Another Bridge

Sunday, 03 October 2010 09:00

Onward on the South Oxford Canal to another bridge

Should I stay and wait for Fi to come home? What would be the point? She might be "kept in". The Folly Inn is closed, in any case (let's hope for a better landlord next time), I gather. So I decided to carry on single-handed.towards Cropredy. That target would prove impossible because of a motor and butty pair and another boat working the locks slowly ahead of me; but slow is good when you are by yourself. I was not the last in the chain, either, but I don't think I held my follower up very much.

Of course, getting my own lunch and working the locks would not allow much opportunity for photos, so here I am in the first of my locks - Napton Lock 9. I had been wondering if narrowboat Harnser would be on her mooring, and sure enough she was. But the camera batteries chose that moment to run out, so I just managed to catch her rear view by the Old Engine House Arm.

Another boat we had hoped to see and spend some time with was narrowboat No Problem. Sue and Vic had bought their second incarnation of NP four years ago and we had met first on the Kennet and Avon at Devizes in the first few weeks after Epiphany's launch around the same time. I was not to be disappointed - No Problem's bow is easily recognizable. At least we managed a brief chat. How I managed to refuse the offer of being fed and watered, I don't know, but with the possibility of Fi being allowed to return home, I had to continue - Sue and Vic's lovely rural mooring (not forgetting "the girls" - were they sleeping off their walks?) was totally inaccessible. Better luck next year, we hope.

The beautiful landscape on the South Oxford Canal is very difficult to capture on camera from a moving boat. But if you haven't experienced it, I thoroughly recommend it. Don't expect to go fast though (not that I wanted to -- it would defeat the whole idea); the canal is shallow on this stretch and as one of Brindley's earliest contour canals goes south, east, west and north, it includes many corners where your boat is severely tempted to go straight on.

It was after one of these and one of the lovely bridges just before another marina at Fenny Compton that narrowboat Joie de Vivre pulled out ahead of me. Not their fault - seeing round corners is extremely impractical! However when we got to the "Tunnel" there was a bit of a log jam.

This isn't a tunnel - it is in fact a steep, thickly wooded cutting, but the sunlight catching the bridges made it quite special. It was originally a tunnel,  built by Brindley's successor, Simcock. It was 9 feet wide, 12 feet high and about 0.65 miles long. It wasn't very deep underground and had a number of 16 feet wide sections to allow boats to pass. These were 4.87m wide. It also had rings mounted in the walls to help boatmen haul their craft through. There's more detail of its history here.

It was while I was in the tunnel that Fis' doctor said she could come home .... again! Of course, the phone signal was poor or non-existent, but she managed to get through and ask for (yes you've guessed it) a postcode. The problem was, I couldn't reply - except, initially, by email -  the 3 internet dongle signal was still OK. So I ducked into the cabin, sent an email saying, use our mailing postcode in Great Bourton (between Cropredy and Banbury) and hope John and/or Carolyn are in to let you in and bring you back to a bridge, which I will find. Well, that worked!

Having stopped Epiphany mid-stream while I did that, I was now a bit behind Joie de Vivre. Looking at the Navvygator map, to my dismay I saw that the next bridge was Lift Bridge 141. Knowing how difficult Oxford Canal Lift Bridges can be, my heart sank but the throttle rose. I need not have worried; that lift bridge is left in the up position. The map showed that Hay Bridge (No.143) was a road bridge leading to Claydon. I tried to moor before it, as did JdV, but as they couldn't get close to the bank, I tried just south of the bridge - with success.

And it all ended happily ever after .... because Fi is back on board. No more plain narrative, dear reader. Prepare for your fill of history!

South Oxford Canal, Napton Lock 9 to Hay Bridge 143
6 hours 32 minutes, 12.03 miles, 8 locks

P.S. I was quite tired after my single-handed cruise, but it was only one day. I would like to pay tribute to my NABO (National Association of Boat Owners) friend, Richard Carpenter, who, with narrowboat  Elysium, supported Justin on his three-week Gutless Kayaking journey from Manchester to London. The whole team deserves all the plaudits, they are getting. Congratulations!

Read more about Justin's Gutless Kayaking and consider making a donation to this worthy cause