We returned to the boat a couple of nights ago, done a few jobs that needed doing, went shopping in Lemington Spa to stock up our cupboards with food and booze, topped up the diesel and water and had a pump out, then said good bye to our neighbours and off we set.
Our plan this trip is to do the Thames Ring, nearly 200 miles with a lot of locks including double and single and the odd couple of lifting bridges, we will take in the Oxford canal, The Thames River and the the Grand Union Canal and then back to our home marina Wigram Turn.
WIGRAM TURN MARINA
We set off and join the South Oxford Canal almost immediately,we skirt around Napton hill where the legend of why the 13c church is built at the top of the village instead of the village green is that the devil persisted in moving the church building stones to where the site of the church is nowadays.
WINDMILL ON TOP OF NAPTON HILL
Denise has got to work on this trip and soon the first of our eight locks which is today's quota, approaches, we meet a lot of hire boats who are on their way back to return their boats. We progress slowly and pass the lock where a couple of weeks ago was the site of a major embankment slippage, here a volunteer lock keeper and his helper gives us a hand.
We pass an old canal arm where an old engine house was situated which use to pump water up to the summit from the bottom of the Napton flight of locks and then pass a tiny settlement Marston Doles which owes its existence to the canal, here the towing horses that use to drag the canal boats use to be stabled.
Onwards pass the small but pretty village of Prior Hardwick till we moor up just pass bridge 128 Willisons bridge, and just in time as its now raining with thunder and lighting.
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