If you’re wondering how our one month on the Thames is lasting so long, then so were we. Having written a post yesterday that was Day 31, noting that we had one day to go, and realising that the day the bought the licence was in effect Day 0, it seems our Thames licence covered 33 days. We bought it on 20 July, so quite why the lock keeper put the end date as 21 August were not sure; but we’re glad he did. Anyway, this morning was quite chilly and fleeces were required. At about 9 we went round the corner to Pinkhill Lock, expecting to sit on the landing until 9.30 when the lock opened. But the lockie was there early, filled the lock and called us in — along with four guys who are paddling the Thames. The lockie had brought his four month old cockerpoo with him.
Below the lock the river twists and turns through the flood plain, and then you reach Swinford Toll Bridge.
We stopped on the water point at Eynsham Lock as we knew it was a tap with excellent pressure. While the tank filled, we made use of the bins and the Elsan, then when we were ready the lockie and a volunteer set the lock for us and took us down. The next reach passes the Gret Wytham Woods, then opens out again, and soon we were at the junction where Dukes Cut goes off — and that’s the way we were going.
Initially the water is wide, but when you switch to the Wolvercote weir stream it gets narrower, and when you turn onto Duke’s Cut itself it’s very narrow. At the end is the lock, which drops about a foot onto the Oxford Canal; it has a railway line over the top, and the top paddle has an unusual mechanism alongside the lock. This was our first narrow lock since leaving the Aylesbury Arm on 11 June.
After the lock is the junction bridge, and a boat came up from Oxford and set the lock to the north. We were turning the other way, heading into the city.
Adrian walked ahead as there are two lift bridges in fairly quick succession. The first of them is virtually under the A34, which seemed to be moving rather slowly.
The second bridge needed to be unlocked with a CRT key. Then we reached Wolvercote Lock, which is in a rather nice setting.
Below the lock a section of canal is having piling put in, and the guys were loading a work boat with more piling sheets. It meant they were blocking the canal, so we had to wait for maybe 15 minutes or so.
We carried on to the Aristotle Lane moorings, which were completely empty. After lunch we attempted to connect to the electricity bollard, which all seemed to be rather temperamental. When the first one didn’t work we moved to the next pedestal, and that only worked after we switched the whole thing off and back on again. But we’re now plugged in, not particularly because we need the power, but because it’s good for the batteries to have a proper charge every now and then. It should also help recalibrate where 100 per cent is, and we can do an equalisation charge tomorrow. Once all that was working I took Macc for a walk, and we went down Aristotle Lane to Port Meadow, which I’ve only ever seen from the river before.
Then I walked up to Summertown, where there’s a proper high street full of shops. There’s a massive M&S Food, a Tesco Express, and all sorts of other shops. It’s about 20 minutes walk through residential streets, and I was quite taken with the sunflowers growing in pots outside a couple of houses. I wonder if they’re in competition.
During the afternoon, more restrictions to lock flights on the GU — Stoke Bruerne, Buckby, and Braunston — have been announced, with stricter time limits. We’re hoping this is a good sign, because they haven’t yet done to limited days or full closure. It’s important because with no sign the South Oxford will open, it looks as though the Thames and GU is going to be our way back north.
The latest podcast episode is out today, and this one is a light hearted look at Little Venice and Paddington Basin. You can listen to it here.
7 miles, 4 locks, free mooring now we’re back on the canal. (142 miles, 53 locks, £157.50)