Day 23 - to Lower Heyford

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4 locks, total 106







Wide countryside views interspersed with wooded sections today. The Cherwell followed us fairly closely and sometimes joined us.







Enslow Bridge private moorings seems to have attracted all the old, run down narrowboats on the Oxford – strange place. Even stranger though was what I can only assume was a shore-based commune opposite to the towpath – the odd caravan, largish marquees with one side open to the canal and fitted out with upholstered sofas etc. plus a camp kitchen in the middle of all this with several hobs and barbecues.







Food shops are as scarce as on the Kennet & Avon but there is a tiny shop in the boatyard at Lower Heyford where we can get some milk tomorrow. Our fresh storage is very limited so we try to only shop two days ahead but we do have contingency packeted food.







The Cotswold stone bridges continue to be a feature of this canal, as are the frequent lift bridges.







Only one problem (ok – challenge) today – a tree was down virtually across the canal but branches had been sawn back and other boats had been through so I assumed I could. Wrong – Dunlin grounded as she has never done before. Why do trees always seem to fall in the shallow sections? We tried reversing off, pushing with the boat pole, rolling the boat from side to side, reversing with considerably more welly – we managed to get the bow off but not the stern. So I went up to the bows to raise the stern level a bit and then with John using every ounce of strength he had with the boat pole and me hanging onto thin branches of the tree and pulling we finally edged forward and through the gap. I don't know if the canal level had dropped a little for us or if we have a deeper draught than others – if John hadn't had the strength then we'd have to call on the Waterways staff (again) and they might then consider blocking my phone number!

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Photos

Thrupp
Cottages fronting the canal where we moored.

Canalside church
Along the Cherwell valley all the churches are either on hills or on mounds looking along the valley.

Hexagonal lock at Shipton Weir
I was helming so the photo angle is rubbish. There's another like this at Aynho Weir so explanations and hopefully a better picture in a couple of days.

Hi-tech on a scrappy boat....
....got his priorities right!

Canal = water trough...
... to thirsty cows and calves.

The Dawn Patrol
And Winnie the Pooh and Tigger were on the canal side.