THE Canal Centre, but now back on the narrow road

Monday, 15 December 2008 16:51

Buckby top lock to Nimrod Bridge on the South Oxford

This stretch was owned by the Oxford Canal Company but also used by the Grand Junction Company. The Oxford Company took advantage and charged very high tolls. Soon the Grand Union branches off at Napton Junction on its way up to Birmingham. The South Oxford continues down to the Thames.

I managed to stay on the stern deck for all of Braunston tunnel. Mind you John was pretty good at distraction therapy by chatting to me and even singing for some of the time It was just very cold.

We got to the top lock of the Braunston flight of 6, leading down to the centre of the system for many.  Certainly another famous area and used extensively by working boats past and present.

We met a boat coming up so waited for them to come into the top lock. They had been told to wait there by BW as there was a BW boat coming from Buckby with some new lock gates on and they would need the whole width of the tunnel because of the gates. We saw them as we left Buckby and could see their light behind us in the tunnel.

We got going pretty smartly as we did not want to get held up by BW overtaking us! We dropped down the locks fairly quickly and John popped into the shop at the bottom lock for milk and marg!

As we exited the lock we spotted Nb Zodiac out of the water at the boatyard there. Zodiac was one of J D Boats (Gailey) share boats - a sister to Twelfth Night. We are pretty sure she is now owned privately as most of the boats are sold after 10 years as a share boat. One day I suppose we will see Twelfth Night on the Cut.

We had decided not to stop at Braunston. As it happened there were only a couple of moorings vacant before the junction onto the Oxford.

Back on a narrow canal - yippee! We remembered where we had moored on the way up. There are a number of pleasant moorings as the canal meanders through the countryside. We pushed on and eventually moored just short of Nimrod Bridge (108), nearly at Napton Junction.

Tea and toasted muffins tonight, once we settled down! Tomorrow we have the Napton flight!

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