Basingstoke Calling - Spring 2025 - Week 11

 Monday 12th May - Banbury

We are beginning this week with a day in Banbury and a wander around the shopping area.

We called into this pub and sat in their very pretty garden.  Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn is Banbury's oldest pub, dating back to 1570.  The pub's Globe Room, dating from 1637, features original wood panelling and a richly moulded plaster ceiling - it is reputed to be the location where Oliver Cromwell's forces planned the Battle of Edgehill and the siege of Banbury Castle.

The Banbury Cross was looking very splendid with decorated horses in front of it.  The Round and Round project is a council-led initiative with sustainability at its heart. Following the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling, the initiative has given old floral display frames a new lease of life.  This one is three cock horses around a may pole, looks very pretty.

In the afternoon we had the most amazing thunderstorm which seemed to go on for ages, very heavy rain with hail, thunder and lightning.  It was incredibly noisy in the boat, we were pleased we didn’t get caught in it!

Tuesday 13th May - Banbury to Cropredy

Today we are moving on to Cropredy, this is looking back at our mooring opposite Sovereign Wharf.  It was a very quiet mooring and we would use it again.

This is nbBlue Pearl.  We shared the lozenge lock going onto the River Cherwell after we left Thrupp.  She said she was heading for the Summit as we are.  

Very pleased to see Bourton Lock Cottage being occupied and obviously having some work done to it.  We even saw a cat sitting in the upstairs window!

We found a lovely mooring below the lock in Cropredy, enough room for one boat ahead of the permanent moorings.

We went for a walk around the village but everything seemed to be closed!  Still, the village is quite delightful.

4.5 miles, 3 locks, 2hrs 42mins

Wednesday 14th May - Cropredy

Today we are staying in Cropredy and going for a walk to find the Cropredy Battlefields.  This is the Bridge Stores which is now on reduced hours before it is closed down.  Apparently the floor is subsiding and it has been condemned as unsafe, and it is unknown if the leaseholder is going to have it repaired or demolished!

We walked along the canal until we were past the marina and at the next bridge turned right and then right again to join the Cropredy Circular Walk.  Dave does like a clear path when we go for a walk!  The countryside is very pretty with undulating downs and fields coming alive with their crops.

Circling above us was a buzzard, caught on the thermals and gently soaring through the brilliant blue sky.  Buzzards soar on thermals high above woodlands, open countryside and even motorways, looking for prey, including rabbits, rodents and birds. They often feed on carrion, so you might see them feasting on roadkill, or even patrolling along the ground in search of earthworms.

This is Cropredy Bridge and the site of the Battle of Cropredy in June 1644.  This is the bridge that was rebuilt in 1937 and originally built in 1314.  The battle of Cropredy Bridge was fought on the 29th June 1644. It was a opportunistic strike, typical of Sir William Waller style, against a royalist army strung out in line of march.  It started in the early afternoon lasting the rest of the day and the outcome was indecisive, but the parliamentarian army collapsed in the days after the battle.

Thursday 15th May - Cropredy to Claydon Top Lock

Time to move on and today it is a leisurely cruise up the Claydon Locks to a mooring at the top.  We were happy to see a set of three lock keepers on duty and this made the journey even better!

Half way up or down the locks is the lock keepers hovel with a neatly kept flower bed growing flowers, potatoes and some lovely looking rhubarb.  The blackboard records the crew on duty and the number of boats going up and down.  

Waiting patiently for a boat to leave the lock…

…and finally through the last lock, under the bridge and straight into the first available mooring, exactly where Dave is standing taking the photo.

3 miles, 9 locks, 2hrs 6mins

Friday 16th May - Claydon Top Lock - Fenny Compton Visitor Moorings.

Beautiful day for cruising, Dave did a lot of the driving whilst I cleaned through the boat.  We are now on the summit, so no more locks for several miles, just the occasional lift bridge left in the open position.

We stopped at Fenny Compton Marina and filled up with diesel before heading down to the visitor moorings where there was plenty of space so we decided to stop and spend the afternoon sitting on the towpath in the sun.

