Canal bound

 

We left our mooring above Benson lock at 07.00 a full 2 hours before the lock keeper came on duty , so we were unable to pay our mooring fee, such a shame !!!!!

We passed The Shillingford hotel in the picture above. They have now put banners along the front telling boater’s to go and sign in as soon as they have moored. We did moor there last year ,but at £15 a night it is a lot of money. I was also informed by a fellow boater that a developer is going to build on the land and that will be the end to all mooring there.

 

Coming up the Thames and we passed this boat called Dover.A full size ex-working narrowboat built by Harland and Wolff in 1937 and converted for a television series in 2006. It was restored by a guy called Alan Hurd and we followed the series all the way through.

We then passed this Swan with it’s Swanlet Cygnet hitching a ride.

Reaching Abingdon after 3 hours cruising and we pulled in and did a shop and decided to overnight here. There was rain forecast and with there being plenty of flow already on the River we thought it was worth playing safe and staying here.

We pulled pins at 08.15 and soon passed this lot..Sod that for a game of soldiers. We passed them working on the power lines next to the River. I don’t know how much they get paid, but I bet it’s not enough.

Heading up towards Oxford and this Plastic/GRP boat had trouble controlling it as he came down through the bridge . Although it’s difficult to see there is a very strong flow on the river especially where it narrows.

At last we have made it and leave the River Thames at Isis lock. After a couple of weeks of taking it easy Carolyn has to dust off her windlass and do a bit of serious lockin !

Passing Jericho Wharf and still nothing has happened with this development. If you watched Tim and Pru when they cruised past a couple of years ago you will remember how upset they were with the state of the place.

There must be a hire company here somewhere…It’s funny how they can moor their boats across the navigation and cause problems for passing boats….Just our luck and a boat came in the opposite direction. With no chance of passing we had to reverse back to a wide spot to allow them to pass.

It doesen’t get a lot better just a few yards up the canal. Boats have moved back onto the river below after being evicted a couple of years ago and also people are living in a make shift tent on the towpath. Not exactly what you want to see in a lovely city like Oxford. We did intend on mooring here for a day or two ,but thought better of it !

With plenty of lift bridges on the South Oxford Canal Carolyn has difficulty in lifting them and then keeping them up due to her light weight (another brownie point for me). So she said that with my great weight (a fat you know what) I would have to do all the lift bridges… not a problem said me !!!

After a long day we found a mooring at Kidlington and soon get back into life on the canals. Within ten minutes of being moored up a hire boat smashes into the side of us and later on the boat in front of us on the moorings decides to run his engine until eleven O clock at night ,and yet again Carolyn wouldn’t let me out to have a go at them ..

                                                                                                Happy Days