Now it’s getting hot

Friday 22^nd May; Varney’s lock to Spiceball Park

This is a lovely quiet mooring although hire boats started passing at 7.30 – we discovered why later.  It was actually warm enough this morning not to need a woolly hat and a thick gilet.

There might be squirrels

The first few boats were from Union Canal Carriers back in Braunston.    We left at about 9 and met a Napton hire boat at Broadmoor lock whose crew told us some of the story.  We knew a tree had come down on the far side of Banbury, big enough to close the navigation completely, but reckoned it wouldn’t affect us adversely.  A total of eight hire boats were held up travelling north and we passed them all before we reached Cropredy, all having a deadline to meet.  They had all lost at least half a day’s cruising, which would be 4 hours or more.  As there was no indication how long the clearance work would take, the hire companies were contacted.  Someone from Napton drove down straight away, checked whether anyone needed any shopping fetching, and told them not to worry, and try and catch up what time they could.  That is good customer service!  But later on we heard something else.  Apart from the stream of Naptons we met no other boats on our way to Cropredy.

Cropredy Lock.  I’m sure Rod Stewart’s hair used to be green.

There were no boats at all between the lock and the facilities block so we got the closest mooring to visit the shop at the bridge.  Except it was empty, closed down who knows when?  That’s a great shame, as it was a useful little store for boaters but I guess we just didn’t spend enough.  More disappointment followed – no peeing mannequin on the bow of one of the offside moorers! 

But there was a pretty little outboard just past the facilities block.

And a Triceratops instead of the Mannekin pis

We carried on wanting to make Banbury for lunch – we have run out of bread and milk!  It was a pleasant cruise and we were glad to be warm at last.  We met a couple of private boats which had been held up too and obviously let the hire boats get away first.  It had become hot and we were both wearing shorts.

Cool cattle

We were visited by a beautiful little damselfly – this one flashed amber and bronze as it flew.

Further tales of yesterday’s hold-up were forthcoming, all very complimentary about Napton Narrowboats and also the CRT crew who came out quickly with winches and chainsaws and cleared it for navigation by 5.30 (though the notice didn’t arrive till this morning).  But the Black Princes, which would have been going the other way back to Lower Heyford, were told they would lose their deposit if they were late.  That's not an encouraging attitude.  Work is now in progress at the boater-owned Bourton Lock Cottage.  For a long time it was boarded up with a number asking for a call if deliberate damage was noticed.

There is scaffolding at the chimney end

A family with a young lad worked us through.  Soon we were passing the famous Dink and Malc’s canal-side house.  They used to wave to all passing boats, sometimes from the hot-tub with a drink in hand!  One of them unfortunately died a few years ago, Dink I think.   

The hot-tub is long gone but the picture on the wall looks new-ish so Malc might still be there, but we didn’t see anyone.  There was just one boat moored at Spiceball Park, which is a shady mooring well before Castle Quays where most people moor.  There is just one boat between us and the footbridge to M&S which is the direction I took as soon as we were tied up!

Spiceball mooring – one boat behind us, one a long way ahead

Jess spent a lot of time watching for squirrels and on her walks discovered rabbits to chase too.  These moorings can be affected by noise from the factories further on, but we are at the quiet end.  It was warm enough to sit out at the stern while tea was cooking.

5 miles, 6 locks