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South Oxford Summit - Water Resources!


john6767

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Notice Alert

Oxford Canal
Location: Locks 15 & 16 Marston Doles
Starts At: Lock 15, Marston Doles Bottom Lock
Ends At: Lock 16, Marston Doles Top Lock

Friday 14 August 2020 10:00 until further notice

Type: Navigation Restriction 
Reason: Water resources


 

Original message:

 

Reservoir holdings in the South Oxford Canal are lower than usual for this time of year.

To maximise the available water, the Trust is taking the precaution of locking targeted locks up overnight. This measure is intended to reduce the potential for water losses overnight and allow back pumps more time to transfer water from the Braunston Pound onto the Oxford Summit.

Boaters also have a really important role to play and we ask that they help us to save water by making sure that all gates and paddles are closed after use, sharing a lock if possible and waiting for oncoming boats where appropriate.  

The locks will be open between 10am to 5pm - 7 days a week

[last entry on the flight 4pm]


 

 

I guess that is better than 2 year ago when the locks each end were only open 2 hours a day.

 

Note it is only the top 2 locks that will have the restriction.

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1 hour ago, Big Bob W said:

Amazing really.

This after a wetter winter than we have had for a while along with 3 months or so of lockdown.

 

 

But April and May had less than half the average rainfall.

  • Greenie 2
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1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

As I understand, Wormleighton reservoir is not used, according to a C&RT worker (yes, there are a couple) 3 years ago.

They do seem to rely on back pumping from the Braunston level, rather the reservoir feed.  
 

As it stands that is not too bad a restriction, but it will be worse if/when they bring in a restrictions at Claydon making if difficult or impossible to transit the summit in a day.

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6 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Theyve made the Watford/Foxton in a day transit impossible already, especially when the miserable git wont let you in the flight with 7 minutes to go to the official last boat in time

 

 

I hope you corrected his minor oversight.

 

We had one a couple of years ago who wouldn't let a friend's boat onto a flight an hour and a half before the "last boat in" time on the sign on the lock.  I helped him to see the error of this approach ...

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13 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Theyve made the Watford/Foxton in a day transit impossible already, especially when the miserable git wont let you in the flight with 7 minutes to go to the official last boat in time

 

It’s only the professionals like you that do Watford and Foxton in a day, that is a long haul.  Best I have done there is top of Foxton to Norton junction in a day.

 

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36 minutes ago, john6767 said:

It’s only the professionals like you that do Watford and Foxton in a day, that is a long haul.  Best I have done there is top of Foxton to Norton junction in a day.

 

Errr did you miss out watford then?

Edited by roland elsdon
Heatstroke! Top of foxton..... sorry?just done warwickshire fly to lapworth today single . Bit heat withered
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1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Theyve made the Watford/Foxton in a day transit impossible already, especially when the miserable git wont let you in the flight with 7 minutes to go to the official last boat in time

 

Unlucky. Couple of days ago I was halfway up the flight at 10 am and that was after I had already helped 6 boats coming down ?

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They need to make a winding hole at the top of Claydon locks. Came over the summit 2 weeks ago and met 3 boats at the locks that were just going down Claydon to wind and go straight back up again!

 

On 31/07/2020 at 18:02, Tracy D'arth said:

As I understand, Wormleighton reservoir is not used, according to a C&RT worker (yes, there are a couple) 3 years ago.

I was wondering if Clattercote is used too? The feed on the ordinance survey appears to join below Claydon but can't actually see it from the canal.

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25 minutes ago, Dave123 said:

They need to make a winding hole at the top of Claydon locks. Came over the summit 2 weeks ago and met 3 boats at the locks that were just going down Claydon to wind and go straight back up again!

 

I was wondering if Clattercote is used too? The feed on the ordinance survey appears to join below Claydon but can't actually see it from the canal.

Agreed, it would save water.

 

Does Clattercote come in under the small stone arch on the opposite side?

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15 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Agreed, it would save water.

 

Does Clattercote come in under the small stone arch on the opposite side?

The arch under the towpath by the farm moorings above Claydon is Boddington feed. I can't see where Clattercote comes in. Suspect they have allowed it to no longer be used.?‍♂️

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  • 4 weeks later...

Isn't it Wormleighton that they stopped using after a few years back when the level was extremely low and a badger built a sett in the bank so they said it would be illegal to fill the reservoir with water in case they drowned?

 

Anyway we came over the summit today. I've never seen the level so high, completely full & so we had a very quick crossing indeed (3.5 hours without rushing or hurrying at all).

 

Claydon locks are also subject to a time restriction (0930-1700 I think). Apparently the Marston Doles restrictions have two side-effects. Firstly, everybody went up Napton flight but couldn't do Marston Doles, and thus drained the long pound between them. Secondly, the queues were so bad that it took 6 hours to get from Napton bottom to Marston Doles top!

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We will be heading down the Oxford to the Thames next week.  I was not aware that Clayton had a time restriction as well as Marston Doles but we were planning to stop at least one night on the summit anyway, so should not effect us other than queues.  Hopefully that will be the only hold up of the trip, I am rather hoping that the Thames will be quiet, at lest midweek, as it was in Sept two years ago when we were last there.

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We came through Napton yesterday, lots of boats coming down but not much heading up. We stopped overnight above Marston Doles top lock, this morning there were 7 boats waiting to come down when we left, just after 9am, all ready for when the top lock opened at 10am.

 

We came through Claydon today and they still have restrictions, I think they were 10am - 3pm.

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