Banbury

A day for not much more than nursing the boat back to base. Despite ensuring that the dreaded bolts were tightened during the usual morning checks, we had to make several stops to do them again. On one occasion one of the bolts had worked itself completely free and we were surviving on just one!


Soon after setting off we arrived at the top of the Claydon Flight of five locks and immediately there was a queue! this remained the case for the rest of the day - this can become a busy stretch during the summer and we have seen much longer delays than these.

After the Claydon flight, the locks some one at a time, but there is rarely much time between them to go to sleep or read! However, it is interesting to meet with the same people on boats for just fleeting conversations, often interrupted by a filled or emptied lock needing immediate attention. One single handed boat was in front of us for a while - he used to drive artics for up to 70 hours a week but has spent the past three months re-fitting a small boat in Birmingham and was bringing it down to a longer term mooring near Cropredy.

Another boat we have seen off and on since Braunston - The Lethbridge Stewart. Mike eventually found the nerve to ask whether it was indeed a link to Dr Who and yes, that was the case, when - with some friends - they were trying to find a more interesting name than Water Gypsy (which was what it was called when they bought it) One of the men on that boat is a town planning consultant who has managed to leave his clients in the tender caree of his secretary for four weeks whilst he completes the Grand Union - Oxford canal - River Thames ring - what we have done this past three months, if in bits at a time, plus extras!

At Cropredy Christine made the usual visit to the Bridge Stores whilst Mike waited with the boat at the lock. Below the lock, we called at the water point and sani station for the usual servicing. A short distance later we moored up for a lunch hour break.

At Banbury we moored below the lock - there was no space in the main shopping area - as Mike wanted to go to Tooleys Boatyard for some spring washers. Christine also took the opportunity to visit M&S Food - it is a bit far to Morrisons - for a couple of items whilst Mike attended to the bolts- again.

By now it was well after five o'clock but we carried on through a few more locks until mooring just above Kings Sutton lock, shortly after seven. Despite being in a cutting, the nearby motorway is inescapable and the roar continues 24/7. Strange to think that it is caused by so many individual vehicles, their drivers and passengers, yet at this distance it is just a continuous sound.

Time then for Mike to set up the satellite dish, having made sure that we moored where there are not too many trees in the line if sight!