emails
Made a lamb stew for tonight
Checked the mooring ropes - we are listing, on a shelf and the summit pound has gone down. Come on Wormleighton reservoir fill it up again!

And now I am writing this before doing some more to the Richlow Guide to the North Yorkshire Waterways - only tidying up and the maps (created by the "low" part of the company, John Lower) to finalise.

What rain?

We left Napton in the rain - reversing and winding by The Bridge at Napton pub. Rain does not really bother us as we just get out our waterproof jackets and trousers, but it was a little cold so I was back to my winter layers!

The Napton Hill field ponies had acquired some mates. A few geese, a couple of cows and perhaps a more unusual resident, who raised its head to watch us pass.

All the others were busy grazing, ignoring each other and barely acknowledged our passing.

The rain came and went during the day and we saw very few boats moving, even in half term. A hire boat left from just north of us fairly early and went south (then east, west, north, west and south as you do around Wormleighton!) Ascending the Napton 9 locks, we met a small cruiser and a narrowboat coming down. John manfully stood at the tiller throughout most of the summit pound. Down below, I had difficulty staying awake in front of the fire. Our busy weekend has caught up with me!

A "cheat" photo!

The light was beginning to go by the time we moored up - a very long day! We are in the same place that John moored way back on the last day of September when he was waiting for me to return to Epiphany after my spell in hospital.

So John can now play golf tomorrow, weather permitting, as this is a "country mooring" but by a road bridge for his "taxi" to pick him up!

Napton to Hay Bridge
6 hours 23 minutes, 13.42 miles, 9 locks

What do boaters talk about when they get together?

It only takes a short while before the subject of toilets come up! Problems with BW sani-stations, pump out cards, blocked elsan points, broken pump outs, cassette versus pump out, uric acid crystals etc ....

Knowing this, I was amused and challenged by an article I have just read in the Oxford Diocese "the Door" newspaper. The Bishop of Oxford, Rt Rev John Pritchard has "twinned his toilet". Toilet Twinning is a charity which helps provide sanitation to poor communities in Burundi. 40% of the world's population do not have anywhere safe, clean and hygienic to go to the loo.

What a great idea for boaters! We grumble enough about the problems - it is about time we realised how fortunate we are.

Narrowboat Epiphany's cassette toilet in our safe, clean and hygienic bathroom

We have put our money where our mouth is and our cassette toilet is now twinned. Eventually we will receive a photo and GPS location so we can display "our twin" in our loo! Meanwhile we can see the approximate location.

Approx location of our "twinned" loo

So I ask you, nay challenge you, boaters and non-boating readers to do the same. How about the boating community taking this up as a charity and spreading the word!


I shall give you the link to the website again - clickety click. Have a look, there are some amazing facts and also some fun stuff too that may persuade you better than I! I won't spoil the fun stuff, but it is worth a look!

P.S. Please let us know when you do have a "twin" - it would be great to have a list of them on our blog/website (which is now being worked on).

An Epiphany advertisement

Epiphany and her crew recommend "Theatre in the Dock" a weekend of music, theatre and story telling, July 21st to 24th 2011.

We are rather familiar with the venue as Epiphany has been there, in the wet and the dry!

Tooley's dry dock with narrowboat about to be floated

The dock will be dry for the weekend so no need to bring lilos! Narrowboat will be replaced by people!

A show put together by Kate Saffin in partnership with Tooley's Boatyard, Banbury is one not to be missed! Kate will be performing her one woman show too - she is utterly believable in any role she casts herself. We saw her perform "Mary Rose - a boat of ill repute" at Banbury Festival last year; this time she will be performing "Isobel's War".

Epiphany afloat in Tooley's

This is the link to the Facebook page for the latest information and artists booked. I gather there will be a website, but it is still being created. Once it is up we will let you know and put in on our side bar!

For those who choose not to use the social network, artists booked so far are "Life and Times" and Mikron Theatre (tickets for this here).

Once word gets around tickets will be like gold dust, so don't miss out!

Something Nasty in the Woodshed?

Oh yes there was - and when we saw what it was it was very good!

Yesterday evening began with a meal, we were joined by some fellow narrowboaters, Dave Parry and Kate Saffin at The Bridge at Napton.

The "listener"!

Eventually, after a really good natter and a few drinks we went to the "event" - the Winter Folk Festival, also in the pub. We had missed the first two hours! Anyway we watched and listened for the rest of the evening and well into the night.

First up were Scarecrow - an acoustic band and very enjoyable.

They "do the rounds" of various Folk Clubs and play a variety of instruments.

Next were a new band (one year old) - The Falllows, a group of lads who made music to make the stage fall down around them!

Deliberate camera angle - not a drunk photographer!

They certainly had fun and it took me back to my youth when a group of friends would get together and perform on stage at our local church hall! Heavy rhythm and lots of guitar!

