Back home

We are now back in Cardiff after a few long day of going up the Oxford Canal, the bad news we were expecting came, as our brother in law passed away after a long illness, so our thoughts are with my sister and the rest of the families at this sad time.

When we came up the Oxford we stayed at the village of Cropredy for one night http://www.cropredyvillage.info/ which is another pretty village well worth the visit. The next day we made a hard push to get back to our home mooring at Wigram Turn marina, we arrived about 1900 hrs so put dinner in the oven and paid a visit to the on site shower blocks for a nice long shower, the next day we got up early packed our bags and Firkin the cat and drove back to Cardiff as the heavens opened to torrential rain which didn't make driving a nice journey home, as we entered Wales the sun came out , which is unusual as its normally the other way around.

Back home everything is fine, only a few bills to pay, so we unpacked and settled down and watched Glastonbury http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/ on the television, the next day Saturday popped over to see my mum who was in fine spirit and very chatty, she looked fine and it was good to

Anyway won't be writing to much in the blog for a few weeks till we are back on the boat and on another adventure, can't wait , see you later

 

 

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Heading back up the Oxford canal

We left our mooring at Thrupp, Denise opened the first swing bridge which was electronically operated and the we topped up with water before carrying on down the canal. We pass Shipton on Cherwell where in 1860 the thigh bones of an immense dinosaur Cetiosaurus Oxoiensis http://www.palaeocritti.com/by-group/dinosauria/sauropoda/cetiosaurus was found in the nearby quarry.

We pass glorious farmlands and now and then the canal closes in with reeds on both sides,we then pass Tackley and its funny named Pigeon lock which we go through. lower and upper Heyford drift pass About 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the village is the former RAF Upper Heyford air base. The RAF used the air base from the 1920s as a bomber base, then in the 1950s assigned to the USAF. Since its closure in 1994, the air base has become a substantial industrial and commercial estate. The runway (once the second longest in Europe) is used to store new cars awaiting delivery to dealers. Numerous Cold War relics remain including disused bunkers, water towers, huts and fences.

We then go pass Somerton deep lock as it name says it quite deep, about 12ft deep and then just pass here we moor up

We have had no bad news about our brother in law John, and our thoughts go out to him, my sister Carol and the rest of the family, but we are not far from our home mooring if we are needed.

 

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Back on still water

A duck on a log

 

Floating down the river

We were awake early to another glorious day even though we are on countdown to Winter now, we go through the first lock and no lock keeper is on duty so the first narrowboat went in , we followed and then came another, but we didn't all fit, so the last boat went diagonal across the lock, then we nearly got our front end stuck under the gate, lots of drama, but we all survived.

We topped up with more water once we left the lock, and the next few locks were drama free, the one route off the river Thames wich we were going to take was closed due to repairs, so we had to go through Oxford canal again, which isn't to bad but a little bit slower, we go pass the array of boats some down right scruffy that line the first part of the canal.

We stop at the village of Thrupp which is a little hamlet just outside of Oxford it has two pubs the Three Horseshoes now called the Jolly boatman and the Boat Inn formerly the Axe Inn, where an Inspector Morse television series was filmed.

 

 

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Still on the Thames

Another beautiful morning greeted us today, so we move off again heading back up the Thames, we pass the village of Goring,Moulsford ,Walligford, Dorchester and Culham before mooring up at Abingdon.

We made good time today even though their are lots of boaters out and about, due to the weather and its being Sunday. Crafts of all sorts pass us and some are moored up having picnics by the river. We should be back on the canals again tomorrow, so no more speeding along.

Speak to you tomorrow .

 

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Still returning up the Thames

A sunny morning again, it must be summer, winter starts tomorrow,our first lock was Shiplake, here we shared it with two other boats and two rowing boats full of young teenage girls, who sounded like they been on E's all night, the noise , I don't do noise or kids on the mornings. Anyway they went on their way why we stopped and had a pump out, and took on some water, peace n quite.

We carried on pass the entrance to the Kennet and Avon canal and then we pulled over by the handy canal side Tescos for a bit more supplies, spent a fortune again and off we set, today is a Saturday and every one and their dog is out in the boats,, so each lock is a a wait, and an experience. One lock was standing room only as they crammed us all in, sometime we share a lock with the gin buckets and because our boat is steel and theirs is plastic they all ways try to protect it by trying to stay away from us.

