London Calling Week 15 - Sandford to Cropredy

Monday 9th September - Sandford to Godstow

This week we will complete our time on the River Thames and head off onto The Oxford Canal.

Here we are coming into Oxford and Folly Bridge.  The passage is quite congested with these huge Steamers moored up.  On the right behind the trees is 'The Head of the River' but it looks pretty tired to me.

Out of Oxford and we are cruising along Port Meadow which is the largest common land in Oxford, this large meadow consists of 440 acres of grazing land which is still used for cattle and horses. 

We came through Godstow Lock and moored up beside the ruins of a 12th century abbey, or nunnery, which stands in a meadow beside the River Thames at Godstow, just north of the city. Godstow Abbey is famed as the burial place of 'Fair Rosamund' de Clifford, Henry II's mistress.  We also visited the Trout Inn, a 17th Century pub, with links to literacy and historic greats such as Lewis Carroll, Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse, Rosamund the Fair, and King Henry II.

Whilst we were there we managed to capture a shot of this splendid peacock, apparently a resident at the pub.

6.5 miles, 3 locks, 2 hrs 36 mins cruising time.  

Tuesday 10th September - Godstow to Thrupp

The remains of the Abbey church in the early morning, very peaceful scene.

Toby checking where Dave had gone, he had been out for his early morning walk and was waiting to go back inside the boat.  The face says it all!

By the time we were ready to leave the mist had rolled in along the river, this is Godstow bridge, quite an acute angle to get through the right hand arch not helped by the fact that it was difficult to see!

We are heading for the bridge which carries the Oxford By-pass over the river, you can just make out the cab of a lorry, visibility was really that low!

Two men in a boat - we had gone round the outside of the red buoys as it would have been too shallow for us, but not for them, love this photo.

We are turning right into the channel which is going to lead us back onto the Oxford Canal, we go through a shallow stop lock and then turn left onto the Canal. 

We moored up at Thrupp, very quiet with a choice of moorings, we went up by the lift bridge and settled there for a couple of nights.  We went for a walk across the fields to Hampton Poyle and walked past a Roman Villa, I think you need to use your imagination!

The church at Hampton Poyle was very attractive with a tall spire, much of it dates back to the 13th Century, and we then joined the canal at the Jolly Boatman and continued back into Thrupp and the boat.

6 miles, 5 locks, 1 moveable bridge, 3 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Wednesday 11th September - Thrupp

Today we are having a rest day in Thrupp, and this boat passed us, it has the Worcestershire flag painted on its side, we are flying the same flag at the back of our boat, pleasant coincidence!  The owners are from Malvern and moor their boat at Droitwich.

Whilst we were working on the boat we heard a loud clunk and saw that a car had driven onto the bridge whilst it was being raised, its wheels had gone over the edge of the bridge and the weight of the car brought the bridge down.  Those who saw it couldn't quite believe what they were watching!

We went for a walk along the canal and found our old share boat nbMinuet moored up further out of the village.  We used to own shares in Minuet when it was based at Bromley Wharf and we sold them just before our own boat was ready, unfortunately it was all locked up so we couldn't say hello to anyone.

When we got back Canal and River Trust and their electricians were in attendance attempting to fix the bridge.  The weight of the car had pulled the sensor out of the ground and they needed to replace it securely and get the whole thing to work together again.  After 5 hours, bridge fixed and working, and they were able to release the cars from the carpark and allow the boats to go through.  Good job we weren't planning on going anywhere today!

Thursday 12th September - Thrupp to Lower Heyford

Today we manoeuvred our way through the bridge and set off on our way to Lower Heyford.  We passed nbMinuet and there were signs of life aboard, but no-one we could speak to.  I wonder who was on board and whether they were co-owners we knew?  Further on we came across this boat sitting across the canal, I had to get as close to the boat as possible so Dave could get on board, grab a rope and pull the boat back to its mooring on the offside of the canal.  A tricky few minutes but we managed it!

For about a mile, the Oxford Canal joins the River Cherwell, no problems today as the river levels are well down and passage was a delight.  The boat feels so much different when it is running on a river, the depth and flow of the water make a real difference.

Leaning on a lock beam and having a lovely chat with a lady from a boat going in the opposite direction, a pleasant way to spend 20 minutes.

We moored up at Lower Heyford and went for a walk up to Steeple Aston, a lovely walk with stunning views across the Oxfordshire countryside.

7 miles, 5 locks, 1 moveable bridge, 4 hrs, 18 mins cruising time

Friday 13th September - Lower Heyford to Aynho

Today we cruised to Aynho, going up one of the deepest locks on the narrow canals, Somerton Deep Lock at over 12 ft deep, it is a long way down when you are on the boat!
We moored up in front of the bridge at Aynho and waited for a visit from Mark Paris, a boat safety inspector.  Our safety certificate expires on 28th September, 4 years from the time the boat was launched, so we needed to have an inspection and hopefully get another certificate for the next 4 years.  We are pleased to announce that nbElla passed with flying colours!

Afterwards we walked along the canal to The Pig Place and bought food for the next few days. It was so pleasant that we stopped and had a drink whilst reclining on their outdoor sofas!  Very nice indeed.

