Cruising the Oxford and Coventry Canals

Still cruising with our friends from NB Dunslavin we pulled into what were basically the last two moorings in Thrupp, it had been like this when we first came through here. Thrupp is always popular with boaters, probably because it's an easy few hours cruising to Oxford or a mooring on the Upper Thames. An interesting phenomenon while as we were getting close to Thrupp, a dozen or so birds of prey circling as we approached a farmers field. A farmer was plastic wrapping his already baled hay and as the wrapping machine lifted each bale the birds swooped in on what I assume was an abundance of field mice.

We worked our way back up the Oxford Canal with similar stops to the stops we made on the way down with a stop at Lower Heyford where we dropped off one of the passengers from NB Dunslavin to catch the train here. We also spent another couple of days in Banbury, one of our favourite moorings. By then NB Dunslavin had moved off the day before and is well ahead of us as I write. We may catch up again later on on the Staffs on Worcester Canal.

We trundled on making our way to Cropredy, met this guy along the way.

 Interestingly, as we came through the Cropredy Lock, it is the first time I have seen the Cropredy Moorings completely empty. We picked up fuel as we were coming into Fenny Compton, at the marina, before finding a mooring for the night just passed the pub. The days have been beautiful, some even quite hot and as we headed for the Napton Lock Flight it was another beautiful day so after the first three locks we pulled up at another of our favourite mooring spots near Bridge ??, it was around 1pm and that was it for the day. Later on when it cooled off a little I did get a chance to wash the boat.

We moored at another of our favourite moorings after doing the first lock on the flight. After a break I gave one side of the boat a wash but that was enough for the day.

 Sunday was another fine day as we headed off all the way to the bottom of the Napton Lock Flight. I was glad we got underway early as Kevin from Dunslavin had rung to say there was a water shortage on the lock flight and they had shut it down for half the day on Friday. The short pounds between the locks were all quite low, we bottomed out on a lock landing as the lock was emptied. It took quite a bit of pushing, shoving and rocking to get Serafina afloat again. We had planned to pickup water once at the bottom of the flight but with a queue of five boats we just headed for Braunston.

We had phoned ahead to the cratch cover repairers earlier in the week so first thing Monday it was off with the cratch cover and down to the workshop for two of the four zippers to be replaced.

Serafina, cratch cover off

It was going to be a couple of days so Rachael and I got stuck into the rust removal, sanding and painting that we had started in Lechlade.

Side doors and sill

Fairline or Cleat removed

Applying rust converter

With the cratch cover complete we headed off on a four hour cruise to Rugby, but first was a stop for water, actually we were so close to the water point I pushed Serafina across the canal and tied up on the other side. While Rachael managed the water fill I nicked into Midland Chandlers and bought two new brass fairlines to replace the old ones I removed to get at the rust underneath.

Came across this boater in a hire boat trying to wind (turn) in the shallows near Braunston where there are lots of wide points in the canal but the water depth outside the main channel is little more than 30cm. By the time we had sorted him out there were three boats waiting to get through.

A couple of days in Rugby food and clothes shopping at the retail parks next to the canal and we were off again in another fine sunny day heading for a mooring in Hartshill.  We arrived in the early afternoon and it had clouded over and was a little cooler so we headed off on a public footpath through a farmers field and up the hill to the village of Hartshill for a look around.

The village green and local pub

The start of the village

The view from the top

Back down the hill to the CRT work yard complete clock

It's just a short run to Atherstone from Hartshill where we headed down the eleven lock flight. Coming into Atherstone, the old abandon warehouse is running out of windows to be broken.

Waiting for Lock 5 on the Atherstone Flight

Bridge 47 Atherstone Flight

After a rather long day rounding Nuneaton and Tamworth we finished our day at Fazeley Junction, the junction of the Coventry and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canals. We plan to spend a few days here, tomorrow we take a bus into Birmingham.