 

Gin buckets

We carry on through Reading and Mapledurham and mor up for the evening just by Child Beale wildlife trust, which houses a bird collection including peacocks, flamingoes and other birds. http://www.bealepark.co.uk/

 

This evenings mooring

 

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Moving back up the Thames

Last nights mooring

As said yesterday we are retracing our steps( waves and ripples) so we can get back to our home mooring a bit quicker, so we left our mooring to a cool morning but the sun came out later and turned out to be a beautiful day. Our mooring last night was very quiet, and just on the other side of where all the rowing events took part in last year 2012 Olympics, we go pass Maidhead ,Marlow and Henley again where at the latter again we found ourselves right in the middle of a regatta, so we pass all these lady rower in their competition focused on winning or trying to win.

As said not to much to write about as we said most of it on the journey down so here's a couple of photos for you to enjoy .

 

A boat for my mum, its full of ice cream

Nosey neighbours

A tiny boat

Denise on the naughty step

 

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Change of plan

Awoke this morning to a gorgeous sunny morn,so we had some breakfast and then went to do a little food shopping before we were going to take a look around Kingston on Thames.

As we returned to put the shopping away I had a message of my sister Kathryn telling me that my other sister Carol husband John, has taken a turn for the worse, he has been poorly for a while. so with that news we decide that we would turn around and go back the way we come from, as the locks will be a lot easier for us, and make the run for home a lot quicker.

So no sight seeing for us and not much to write about for the next few days. We start heading back the way we come from and eventually moor up up just out side of Windsor, opposite are fantastic house well over a million pound each but they have the sound of an aircraft coming into land at Heathrow every two minutes, I know if I old afford a house like this then it would not be on a international aircraft flight path.

Saying that a lady told us of a conversation she overheard from an American tourist , who said " why did the queen build a castle by an airport" ......

 

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Dropped by the palace for Lunch

Some unusual birds in the bush.

A grey cold morning today as we carry on our journey,here the river starts to get a bit busier the closer we get to London, we pass Ankerwyke a site of of a Benedictine Priory and its 33 ft circumference Yew tree. Then the commuter town of Staines is passed and we also pass in the distance the theme park Thorpe Park with its exciting attractions including the 2800 ft long with speeds of 40 mph " Colossus" and the worlds largest speed swing 'Slammer'. https://www.thorpepark.com/

Other villages and town go pass including Sunbury with its immaculate chalets and bungalows, here we pass the little island Platts Eyot with its boatyard that built 170 torpedo boats during 1938-45.

We then stop for lunch at Hampton Court Palace which was built by cardinal Wosley, but it wasn't long before King Henry VIII took it over. http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/

As we aren't on a particular good mooring we decide to carry on for a while and moor at Kingston-on- Thames, where seven Saxon kings were crowned, he coronation stone is displayed outside the Guildhall. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_upon_Thames

 

 

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Magna Carter

Today is a sunny day and we leave our over night mooring again, it should of cost us £8.00 to stay the night but nobody came for the money, so loft we went. We pass with Windsor on our left and Eton on the right as we go under the bridge, Windsor http://www.windsor.gov.uk/ with its castle and town and Eton http://www.etoncollege.com/Home.aspx with its college which dates to 1441 where it was founded by Henry VI to provide education for 70 poor scholars, now 1280 boys attend here and costs for each pupil is over £30000.00 per year ,18 of our British Prime Minsters have been educated here.

As we carry on there are fine views over Windsor and its 4800 acres park, next we reach Old Windsor and its lock and then its not far before we decide to moor up at Runnymead, where the sealing of the Magna Carter in 1215 took place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Carta

We took a lovely walk, firstly to the JFK memorial and then to the Magna Carter, this was through wheat fields and fields full of cows.

We then go back to the boat for lunch before we set off for a hike to see the R.A.F. Memorial which sits on top of Cooper hill with views back to Windsor and towards Heathrow, the warden told us that you can see seven counties from here.

The memorial itself is a beautiful peaceful place and a homage to 20000 lives that was loss in the Second World War that were never buried or found a resting place.

It's a beautiful day as we walk back through the forest and then back along the riverbank to our boat.

 

 

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