The rare breed pigs are free range along with chickens for free range eggs.  In the evening we treated ourselves to supper at The Great Western to celebrate the boat's success!

5.5 miles, 3 locks, 2 hrs 42 mins cruising time

Saturday 14th September - Aynho to Banbury.

The next morning we moved from our mooring spot, through the bridge and across to the Wharf where we put on water and diesel.  

We continued along the canal and passed the Pig Place which we visited yesterday and headed towards Banbury.

One of the features of this canal are all the lift bridges, many of which are left up, this is most helpful for boaters as we don't have to keep getting on and off the boat to open and shut them.  Progress along here was incredibly slow as the water levels were so low, apparently a paddle had not been closed properly overnight and the pound had drained.  CRT were refilling the pound and passage was viable although we were scraping along the bottom in some places.

We got to Banbury and were met by a huge amount of redevelopment going on in the canal area.  This meant that the moorings and footbridge had disappeared and we continued to moor alongside the park and Sovereign Wharf. We did some shopping and had a quiet evening on the boat.

7 miles, 5 locks, 1 moveable bridge, 4 hrs 18 mins cruising time

Sunday 15th Banbury to Cropredy

Today we left Banbury and headed towards Cropredy.  Another sparkling day, we have been so blessed with the weather so far, what more could you ask for in September?

This house has a photo of the owners and their boat used to be outside the house, good to see that they are still there.

This lock keepers cottage is looking even more sad than the last time we saw it, the roof is beginning to collapse now.  It would be lovely to see someone taking care of it.  We moored in Cropredy and spent a quiet afternoon catching up on admin and blog writing.

4.25 miles, 3 locks, 3 hrs cruising time.

London Calling Week 14 - Burghfield to Sandford Lock

Monday 2nd September - Burghfield to Beale Park

A beautiful sparkling day as we leave Burghfield and head back onto the River Thames.  We saw Granny Spice in Sharpness last year just before she was heading out onto the River Severn and south to Bristol and back along the Kennet and Avon Canal to their home mooring.  Good to see they survived the journey!

What a stunning day, beautiful blue sky, light winds and warm sunshine, amazing!

Cruising through Reading on the traffic light controlled section.  Past the Oracle, all the shops and the restaurants lining the canal.

We cruised along the loop in Reading and found the ruins of Reading Abbey.  It was one of the wealthiest and most important monasteries of medieval England. Today, the remains of the Abbey can be found throughout the former precinct known as the Abbey Quarter in the heart of Reading, sharing the site with the Victorian Reading Prison buildings. It is a site of huge archaeological and historic importance.

 HM Prison Reading was built in 1844 as the Berkshire County Gaol in the heart of Reading alongside the ruins of Reading Abbey and beside the River Kennet.  It closed as a prison in November 2013. It has been empty since then, awaiting re-development as part of the Arts Development programme.

 Playwright Oscar Wilde was among the illustrious inmates who have languished in Reading’s historic Grade II-listed jail.

At the height of his fame in 1895, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency with other men and sentenced to two years’ hard labour in Reading Prison.  In 1897, while in prison, he wrote De Profundis, which was published in 1905, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials.  On his release, he moved to France where he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol , in 1898, describing prison life.

We are leaving The K&A Canal and returning to the River Thames.  I am happy to be back on the river, and I have to say that this canal has not been my favourite.  Generally it has been hard work, the locks are in poor condition, there are very few places to moor, and once you get towards the summit of the canal there always appear to be water shortage problems.  I'm afraid it has gone to the bottom of the list of canals to re-visit!

  A convoy on the River Thames, we shared a lock with both these boats and they consequently overtook us as we headed towards Pangbourne.

Whitchurch Toll Bridge dates back to 1902 and was rebuilt in 2014, motorists pay a toll of 60p to cross the bridge.  We were intending to moor on the meadows before the bridge, but to our dismay, there wasn't any space long enough to accommodate our 57ft!

We continued to Beale Park where we found a lovely space just for us with lovely open views.  In the evening we could hear owls calling from the trees across the water, delightful!

13.25 miles, 7 locks, 5 hrs 36 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 3rd September - Beale Park to Goring

After a very pleasant evening we moved on to Goring.  NBEnbilulu had passed us and moored up further down river.

The countryside around here is simply stunning all around, this was the view behind us...

and this the view in front of us, beautiful.

Coming into Goring we passed this glass box jutting out over the river.  The views up and down the river must be stunning.

We moored above Goring Lock and I took Toby for a walk.  When we returned this gentleman was sketching the boat.  I discovered he was Professor Alan J Brookes, an architect and consultant, who had designed the glass box in the above photo.  

Due to poor health he has retired from work and has taken up painting instead.  We went off into Goring to do some shopping and by the time we got back he had left the riverbank.

2.5 miles, 0 locks, 54 mins cruising time.

Wednesday 4th September - Goring

We decided to stay in Goring another day and fortunately for us, Professor Brookes came back again to paint another boat and showed us the finished painting.  We were delighted with it, he said that if he gets enough paintings of boats together he may exhibit them in Goring.  We shall definitely be interested in seeing that exhibition!

