Our new adventure day 18

[Debs]

Well, that was a bit wet! I now know what it's like to be an old trout! In fact today, I think I was wetter than a fish on some occasions! We set off from Oxford at around 10am and the heavens opened! We have been extremely lucky with the locks, as in, when we have arrived, we haven't had to wait too long for them to be opened. As we travelled through the playground of the Oxford canoe clubs it was very noticeable that there was no way you would be able to moor up in the visitors moorings. These had all been taken by liveaboards. This is such a shame because, eventually, people won't want to cruise the Thames as the mooring is very limited. Don't get me wrong! I can understand that people want to have a roof over their head and a boat is a very cheap option but, why can't they, at least, make it look nicer? There really is no excuse to have rubbish all over the top of the boat, broken windows blocked up with bits of ill fitting wood, tarpaulins draped here, there and everywhere and just generally filthy. Some of them can't even be bothered to get curtains and make do with odd bits of rags across the windows. There is no need to live like a tramp! 

So, we got to Sandford lock where we had to wait a little while for it to fill. Once inside, we started our decent. It suddenly became apparent that the sluice gates were letting in loads of water. The lock keeper managed to do something and sort one of the gates but there was no such luck with the other one. Luckily, we managed to get out of the lock with no real dramas. It then seemed to take hours to get to the next lock. It was cold, it was wet and the goingvwas slow even with two umbrellas up. Eventually, we arrived at Abingdon lock. As usual, we had a bit of banter with the lock keeper who has been there every single time we have ever passed through. Again, getting through the lock had no dramas involved but, it did stop raining (or as he put it, "the liquid sunshine has stopped pouring").

We have moored up here for the night! As we go here quite early, and we hadn't had breakfast, we decided to go into town and get a bite to eat. We ventured into The Kings Head and Bell. We had a wonderful lunch with some very entertains chat from Robert, the bar tender. It really was a great way to spend an afternoon. After lunch, we went shopping then back to the boat to discover that the mooring pins had come a bit loose probably due to the hirecraft not slowing down past moored boats. Mick turned into Thor and smashed those mooring pins down to Australia. They won't come out now!

Later, this evening, we went back to the pub and had dinner. It was different staff on but just as friendly. I would definitely recommend this pub for food and ambience.

Tomorrow, we have decided to get up earlyish and set off as soon as possible as the forecast is set to be worse than it was today. Don't worry people, we only have the rest of this week left then we will be back at work and the sun will be back and glorious. 

[Lily Rose]

I agree with you about visitor moorings being hogged by liveaboards/dumpers/whatever. My recent (and only) experience of the Thames was that moorings are hard enough to come by as it is without some of them effectively being made permanently unavailable. But I don't agree with you about Port Meadow vs the canal though, but each to their own  

We've only got the rest of this week as well, as we need to go home to Abingdon by Tuesday at the latest, so I´m also expecting glorious weather next week. But only for a week though as we then have another trip planned until about 10 September. I can predict with some confidence that there will therefore be an Indian Summer beginning on or about 11 September.

I'm not sure whether I should sit out today´s rain in Banbury. I wouldn't but for the fact that we will be heading towards Cropredy, where the festival starts tomorrow, and I'm not sure how far we'll have to go, whatever the weather is doing, before we can moor up again.

At least the forecast tomorrow looks good and I quite fancy the idea of going through Cropredy on an actual festival day, rather than the day before it starts.

Edited August 9, 2017 by MrBeethoven

[mrsmelly]

Lovely weather isn't it. With regard to your posting and particularily the first paragraph re scruffy looking boats without curtains and dirty etc etc if you do ever find a way to put a stop to it please let many of the thousands of houses/flat dwellers who live like this into the secret and may be we can also stop them living like it. There are after all many thousands of scruffy house dwellers about and its strange why they live like that.

Oh and hirers are not the only boats that pass too quickly. I have had far more problems with all matters boating from owners than ever with hirers, just sayin like.

Edited August 9, 2017 by mrsmelly

[Lily Rose]

Fully agree with your last point Tim (and with the rest of the post). Given our marina's location we often moor between Napton and Braunston, a stretch that has more than its fair share of hire boats going through.

We frequently get rocked about a bit by boats not slowing down as they pass, despite my attempts at mooring properly including at least 1 spring line, but it's hardly ever the hirers.

[Debs]

7 hours ago, MrBeethoven said:

I agree with you about visitor moorings being hogged by liveaboards/dumpers/whatever. My recent (and only) experience of the Thames was that moorings are hard enough to come by as it is without some of them effectively being made permanently unavailable. But I don't agree with you about Port Meadow vs the canal though, but each to their own  

We've only got the rest of this week as well, as we need to go home to Abingdon by Tuesday at the latest, so I´m also expecting glorious weather next week. But only for a week though as we then have another trip planned until about 10 September. I can predict with some confidence that there will therefore be an Indian Summer beginning on or about 11 September.

I'm not sure whether I should sit out today´s rain in Banbury. I wouldn't but for the fact that we will be heading towards Cropredy, where the festival starts tomorrow, and I'm not sure how far we'll have to go, whatever the weather is doing, before we can moor up again.

At least the forecast tomorrow looks good and I quite fancy the idea of going through Cropredy on an actual festival day, rather than the day before it starts.

I've just heard from someone walking their dog that the weather tomorrow is predicted to be sunny. I would just like to add that even our barometer lied to us today. 

[Lily Rose]

 

According to a posting on Facebook today, Richard and Frank (Abingdon lock) received an award for lock keeper of the year yesterday, photo attached.

Lock keeper Richard on the right, volockie Frank on the left for thems as don't know.

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by MrBeethoven
Clarify who is who

[Debs]

2 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Lovely weather isn't it. With regard to your posting and particularily the first paragraph re scruffy looking boats without curtains and dirty etc etc if you do ever find a way to put a stop to it please let many of the thousands of houses/flat dwellers who live like this into the secret and may be we can also stop them living like it. There are after all many thousands of scruffy house dwellers about and its strange why they live like that.

Oh and hirers are not the only boats that pass too quickly. I have had far more problems with all matters boating from owners than ever with hirers, just sayin like.

I do agree with you that there are some houses that are a shambles but it is more noticeable on the rivers and canals. The fact that you get total communities together, living the same way, there really is no need for it. Not all liveaboards are the same, some are beautiful. I just think that people would be more tolerant if a little bit of an effort was made. I know there is a housing shortage  but I hadn't realised that there was a self pride shortage too. 

When I speaking about the hirecraft going too fast, I was actually talking about the huge white boats on the Thames (Le Boat) etc. I have always found that narrowboat hirers are extremely considerate.

5 minutes ago, MrBeethoven said:

 

According to a posting on Facebook today, Richard and Frank (Abingdon lock) received an award for lock keeper of the year yesterday, photo attached.

Lock keeper Richard on the right, volockie Frank on the left for thems as don't know.

 

That is brilliant! Frank never said anything yesterday. I'm so pleased for them. They are a brilliant pair.  xxx thank you for letting me know. X