Cropredy

Saturday 15th August


Mike made a very early start, moving off from the mooring at 7:30 and ten minutes later he was at the bottom of the Napton flight. Just before he reached the lock, another boat was preparing to set off, starting to lift the engine cover to do the normal daily checks. No sooner had Mike started to go up the lock when he appeared (a single handed operation), obviously not happy that he was not the first up today! In fact he followed on our tail (and we mean on our tail) all day, only passing us when we moored for the night.

By the time we were up a couple of locks, Christine was ready to lend a hand and we reached the top of the flight quite smoothly. By now Alice was ready to get up properly and have her breakfast! Mike filled the water tank at the top of the flight.

The long summit pound was quite quiet for most of the time - we were probably not in the bunch of hire boats, one day away from Napton. Alice enjoyed watching the wild life and scenery - and beating Grandad at Jungle Lotto and Snakes & Ladders.

We spotted a new sign for a shop at the pub in Fenny Compton so we stopped and were able to buy the milk as promised as well as some ice creams for the freezer

After passing though Fenny Compton Tunnel (a stretch that once was a tunnel when the canal was first built) we arrived at Claydon Top Lock - down hill all the way now!



Cropredy was manic! It was the weekend of the annual Fairport Convention music festival and there were boats everywhere, double banked when they could manage, and sometimes when they could not! Still everyone was in good humour and the delay did not matter that much. Except, that is, for a certain boat who was constantly just a few feet away - until a tight corner when he failed to see a boat coming the other way around a bend under a bridge and ended up having to reverse!

Alice walked down most of this set of locks in order to pick blackberries. The only black cloud on the horizon was when someone managed to drop one of the two-way radios into the canal - irretrievable. We now have a one-way radio!

We spotted a couple on the towpath eating what looked like special ice creams - we were told where they came from and that they were made from Buffalo milk from the herd at Napton. Christine and Alice went in search and came back with three very delicious samples! Meanwhile, Mike continued down to the last lock at Cropredy in order to pull in at the sanitary station.

The afternoon was especially warm and sunny - the evening even better. While Mike finished off preparing the roast pork dinner, the other two went for a nature walk along the towpath, again hoping to find some more blackberries.