We took ourselves off for a walk and Toby found a brilliant spot for swimming in the river.  He really enjoys swimming after sticks, balls etc, retrieves them, drops them at your feet and then shakes himself all over you!  We all end up very wet!

This was a rather odd sensation, walking through a field only to find ourselves reflected  in what turned out to be a equestrian arena for dressage!

We climbed a hill onto Hartslock Reserve, the reserve is a beautiful south facing, unimproved chalk downland hill with stunning views over the river Thames and the Goring Gap region.  Well worth the climb for this view.

This large hotel/restaurant boat called African Queen passed us on its way to Wallingford, on it's 5 day cruise from Mapledurham.

Chris was the very cheerful lock keeper at Goring.  Our first night mooring was free and the second night was 5 pounds, not a bad price for a mooring in such a beautiful area.

An early celebration for Dave's birthday on Sunday, a delectable meal at The Miller of Mansfield, this was a bottle of Cornish Pastis called Tarquin's, we thought the bottle looked amazing!

Thursday 5th September - Goring to Day's Lock

We left Goring Lock on a sparkling sunny morning with a stiff breeze and quite a chill in the air.  

The next lock was self service as it was only 3ft deep, however once the lock had filled the power failed and we couldn't get out of the lock.  These gentlemen showed us how to operate the sluices and the gates manually, it was really hard work and they took it in turns to operate the wheel.

A heron watching for fish as we glided past, it made no attempt to fly away from us.

We passed through Day's Lock and moored up on the meadow, access was much easier for Toby and he was excellent at walking the plank.  However when we wanted to go for a walk we couldn't get out the meadow as the farmer has closed off the access.  We had to climb over a gate and lift Toby over as well!

From the lock you can see two hills topped by trees. These are the Sinodun Hills - known usually as the Wittenham Clumps and less respectfully as Mother Dunch's Buttocks. The unfortunate Mother Dunch was the wife of a less-than-popular local medieval squire.  The Wittenham Clumps and the nearby Little Wittenham Wood are part of a nature reserve managed by the Earth Trust who established it in 1982. The reserve is part of an estate of 300 hectares which includes a conservation farm and a new woodland dedicated to forestry research.

A hilltop fort was built by iron-age man on Castle Hill and when the Romans invaded they built a camp where the nearest town would be founded - Dorchester.  The only obvious sign of the fort now is the ditch around the base of the hill. In the clump of trees at the top of the hill is the Poem Tree in which Joseph Tubb carved a poem in 1844-45. 

The view from the top was gorgeous, but can you spot our boat, she is there!  The World Poohsticks Championships were held each year on the Little Wittenham and Dorchester footbridges next to Day's Lock for 35 years until 2015. The game is described in A.A. Milne's book, The House at Pooh Corner, written in 1928.

Beautiful sunset across the river, not a bad location!

11.5 miles, 4 locks, 4 hrs 12 mins cruising time.

Friday 6th September - Day's Lock to Abingdon

What a difference a day makes, it was cold and windy today, with grey skies, not a great day for cruising, but only a short trip to Abingdon.

The waterfront at Abingdon looking very pretty with the summer flowers still in full bloom.  We went past here, through the bridge and moored on the meadows opposite the outdoor swimming pool.   

7.5 miles, 2 locks, 2 hrs 24 mins cruising time.

Saturday 7th September - Abingdon

We have arranged to spend another day in Abingdon, where Annie and Alba and Lizzie and Bea came to find us.  Granny and her two granddaughters on the stern of the boat.  Alba was fascinated by the movement of the water whenever anything went past the boat.

After lunch and a walk, we were treated to a sing song from Lizzie and Annie, a favourite from Moulin Rouge, lovely voices!

Not sure what Alba made of it and Bea took herself off to lie on our bed!  We enjoyed it though!

Sunday 8th September - Abingdon to Sandford Lock

Today is Dave's birthday, happy birthday, on a beautiful sparkling day.

An early morning view of the river showing the mists rising and a slight frost on the grass beside the boat.  

What a wonderful day for a balloon ride, the conditions must have been near perfect.  Unfortunately, Toby finds them really upsetting and just barks at it until it goes away!

We cruised from Abingdon to Sandford Lock where we stopped for the night, it was a lovely warm sunny day and Dave and I sat outside whilst he opened his presents.  I think he is all set for the Rugby World Cup!  All washed down with his favourite wine and a slice of cake!

Lunch time at Sandford Lock, the lock keeper has gone off on his lunch break and there is a queue of boats including 2 Salters Steamers.  The lock is self service, meaning that everything is done very slowly!

The existing lock, the deepest on the non-tidal Thames, was built alongside an earlier one - you can still see the long indentation in the grass. On the lockside there are three large lumps of granite, which remain from the old lock.  In 1875 the nearby Sandford Paper Mill was rebuilt requiring the head water level to be raised by 5 feet. This may explain the need for such a deep lock-chamber.

5 miles, 2 locks, 1 hr 54 mins.