Radcot

The day was generally quite pleasant, although rarely more than just comfortably warm. It was not far before we arrived at Pinkhill Lock, the first of the day. As usual, it was manned and so we just had to keep the boat in place with our ropes. No wonder those who normally only cruise the River Thames are astonished when it comes to 'normal' canals!

Almost all of the route today was very windy, almost all bends which sometimes are quite demanding, approaching a full 180 degree turn in places. With boats coming the other way, it is necessary to keep a good watch as it is sometimes necessary to position the boat differently to avoid another coming around a difficult bend.

Last year when we came through Northmoor Lock we chatted to the lock keeper who was expecting a visit that day from senior managers from the Environment Agency who were bent on removing the historic weir which takes quite a bit of manual effort to operate to control water levels, especially in floods. So we were interested to see what had happened and at once saw that nothing had changed. The lock keeper told us that the plan was to go ahead and contractors arrived on site to unload their equipment together with signs to tell local people that the access road was to be closed. It seems that EA had failed to consult local people and immediate objections meant that the work was put on hold. Now there is an action group from villagers which is determined to ensure that the historic features are retained. Whilst it is clear that cost reductions are leading waterway managers (BW as much as EA) to replace human effort with automated equipment, it would be a shame people in the future could not see how these unusual weir/sluices operated in days before locks.

In places the river is now quite narrow - overhanging trees can sometimes reduce the navigable width to a single boat.

Half an hour after after Northmoor Lock we spotted a concrete and piling edge - just long enough for one narrow boat - that we over-nighted at last year - so we opted to stop early for lunch as there were not many mooring expected in the next section. as it happened we stopped for a long lunch break, setting off again just after 1.30, an hour and a half later!

The lock keeper's houses - Shifford dates back to the end of the nineteenth century - often add much to attractive scenery.

Bridges on this part of the river are few and well apart but usually are quite interesting. The road bridges retain an historic appearance although some of the foot bridges were replaced at some stage by concrete structures.

The last lock of the day - Radcot Lock - was on Self Service. Two boats were already in the lock, going up, but seemed not comfortable with doing things on their own. Christine had to lend a hand - they even left the lock without closing either the paddles or the gates.

Alongside the lock are two huge topiary faces - no doubt the lock keepers have times in the year with not too much to do!

Shortly before Radcot Bridge we decided to look for a mooring spot for the night - it proved rather more difficult, especially as quite a strong wind was blowing and we found ourselves stuck on shallows in the first two attempts. Thanks to advice from some campers on the opposite bank we eventually found enough depth to come alongside.