A day with crew, narrowboats, lock beams and scarecrows

Wednesday, 28 December 2011 18:11

Yesterday we needed a crew as I was "laid aside" with a cold and general yukness. Fortunately good friends are there when you need them. We left Cropredy and set off up the locks towards Fenny Compton.

One of my favourite locks - Broadmoor with our intrepid crew

Skipper John was on camera duty and managed to get shots of some unusual things ...... 

Now Christmas and my "yuckness" are nearly over I feel like blogging again. I hope you have been too busy enjoying yourselves to have missed me!  Above Broadmoor Lock there is a long stretch of narrowboats in varying state of repair. There is a boatyard there and permanent moorings too.

These looked really good, still under restoration?

A little further on this struck John as an unusual taffrail!

Caravan or narrowboat? 

The name on the side of the narrowboat is MV Port Townsville. Now strictly speaking it is a "motor vessel" I suppose, but not in the sea-going sense! Varney's Lock, Elkington's Lock and Clattercote came and went and soon we were at Claydon Locks.

Clattercote's Forge Farm and the scarecrows was still celebrating Christmas

In Claydon Top Lock

That was the last of the locks for the day - John and Carolyn, the crew, could relax! Goodness me - another lock beam, this time in a more traditional place, on a workboat.

Well, one of the crew did not relax - he took a turn on the tiller through Fenny Tunnel, once actually a tunnel and now without its roof.

John L on tiller, what concentration

So we reached Fenny Compton and saw a spot behind a familiar narrowboat. Great - in walking distance of the pub, where John caught up with Paul who used to work at Tooleys. Maybe we would see the Wrens? John did, later that evening - for a "nightcap".

Moored at Fenny

The next leg would be "crewless", and maybe John would get to single-hand if he fancied Napton Flight ........

South Oxford Canal, Cropredy to Fenny Compton
3 hours 13 minutes, 5.97 miles 9 locks