The weather makes all the difference, as is having a journey with a purpose and travelling companions!
The view from the side hatch at 07:20 yesterday morning at our mooring above Cropredy ...
... Rock n Roll is off first to Cropredy Lock, quickly joined by Seyella where I snap Mags through the lock gates as I descend! ...
... and George waits patiently in the warm sunshine for me to leave the lock!
Past Cropredy Wharf where this boat is flying the colour(s) for England ...
... and these 18 ducks stick close together - can’t tell from their size if one is “mum"
Bourton Lock where I’m waiting for a boat to come up ...
... and where the railway follows closely the line of the canal ...
... and where nothing changes at the lock keepers house (apart from the ducks in the upper window) ...
... there was an awful stench from the opposite side - something very dead was there!
A new edging to the canal - a lower profile piling with hessian rolls behind to bring the grasses right down to the water’s edge, and regularly sited mooring rings to make this an excellent visitor mooring spot.
Nothing seems to have changed much either at Bridge 159 ...
... except that there is now this great big hole beyond it on the non-towpath side - I wonder if this is Cropredy Marina which is supposed to be open by 2013 and the flood barriers are connected somehow to that?
Hubby George found quite a few of the sluice gears to be rather heavy going
We reached Banbury just after 12 and once securely tied we walked over the canal to find Ann and Chas moored outside Tooley’s Yard. They have been having engine problems which turned out to have been caused by diesel bug, but finally they seem to have had it fixed which is a good job as they are due to head south to see family tomorrow. Here Del (holding the hose) is assisting them in filling the water tank.
Meanwhile Seyella has arrived and Geoff has walked across also to say hello ...
... so, here we have left - Molly and George (RnR), Geoff (Seyella), Al and Del (Derwent 6) and Ann and Chas (Moore2Life) - a great reunion!
We then all repaired to Rock n Roll for tea and cakes (very kindly supplied by Al and Del), so, now we’ve got (clockwise), Del (Derwent 6), me (Carol, RnR), Al (Derwent 6), Chas (Moore2Life), Mags then Geoff (Seyella) and last but not least Ann (Moore2Life), you can also see Megs there too (Seyella). The two Molly’s (RnR and Moore2Life) are also around - somewhere!
After removing all that we could carry from Morrisons, Seyella and ourselves pulled the pins once again and continued south just a mile or so to moor at Nadkey Bridge (172) where we’ve spent the night and today.
Tomorrow if there’s a window in the weather we’ll move on a few miles. There’s more rain to come apparently and although the red boards are down on the Thames at the moment, the situation could change again within a few days of heavy rain, so really we’re in no rush.
Cropredy marina will be north of the village, so that hole must be pure flood defences.
ReplyDeleteThanks Adam, so this would be a flood defence against the Cherwell?
DeleteI believe so. If you google Banbury flood defences, you'll find a site all about the works. They've been going on for years; the road between Banbury and Braunston was closed for months while they raised it a few feet. It's costing a fortune.
Deletehttp://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/124750.aspx
DeleteThanks for that Adam - interesting.
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