Left at 09:00
arrived at 16:45
Up to a bright breezy
day, Derek doing water, dogs as usual, me up and ready for 8, we were off befoe
9. There were lots of boats coming through
6 or more before nine, the Cafe was up and running, I saw the little NB thats
their base from the water side, Hephzibah, what a cool name, I know its jewish
but not sure if its from some play or other (probably Shakespeare) I think it
would make a good name for a cat.
Passing the junction there are boats moored all along this bit of water,
it’s really picturesque. Under a bridge and there was a large open field, Mr.
Heron having a morning paddle, ducks and lots of Canada Geese, just waking and
doing their daily preening. The
landscape keeps on opening up, lovely rolling fields and little groups of
livestock nestled in it, proper countryside.
There was a field with a circle of young cows, it looked really funny,
as if they were either hatching a cunning plan or having their morning
chat. The cows in the next field, mostly
creal coloured, were massive with large thick necks? When I shouted to Derek that I wandered what
breed they were, he answered Beef (what a wag) Talking of cows, just under
bridge 82, there was, as Derek said, a unique way of keeping the towpath clear?
A cow had come over the bridge and found its way on to the towpath, he was
chomping away at the grass, he gave us a backward glance and carried on!! I hope the farmer finds him, or he finds his
own way back to the field, walkers were in for a surprise that’s for sure. It
got more canal like now, we are sailing down a narrow channel with a tall leafy
edge to the towpath side and a tree lined right hand side, there is also on the
towpath side and over the bridge a very busy road with cars whizzing by. It’s
bright but I’m sure its feeling more like there’s an autumnal nip in the air,
Derek has put his coat on and I changed my top.
At bridge 74, there was a lovely row of houses made to look like an old
street, old bricks that had been cleaned down, a wishing well in the centre of
the paved area in front of the houses, metal advertising signs on the walls and
wooden staircases up to the front doors.
I assumed they were upside down houses because of the outside
staircases. Passing Hillmorton Marina there
was a lovely Pub, The Royal Oak, it had a bouncy castle in the garden for the
kids and was very well maintained. The
bridge beyond the pub had a metal mural celebrating Rugby Football through the
ages. We arrived at Hillmorton locks,
duplicate, thats 2 on each level so you can have one boat up and one boat down
at the same time, side by side.??? I remembered
where we were, we had been here before, on our London trip, we are now on the
Oxford Canal. There were quite a few
boats, I gave a lady a hand to put her boat through as the other one had
someone in it, I also helped a single hander (well a man on his own) he did
however have two miniature Dacshunds walking up the side of the locks with him,
they had their life jackets on. Toby and
Jack both black and tan, one long haired, one smooth, they pootled up as he
came into the second lock and then one
got on board when he told it to, the other was lifted like a handbag, with his
life jacket handle. I told him about
Team Taylors K9 clan, he said they were great company, they unlike Sarahs, didn’t
bark once. After lock 3 we stopped for
lunch next to the water point. A tug
Taurean came up to use the water, he had a motorbike on the front deck. Whilst his wife went up to suss the locks out
and he filled the water, he washed the boat from front to back, Derek said he
thought it was a brand new boat, that explained it being so shiny. I noticed their surname as we passed by,
Tinklin! Another NB that had just come up the lock, crossing with us, belonged
to a Mr and Mrs Bell, the Mrs pointed this out to me, shouting snap- Ding, Dong,
Ding, such fun!!! A herd, well six or
seven, long horn cattle were in a little field beside a small housing estate
,there were two or more pairs of mum and baby and a few single, very large ones
(probably the males) they were very patiently munching away at the grass by the
waterside. Clifton Wharf had a cafe ‘Bridge
60’ serving snacks, etc. the A board was on the top of a NB moored with others
in front of it, a Grandad and two young girls were enjoying their ice creams
under the porch, they had walked passed us at the locks, one of the little
girls had played with the spray from the water point whilst Taurean was filling
up. We were on a very closed in piece of
canal now, trees on either side, lots of moored boats, some needing a bit of
care and attention. One site where you
could get diesel, etc had quite a few unloved and uncared for boats (lived on)
plus some strange looking properties, I don’t think planning permission applied
for? Sigma Alpha M? (a NB or floating
garden) not sure really, I don’t think it goes far, plants filled the front
deck and beyond. The canal had a brief
spell of openness and then we went into a very shady place, a long avenue of
trees with a log business by by the towpath, it obviously is a place for
walking we came upon a car park and there is a lane that cars can drive down
into the woodland. In yet another avenue
of trees, there were cut tree trunks looking like prehistoric lizards crawling
down to the water to drink, they looked very impressive. Passing Stretton Stop, the home of Rose
Narrowboats, there is a little path bridge, there used to be a stop lock here
but its now this little bridge. I had to
go onto the Boatyard side and swing it so Derek could get through. Its weighted on the handle side with 5 56lb
weights, a gentleman from the boat yard side was impressed when I pushed it
shut for him to crossover, talk of three wheetabix , or should it be shreddies
was mentioned. There are lots of
permanent moorings at the boatyard side, all have quite good sized gardens to
the side of them, like allotments really.
The NB Old Age Travellers garden was really nice, lots of gigantic flowered
Sunflowers and sweetpeas and they were doing a landscaped piece at the side of
it. Unfortunately this would be idyllic
if the railway line and large overhead cable didn’t run down the side of their
gardens. Onward, onward, we seem to have
been going for an age, we were following a NB for ages, he pulled in just
before we sailed through the golf course!?? The family of the NB were called
Sayers from Newbury, I didn’t catch the name, its a new boat beautifully
painted with lots of adornments, all very very shiny, it also has a vintage
engine, I thought it was a Gardener but Derek wasn’t sure. We finally came to rest at 4 50 near the back
garden of the Rose and Crown just before Ansty, there was of course, the
beginning of a swarm, 3 or more boats in front of us.
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