Summer Cruising 2023

 Monday 12th June 2023.

We headed off northward and found that Hardwick Lock No28’s new paddles had been greased! The local CRT manager had promised his lads would do this offering " no excuses" in response to my moan, and this picture, that new equipment needed greasing.

Our next problem was a thunderstorm that insisted we moor just past Slat Mill Lock no 26. The Accuweather told us it would last til 6.30. In fact the rain stopped at aboit 7 and we started norrthward toward Cropredy and pur hope of a pub meal at The Brazenose Inn. 

Our hopes  were dashed by a CRT contractors workboat and hopper moored on 48hr moorings in this honeypot village.

With no moorings available we worked up the lock and moored just before Broadmoor Lock no 24. Here we fixed an imprompu spaghetti dish for supper and crashed into bed.

In the morning we navigated on to Fenny Compton Wharf arriving well in  time for a bus at 2.15pm. We had breakfasted on bacon and eggs at Claydon top lock.  However no bus was to be seen so we phoned a taxi to return home.

 Friday 23 June 2023

 We left Fenny Compton at 2.15pm and navigated the top level without any problems. We wete impressed by the progress of HS2.

HS2 Bridge 127A is srtucturally complete and the embanked line is easily charted across the Warwickshire plain. Much ado about nothing in my mind. Why so much land is churned up for two railway tracks I cannot understand.

We got to Marston Doles at 5pm and were down at the bottom and moored by the winding hole by 7.30pm to enjoy an on board prawn curry and rice with a glass of beer.

Saturday 24th June 2023

I awoke after 8.00 and theBest Mate was already up and about. She did not feel well, however and returned to her bed as soon as we had gor under way at about 8.30. We only had a mile ans a half to go to Wigrams Turn Waterside and Marina, part of the expanding Altavista group. we were met by their engineer and asked .to moor up only and the nearby empty pontoon. He will be adjusting our generator belts after their recent replacement at Tooley‘s in Banbury. We cooked a bacon and egg breakfast on board and were pleased to have the use of the facilities that a marina of this stature provides.

I had a walk around the marina and met many lovely folk. There is a mixture of wide and narrow beam craft and leisure and residential moorers. Their is a nice atmosphere around the place. Their is also plenty of birdsong. Skylarks reed warblers, garden warbler, chiffchaff and house sparrows are in the reed beds and robin and thrushes sing from the hedgerows. One moorer said they are still singing at 3am. Most plentiful are mallards and coots. These are of course taught to beg at the swan hatch from a very early age.

Banbury to Wigrams Turn        22miles, 21 locks,  13 hours in 4 days cruising.