The best was kept to last, by which time the programme was running well behind schedule. Something Nasty In the Woodshed were worth waiting for. Brilliant - folk rock, foot tapping, head nodding and body swaying music!

Barry Steele, vocalist and bagpipes

My Scottish "bit" absolutely loved the bagpipes, in a confined space and small stage it was both "intimate" and ear bashing.

Something Nasty in the Woodshed

Today there is more. John has already gone to the pub and I shall follow later - jobs to do, blog to write, dinner to cook - you know how it is girls! Am I typecast ......

Winter Folk Festival

This is the reason why we are glad to be a "hop, skip and jump" from The Bridge at Napton. Seen below on a sunnier day last September.

Today, in our "local", the Winter Folk Festival begins! It is in aid of a worthwhile charity - JJ's Memorial Fund. It will be a way of remembering all the brave lads and men who have sadly died and those who are still fighting in Afghanistan.

As I write, yet another Warwickshire paratrooper is being repatriated. I have to say, is this "war" worth so many of our young men's lives? A sombre thought whilst we enjoy ourselves.

ahh Napton!

As the South Oxford Canal curves around Napton Hill it can be very photogenic. For many years the view has been spoiled by the "farm" buildings at the bottom of the hill.

Napton Hill, windmill and farm in September 2010

I prefer to focus what is in the large corner field running down to the canal. Each time we have been past there have different inhabitants.

Geese, this time in September 2010

We have seen cattle, sheep and horses too. I rather like yesterday's ahh factor who were photogenic despite the grey day.

Hmm - I had better hurry or the hay will all be gone

Can't a pony have a drink in peace - these pesky narrowboats

There is always one who thinks he is superior, keep your heads down lads

Another long day, but worth it

"What a grey day"! Cold too - I had to put my thermal leggings back on as I had put them away thinking that spring was here!

Our aim today was Napton and before we set out two other narrowboats had passed us - there went the set locks at Napton! The old low rickety footbridge after Bridge 132 has been replaced and named The Wedding Bridge (above) - why is it named so?

The Wedding Bridge, MMIX

Here is the old bridge - a definite improvement!

After a long cruise when we could see where we were going and where we had been, thanks to Mr Brindley and his lovely contour canal, we eventually arrived at Marston Doles. Sadly not a good day for photos but I got my camera out again as we went down the Napton Locks from the summit.

The two Marston Doles Locks are set apart and are followed by a long pound. The Old Engine House Arm leaves just above Napton Adkin's Lock (14). A few familiar narrowboats moor here - nb Tia, nb Harnser to "name drop" two!

Lock and nb Harnser ahead, Engine Arm to right

We were being closely followed by a single-hander, one of the narrowboats that passed us, and then we passed him moored for lunch!

A look behind!

Ahead was an ex Ownerships boat and it was remarkable that we should all be at Napton at the same time - we only saw one other boat on the move!

Waiting under Bridge 114 for Lock 9 to fill

The sun tried its hardest as we approached the bottom lock - the windmill just caught a few rays and once through the bottom lock we were headed for The Bridge at Napton. "The Bridge" is a pub - there are a couple of bridges over the canal as it winds past Napton Hill.

The Bridge at Napton

Wonderful - we found a mooring right at the end of the 14 day moorings outside The Bridge - a lovely view and quieter away from the busy A425. However it is just a hop and skip to the pub - an advantage as you will see later!

Old Town Bridge to Napton A425 Bridge

4 hours 38 minutes, 9.45 miles, 9 locks

It chose us.

The sun chose to shine on us today as we cruised from Cropredy up the South Oxford Canal. I was keen to get some photos of what I gather is the field for the proposed Cropredy Marina. According to my "informant" this is it.

As you can see the edge of it nearest the canal is pretty waterlogged. It is the second large field away from the village edge and if the plans are followed will not make too much of a visual impact on the village, I think. Other impacts like traffic, noise, disruption during construction and changes to the on-line moorings (both permit and visitor) remain to be seen.

Looking back towards Cropredy, field on right and VMs on left

We are getting pretty familiar with the locks up to the summit - and we only passed one narrowboat coming down as we reached Claydon Bottom Lock.

Mucky Duck exits Claydon bottom lock

Fenny Tunnel and Fenny Wharf followed (where we bought oil and a cap for the terminal on our starter battery). We passed the nearly empty moorings at The Wharf Inn and then we were on the wonderful meander created by James Brindley around the hills of Wormleighton, Stoneton and beyond. The village and estates of Wormleighton have been owned by the Spencer Family since 1469. The church has a memorial to Diana Spencer.

We decided to call it a day in a rather lovely spot

On the off-side is the site of the Medieval Village of Wormleighton (click here for a look at a google aerial view showing the village "marks" and our mooring marked!) and as the sun set behind us, the moon rose ahead.

The view from our side doors

Oh moon, lovely moon ....

Cropredy to below Old Town Bridge 133

5 hours 12 minutes, 7.25 miles, 9 locks