Banbury to Cropredy

Wed 1^st September  Banbury to Slat Mill

We fancied a cooked breakfast, and the Waterside Bar advertise a full English, but they don’t start serving food until noon. The new Premier Inn, very handy on the Quayside, don’t offer breakfast to non-residents. We had something on board instead.

The mooring rules in Banbury say, “Two Days”, with a maximum of 14 days in Banbury in any month. There are at least three ways of interpreting this if we arrive on a Sunday:

1) Sunday is our first day, and Monday is our second, so we have to leave on Monday.

2) We arrive on Sunday, and leave two days later on Tuesday.

3) We can have two full days, i.e., Monday and Tuesday. Leave on Wednesday.

We didn’t see anyone checking who was there. There was always a space available for anyone arriving. We chose option 3. As for 14 days in one month, in our case we have visited once every two years on average, in our 24 years of boating, spending anything from one to three nights at a time, helping to support the local economy.

We needed to empty a cassette, but because there is no path past Tooley’s, and the footbridge isn’t open yet, we would either have to trundle it right round over Tom Rolt Bridge and through Spiceball Park, or take it through the shopping centre. We decided that neither option was very good, so we would take it by boat. We set off in reverse, going under the lift bridge and stopping at the water point there. We topped up with water, and trundled the cassette down past the lock to the sanitary station. While we were there, a boat called Minstrel came up through the lock.

Reversing through the lift bridge

Water Point

Lift bridge again

We set off again, raising the lift bridge once more, before cruising slowly past all the moored boats out of Banbury.

The other Tooley’s restoration project

At Hardwick Lock, there was a lock queue of four boats. We arrived behind Minstrel. Several boats had departed from Banbury at about the same time, and the result was inevitable.  A boat called Ellen arrived soon after we did. 45 minutes later, we were through, going under the M40 for the third and final time.

Queue for Hardwick Lock

Leaving the lock

Under the M40

There was a shorter queue at Bourton Lock, where the lock cottage is being restored by friends of ours.

Bourton Lock Cottage

The final lock for us was Slat Mill Lock, and we moored soon after, opposite Peewit Farm, where in the past we have seen curlew in the field. Ellen went past heading for Cropredy.

Ellen going past

Moored at Slat Mill

3 locks, 4 miles, 2 lift bridges (the same one twice). Dep 0955, arr 1305

Thu 2^nd September  Slat Mill to Cropredy

Cropredy Mill

We set off early, and found a space on the 14day moorings before Cropredy Wharf bridge. We walked into the village and went to the Mulberry Café where at last we had our full English breakfast, very nicely prepared. We returned to the boat via the church where, years ago, we had outreach in the churchyard, with puppets and music, during the Fairport Cropredy Festival.

Curious road name

Thatched buildings

St Mary’s Church

In the afternoon it became chilly, and James put our chimney on, thinking we would have a fire later. Strangely, it then became warmer, so the fire was not needed.

Moored in Cropredy

Barley Twist (Byfleet Boat Club) arrived and moored in front of us, and Terry and Chris came on board later to catch up over drinks.

Terry and Chris

0 locks, ½ mile. Dep 0910, arr 0930.

Fri 3^rd September  Cropredy

Barley Twist left before 8am, before we were up. As we were about to depart, James saw a pigeon on our roof. He went to shoo it off, but it didn’t move. James took a photo, and then it flew and landed on his head! He turned the camera around and took another pic, which surprisingly, came out OK!

Pigeon

We set off and moved up to the sanitary station, where we emptied two cassettes and disposed of rubbish. We went up through the lock, where James took down the chimney again, as the forecast was for warmer weather.  We moored just above the lock.

Cropredy Lock

Moored above the lock.

Later, Graham and Sandra arrived on Micah 6:8 (renamed from Dawn Run) and found a space two boats in front. We all went to the Brasenose Arms for a meal. It was good to meet Sandra for the first time, other than online.

Brasenose Arms

1 lock, ½ mile. Dep 0920, arr 1000.

Next: through 8 locks to the summit level at Claydon, as we head towards Napton.