3 miles, 0 locks, 1hr 54mins

Saturday 17th May - Fenny Compton to Ventnor Marina

Today we made an impromptu decision to move the boat all the way back to Ventnor Marina as tomorrow is our granddaughter’s 6th birthday party in Netley Marsh, Southampton.  We had thought we wouldn’t be back in time for it, but as we are only 6 to 7 hours cruising time away from the marina we decided to go straight there and drive down to Southampton tomorrow.

The yellow flag irises are in full bloom, the water-loving yellow iris can be found along the margins of waterways and ponds, and in wet woodlands, fens and saltmarshes. Often mingled among other reedbed plants, its large, bright yellow flowers appear between May and August; they are thought to be the inspiration for the fleur-de-lys symbol, which is used in heraldry and also by the Scouts.

We have been amazed by the prolification of the may blossom this year, great swathes of the countryside seems to be covered in the white/pale pink flowers from the hawthorn trees and bushes.

The pagan symbol of fertility, this tree is the ancestor of the Maypole and the source of May Day garlands. The flowers make up the crown of the fairy queen and the wreath of the Green Man.  Although beautiful, it is said you should never bring this blossom into your home – partly because it is seen as unlucky, and partly because the smell of the flowers is so bad, it reminded people in medieval times of the Great Plague!

A lovely glamping site beside the canal with a teepee, chairs with sheepskins on and an outdoor heated bath tub.  What more could you want?

Two handsome horses grazing beside the canal.  I think these are skewbald horses.  A skewbald horse is characterised by a coat pattern featuring white patches on a base coat colour that is not white.  This means the horse's base colour can be any shade other than black, such as chestnut, bay, brown, grey, palomino, etc. The white and coloured patches can vary in size and pattern, making each skewbald horse unique. 

It is quite difficult to make them out, but all along the edge of this field are water buffalo heading towards the feeding station at the top of the field.  Napton Water Buffalo began milking their herd full time in 2007, and have since grown and are now milking approximately 140 cows with around 100 young stock.  The total herd is around 300.They farm approximately 250 acres in and around Chapel Green, Napton and we always look out for them as we descend or climb the Napton Locks.

Just visible above the tree line is Napton Windmill, now privately owned, next door is the former miller’s stone cottage, which still houses parts of the original bread oven.

Descending the Napton Locks was delightful as it was quite busy and all the locks were set in our favour all the way down.  The final lock even had a volunteer lock keeper!

We shared the final three wide locks with a hire boat from Black Prince with four men who had never been on a narrow boat before.  One of them had won the four day hire in a raffle!

12.25 miles, 12 locks, 6hrs 48mins.

Sunday 18th May - Alba’s 6th Birthday party.

A wonderful afternoon, surprising the whole family, and sharing the afternoon with Alba and her friends and family.  The cake was delicious, made by her Mum, our Annie!

This is the end of our adventures for now, 12 weeks of amazing experiences, stunning weather and wonderful cruises.  We shall be back for short cruises throughout the summer, but for now, many thanks for reading and enjoy the summer.

Basingstoke Calling - Spring 2025 - Week 10

 Monday 5th May - Oxford to Jericho

Taken very early in the morning, this is the Oxford Canal as it goes down in to Isis Lock and then onto the River Thames.  

Beyond the lock the canal carries on for a short time and then stops at the road bridge in Oxford.  All along this stretch are permanent moorings with their own water tap and electricity bollard.

Today we moved up the canal to Aristotle Visitor Moorings just in front of Aristotle Bridge.  A very quiet and peaceful mooring beside a play park and in a residential area.

Our plan was to walk across the meadow to Wolvercote and visit The Trout Inn on the river at Godstow.  Despite a number of cows on the meadow, we made our way safely across and settled down on an outside table.  

We were delighted to be joined by Annie and our two grandchildren, Alba and Nina, a lovely surprise visit!

These two had a great time playing around the circular seating, eating ice cream and generally keeping us entertained with their lovely chatter.

0.75 miles, 0 locks, 24mins

Tuesday 6th May - Jericho to Thrupp

Our first lock today, we negotiated a sunken boat just before the lock landing and then into the lock.  

