On Saturday we left Oxford and headed back to Thrupp. We stayed at Thrupp for 2 nights then set off again yesterday, deciding to aim for a more secluded mooring, as we were fed up with running the gauntlet with cyclists trying to run us over! We had one altercation when Charlie asked if the woman had a bell (after she came up from behind without him hearing her whilst he was at a lock). The man accompanying then started to argue. Bearing in mind Charlie has a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids, we didn’t think it was unfair to question the need for a bell.
We set off again yesterday. The weather has been very kind, with lovely sunny days (just right for cruising), but very cold nights. We have had the fire alight most evenings which does take the chill off the boat. We had a pleasant cruise for the most part. We had to negotiate a boat that was moored by a bridge, opposite another boat, that had actually broke free of it’s bow mooring rope. We didn’t realise this until we passed it.
We had one boat ahead of us and one boat behind us, and no one coming downstream! Therefore the locks had to be turned each time. We managed to have lovely conversations with both boat crews whilst negotiating the locks.
The couple ahead came from London, and the boat behind used to moor at Mercia marina, but had changed to Bosworth marina. Small world.
We found our secluded mooring
We can concentrate on Izzy training whilst it’s quiet. A work in progress as when she gets a scent she listens to no one.
Along this canal are many marker posts with the letters DIS. Apparently I learned from another boaters blog we follow that they are distance markers from when the working boats were in abundance. When a boat reached one they had priority at the lock. We have moored right by one, with a lock in sight.
I took the following photo as it reminded me Christmas is coming and it looked very seasonal.
On my walk this morning I saw a heron, kingfisher and a pheasant., but didn’t have the camera with me.
Today we are catching up with phonecalls as need to make appointments for dentist, doctors and hospital on our return to Cornwall. Although we are in a quiet spot we seem to have a very good phone signal. We are holding back a bit as don’t want to arrive at Banbury before Sunday as they have a canal day there and I expect it will be busy.