In Hoc, 2 weeks in May

[Graham Davis]

In Hoc

8th May to 22nd May 2010.

 

Day 1 8/5

Raining!!

From Gayton Marina to Bugbrooke village, mooring between bridges 36 and 35. A gentle start to the “tour” today, followed by an excellent meal at The Wharf.

4.5 miles/0 locks

 

Day 2 9/5

A fine start to the day, with it staying fairly sunny biut cool all day.

Stopped for a good lunch time meal at The New Inn, Long Buckby, right beside lock 7. Good value.

Moored just above Braunston Top Lock after negotiating Braunston Tunnel and the works at the end of it. Still very shallow!

11 miles/7 wide locks/1 tunnel.

 

Day 3 10/5

Sunny but with a cold wind in the afternoon.

We were held up at the bottom of the Napton flight for 2 hours whilst BWB attempted to clear a problem in a by-pass tunnel, which entailed them emptying the pound above the first lock. Found they were unable to clear it so refilled the pound and let us through with water pouring over the gates and towpath.

Moored just beyond Napton top Lock.

11 miles/6 wide & 9 narrow locks

 

Day 4 11/5

Sunny most of the day but with a cold wind. One very short shower.

Moored just above Cropredy top Lock, (25) opposite some nice bungalows. Very pleasant mooring. A beautiful village, which we had a walk around. Excellent SPAR shop to the east of BR153, plus Post Office. Dinner at the Red Lion, very good beer and food!!

Sheila tried to rescue a very small moorhen chick that appeared to have lost it’s parent.

13 miles/ 8 narrow locks.

 

Day 5 12/5

Fine and sunny most of the day.

Moored just below Br202, near Upper Heyford. Interesting passing through Banbury. You don’t expect to find a worked lift bridge or a lock in the middle of a shopping centre.

The single lower gated locks are very heavy, and what happened to the tow path after Somerford Deep lock?

15.5 miles/11 narrow locks.

 

Day 6 13/5

Sunny and reasonably warm in the morning but colder and dull later.

Entry into Oxford is very disappointing! Too many scruffy linear moored Agenda 21 boats making it very slow progress, plus it is also very difficult to find anywhere to stop on a visitor mooring.

Moored at Anstells Bridge 240

14 miles/ 10 narrow locks.

 

Day 7 14/5

Sunny with light showers later.

Free day today to do the tourist bits in Oxford!!

 

Day 8 15/5

Sunny and warm.

Went down onto the Thames at Isis lock to wind, as In Hoc is too big for the winding hole, then up through Oxford to Dukes Lock and Cut for an hour up the Thames to the next lock. Couldn’t get a short term licence since there was no name on the side of the boat! Still enjoyable though.

Moored at Br 223 and joined the “banter” with people from the Canal World internet forum at The Jolly Boatman. Met up with Bones, Maffy, Keeping Up and others, and it was nice to put faces to names. Very good food here especially if you like BIG portions.

8 miles on canal, plus about 10 miles on the Thames/8 narrow locks.

 

Day 9 16/5

A bit dull and showery today.

Moored between Br 193 and 194. Too many day boats around who didn’t know what they were doing and kept getting in the way. Met Maffy at the shop in Thrupp, by the lift bridge.

12.5 miles/ 8 narrow locks.

 

Day 10 17/5

Beautiful warm day with 2 short showers.

Moored just above Cropredy Top Lock (again) so that we could have a pint in the Red Lion. Very good pint of Hookey Norton!! Sheila heard her first cuckoo of the year. Till find the canal in Banbury odd, but useful as we stopped for a late lunch at the Museum Café opposite Tooleys Boat Yard.

12 miles/ 10 narrow locks.

 

Day 11 18/5

Hot, bright and sunny all day (at last!!)

Moored at the top of Napton flight, lock 14. Just missed seeing a steam train between Br 141 and 139, but he must have seen us as he gave a good “crow”. Met one of the Ovaltine boats at Br 131.

13 miles/ 8 narrow locks

 

Day 12 19/5

Hot bright and sunny again.

Moored at Braunston Puddle Banks, just before Br 95.

Napton Flight seemed very hard work today, for some reason. Not helped by a couple of unhelpful boats. One a hire boat from Kate Boats who didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing, and wouldn’t help in the queue of 2 other boats. We all gave them a few tips and that seemed to help. Had lunch at The Folly, at the bottom of the flight to replenish our energy and fluid levels. Still a problem with the by-pass tunnel and flooding the tow path and locks.

10 miles/ 8 narrow locks.

 

Day 13 20/5

More hot and sunny weather.

Shared most of the Braunston flight with a nice couple, but left them behind before we passed through the tunnel. Several low pounds here and on the Buckby flight.

Moored at Weedon, just before Br24

8 miles/13 wide locks/ 1 tunnel/

 

Day 14 21/5

Even better, hotter and sunnier.

Stopped at BR 32 and walked up to the Craft Centre at Upper Stowe, about a mile away. Been to better, but they did do a nice sandwich for lunch.

Returned to the base at Gayton Marina for the night.

7.5 miles/ 0 locks.

 

Day 15 22/5

Hot and sunny as we returned the boat.

 

 

150 miles approx.

2 tunnels.

80 narrow locks.

26 wide locks.

Most days we didn’t start before 1030, and normally finished by 1730.