Closely followed by another of the lift bridges.  There are 20 surviving lift bridges in working order on this canal, the most southerly is St Edwards Lift Bridge in Oxford, and the most northerly is the Boundary Lift Bridge at Claydon.

Here we are approaching the lock immediately after Duke’s Cut.  The entrance to Duke’s Cut is to the right and takes you down onto the River Thames above Godstow Lock.  This approach to the Thames is out of action at the moment as there is a problem with the paddles.

Kidlington, a large village with the facilities of a town, but the canalside dwellings are pleasant enough.

We are just coming into Thrupp and hoping for a mooring!  We passed nb Ange de l’Eau moored outside the Jolly Boatman.  We met this boat in Paddington Basin 5 years ago when Fraser and Di asked if they could moor up against us as there were no moorings left.  The boat belonged to friends of theirs who sold it to buy a Dutch Cruiser based in the Netherlands.  It was good to see it looking so good.

5.75 miles, 4 locks, 3 lift bridges, 4hrs

Wednesday 7th May - Thrupp

Today we are having a rest day in Thrupp.  We spent the morning cleaning the inside of the boat and in the afternoon we had a cream tea at Annie’s Tearoom over the lift bridges.  These two thatched cottages sit behind the tearooms and look quite idyllic.

We walked along the canal to Shipton on Cherwell and visited the church there, part of the Gothic Revival buildings.  Shipton Manor, originally the home of William Turner and later bought by Richard Branson and turned into recording studio where Tubular Bells was recorded.

Thursday 8th May - Thrupp to Lower Heyford

A much colder day today, but we had had our 48 hours in Thrupp so it was time to move on. We went through Thrupp lift bridges and hoped to fill up with water and get rid of rubbish, but a boat had just arrived so we decided to keep going.

This is the Shipton Flood gate. This is a "stop-gate" and can be closed to isolate a section of the canal for repair or maintenance.
It can also be used to protect the canal from flooding, which may well be the use here, given the canals proximity to the river.

We continued to Shipton Weir Lock where the canal and River Cherwell converge.

The change in height through the lock is small and therefore maintaining the forward volume of flow into the canal every time the lock is opened can be a problem. This has been solved by building a wide lock with an unusual six sided "lozenge" shape. This increases the volume of the lock chamber, and thus the amount of water that flows into the canal every time the lower lock gate is opened.  We were able to share the lock with another boat going our way.

 

With a length of 64 km, the River Cherwell (catchment area of 943 km2) has its source in Northamptonshire (in the ironstone hills of Hellidon) where it flows south to empty into the Thames.  This is a stretch of about 1 mile where it joins with the canal, from Shipton Weir Lock to Baker Lock.

I have no idea how this got there or why it is still there, someone’s idea of a joke?  It must have been there a while as the towpath around it is well established now.

Just up from Pigeon’s Lock is this lovely place.  Jane’s Enchanted Tea Garden, very popular and always well booked up.  Looks very pretty and magical from the canal.

We found a mooring in Lower Heyford before the lift bridge.  After our lunch we went for a walk to the village and past The Bell which is only open Friday - Sunday from 5pm - how do they survive with such short opening times? Back down to the canal and over the lift bridge and back to the boat.

Unfortunately there was no EE wifi signal at all, our unit showed 2 red lights, the first time we have ever seen that!

8 miles, 5 locks, 4hrs 30mins

Friday 9th May - Lower Heyford to Aynho

Time to move on, and we set off through the lift bridges we walked over yesterday and out towards Upper Heyford.  Love this beautiful Tithe Barn.   Upper Heyford Tithe Barn is an early 15th-century tithe barn at Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire. It was built around 1400 for New College, Oxford. Its plan is 120ft by 24ft. 

We have been amazed at the number of Red Kites we have seen as we go along this canal.  This is one of a pair that were sitting together on the top of the bridge. Red Kites mainly feed on carrion and can often be seen soaring high above roads, on the lookout for roadkill. When soaring they constantly adjust the angle of their tail to steer, while barely moving their wings. 

