Cropredy to Napton

Sat 4th September  Cropredy to Wormleighton

We tried to wait for a quiet moment to leave, to avoid lock queues. We said farewell to Graham as we passed.

Farewell to Graham

Another boat left before us, and a boat came up the lock behind us, so a small lock queue was likely. As we passed Cropredy Marina we saw that they had extended by adding another huge basin, which was only partly full.

Cropredy Marina

Broadmoor Lock was the first, and there were two boats in front of us. Because of the visitor moorings, there was no room for us to get close to the side until the first boat had moved into the lock. A boat arrived behind us – not the one that came up the lock, but another one that had emerged from the marina.

Lock queue for Broadmoor Lock

At each lock we caught up with the one in front. The guy kept putting down the offside paddle before opening the gate, and then complaining that it was hard to open. James pointed it out to him, and he did better at the next one.

Romany Caravan

Varney’s Lock

Claydon Bottom Lock

They were also slow when cruising, because there is about a mile between Elkington’s Lock and Claydon Bottom Lock, and we caught them up before they had taken the boat in. There was a volunteer on Claydon Locks, which enabled a crew member to go forward to set the next one.

We were hoping to moor at the top, but the suitable moorings were all taken, so we had to keep going. We went through the “tunnel” now opened up into a narrow cutting and there were three boats in a line.  We filled up with diesel at Fenny Compton Marina at 82p per litre.

Biplane flypast

Disused Railway Bridge

The “Tunnel”

Turnover Bridge 137a, which has a sign saying 137.

Diesel at Fenny

Soon after this, we came across Erin Mae, and Martin appeared at the side hatch. This was providential, as we needed to get our BCF songbooks to him as he is leading the worship at the event in Fazeley in three weeks’ time. We rafted up and transferred the books to him.

Martin Inchley

We went under the bridge at Fenny, and found the very last mooring where we tied to rings. Later we realised we were listing, so we cast off again and moved a further mile, before mooring opposite the medieval village of Wormleighton, now just a few mounds in a field.

Listing at Fenny Compton

Moored at Wormleighton

Thistle field

Pink flower

White flower

The view from our mooring

Medieval village

8 locks, 7 miles. Dep 1010, arr 1455 Fenny. Dep 1755, arr 1820 Wormleighton

Sun 5^th September   Wormleighton to Priors Hardwick

Dawn at Wormleighton

Bridge on the summit level

We had an uneventful but pretty journey following the contours on the Oxford summit level. We passed the HS2 construction site, where there was a huge pile of earth. Presumably they will need to make an embankment or viaduct at this point on the valley side, and a cutting or perhaps a tunnel on the hill side.

HS2

Canalside glamping

Ancient furrows

WWII prefabricated pillbox

We stopped at Priors Hardwick, just before bridge 123.  Erin Mae went past later.

Moored at Priors Hardwick

0 locks, 4 miles. Dep 1010, arr 1210.

Mon 6^th September  Priors Hardwick to Napton

Dawn at Priors Hardwick

We had a short journey to the start of the locks down at Marston Doles. We passed the boat in a field, which has now been there for several years. He doesn’t go cruising much. We also passed Erin Mae.

Field mooring

Erin Mae

There was a boat on the water point at Marston Doles, so we decided not to wait, but to go on down the locks. There was also a small lock queue of two boats in front.

Marston Doles Top Lock

Bandaged lock beam

Although it was fairly quiet as we started down, later there were lots of boats coming up, and some were causing chaos by not waiting their turn, and causing congestion in the lock pound.  It was interesting to see the buffalo herd making use of a puddle to wallow in.

Buffalo pool

Pill box and hut

Napton flight

Congestion

We used the sanitary station, emptying a cassette and disposing of rubbish, before moving on to the water point. We moored just around the corner, where we had some shade from the hedge.

Water point

Moored at Napton.

Looking back at the bottom lock

Later we went to the Folly Inn, where they have erected large marquees in the garden. The pub is too cramped to allow people in, even for the loos. They have been very enterprising in creating outdoor spaces. They also had some local Napton Cider, which was good. We met Bernie, from Lion Star, whom we have met before on the Kennet and Avon, and at the Taft. We also spotted Richard and Elizabeth Martin, and went to have a chat as they waited for their food to arrive. They are BCF, and have a boat called Dutch Courage. They had come by car from Calcutt.

The Folly at Napton

When we were back on the boat and it was completely dark, we heard the sound of a traditional engine. It was Brighton and Nuneaton, coming from an event at Braunston. They had to moor at the sanitary station as everywhere else was full. Hopefully they left early before boaters needed the facilities.  Going up the locks would have been interesting the next day, as they would have to pull the butty through after the motor had gone up.

9 locks, 4 miles. Dep 0905, arr water point 1220, dep 1255, arr 1310 visitor moorings.

Next: from Napton to Braunston, before going through Braunston Tunnel and starting the run down the Grand Union towards Aylesbury.