This is Somerton Deep Lock, the deepest lock on the Oxford Canal.  The cottage is completely isolated and is only accessible by foot or boat. The cottage is off-grid with electricity produced by a wind turbine and generators, and bottled gas for cooking. 

As we arrived a boat was just leaving the lock which meant it was going to be set for us, however the man driving got off the boat and reset it for the boat behind him!  We were quite shocked as there was no way he hadn’t seen us.  The lock is 12ft deep, so they wasted a whole lock of water which we could have used.  We were not impressed!

We carried on to Aynho and found a mooring in front of the bridge.  We had our lunch in the Great Western Hotel and sat in their delightful sun trap of a garden.

I walked Toby along the canal and saw several of these fairy doors attached to tree trunks and wooden posts.  I couldn't resist opening the doors to see if anyone was home!  
Legend says that these enchanted doors are actually a portal to the magical kingdom - a way for mythical creatures to travel between their world and ours.

5.75 miles. 3 locks, 2 lift bridges, 3hrs 0mins

Saturday 10th May - Aynho

Today we are having a quiet day in Aynho.  We decided to go for a walk along the canal to The Pig Place.  On the way we passed a field of cows some of which were cooling off in the canal.

This is another of the ‘lozenge’ locks, but smaller than the one at Shipton.  This one, Aynho Weir Lock, is here because the River Cherwell crosses the canal on the other side of the bridge. Originally built in 1790 as a standard lock, it was very soon realised that not enough water was being passed through to Somerton, with the net result the pound (section of water between locks) was having more water taken out than was being put in. Therefore, Aynho Weir Lock was altered to this rather unusual shape to compensate.

The river joins the canal on the right of the photo and flows across the canal exiting via a weir on the left.  If the river rises it effectively changes the level of the canal all the way up to Nell’s Bridge.

We continued up to The Pig Place where we had a cold drink and enjoying the view across the Cherwell Valley.  We were sad to discover that they no longer have pigs because the local abattoir they used has shut down and it isn’t cost effective to transport the pigs a longer distance.  The ethos of the outdoor café was to produce rare breed pork and showcase it at the on-site outdoor café. The closure of the local abattoir prevents them from producing their own pork. They have explored other ways of keeping the quality they are well known for, but increased labour costs and buying in rare breed pork makes the running of the café regrettably unsustainable in 2025.  They are primarily a campsite with some moorings for narrowboats.

This is Nell’s Bridge, very low and comes immediately after the lock.  If the River Cherwell is high then this bridge becomes impassable.  With all the dry weather we have been having there is no problem getting under this bridge at the moment.

Sunday 11th May - Aynho to Banbury

A lovely day in store so an early start to get to Banbury.  We pulled over at Aynho Wharf and filled up with water and got rid of all our rubbish. As it was so early it was very quiet. 

We have come through the Aynho Weir Lock and travelled along the stretch of canal to Nell’s Bridge.  We waited below the lock whilst another boat came down but they seemed to take a long time.  Dave said that the boat had been pulled into the lock and that the owner was very particular about the boat not touching the sides of the lock.  As they came out of the lock there was a lot of use of the bow thrusters!

This is the lock cottage at Nell’s Lock, it doesn’t look as though it is lived in at the moment and looks really quite sad!

This is Kings Sutton Lock which is the exact opposite with the cottage beautifully looked after.  The buildings on the other side of the lock used to be a blacksmith’s forge and stable block.  

Then again, at Grants Lock the lock cottage is a real mess.  It stands by the second deepest lock on the Oxford Canal. The ground floor of the cottage was built in 1794 and the second floor was added in 1914.  The cottage fell victim to an arson attack in July 2020 and everything was destroyed, down to the bare bones of the brickwork. 

Waiting below Banbury Lock, the last lock of today followed by a lift bridge.  However, it was very busy at the moorings and we ended up out opposite Sovereign Wharf, where we were told in no uncertain words that we couldn't moor there!  Fortunately a hire boat had stopped briefly for lunch and we were able to take their space when they moved on.  It has been a very warm day, so we had a quiet lunch and peaceful afternoon on the boat.

6.5 miles, 5 locks, 1 lift bridge, 4hrs 12mins