June 30 – July 5, 2015.
July 5: Braunston
July 4: The Folly Bridge, Napton
July 3: Cropredy
Grant’s Lock in the early morning mist
July 2: Twyford Bridge
Twyford Bridge
June 30: Thrupp
Moored at Thrupp with Aubreys Lift Bridge (221) in the distance
Moored at Thrupp
Taking on water in Oxford
September 02-06, 2014.
Just a short journey to take advantage of the fine early September weather.
Although I’ve made the trip twice before, travelling north from Oxford to Braunston, this is the first time I’ve travelled south on the South Oxford Canal.
Napton Junction for the Grand Union Canal North
Windmill on Napton Hill the Oxford Canal (you have to look very closely to spot it! 😉 )
The Folly Public House at Napton Bottom Lock. Very fine it is too!
Napton Bottom Lock on the Oxford Canal
Water Buffalo grazing in Napton on the Oxford Canal
Boundary Lift Bridge on the Oxford Canal
The Brasenose Arms Cropredy
Oxford Canal Lock 10. Napton Locks 3 with pillbox.
July 16 – August 02, 2014.
Having only 2 weeks until I meet a friend and his daughter, Peter and Myah, at Ellesmere on the Llangollen Canal, I thought I’d better make a start. I made it to Newbold-on-Avon which is on the fringe of Rugby and 11.25 miles and 3 locks (Hillmorton Locks) from Braunston. It’s also, more-or-less, halfway to Hawkesbury Junction the end of the Oxford Canal where it joins the Coventry Canal.
Hillmorton Locks 4 & 5 on the Oxford Canal
Hillmorton Locks 2 & 3 on The Oxford Canal
Pillbox on the North Oxford Canal
My second day out and my aim was to make it at least onto the Coventry Canal, approximately 11.5 miles and just 1 lock – the stop lock a Hawkesbury Junction. Setting off from Newbold the canal took me through Newbold Tunnel which at only 250 yards in length is a relaxing cruise underground compared with the Braunston Tunnel for example. Passing by Brinklow and Ansty Villages and under the M6 and M69 motorways it took me approximately 4.5 hours to reach Hawkesbury junction and pass through the stop lock to join the Coventry Canal.
Newbold Tunnel 250 yards in length
The Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction. The Engine House used to pump water from a well into the canal.
After a short break for lunch I continued up the Coventry Canal travelling a further 7.5 miles passing by Bedworth, Marston Junction- the entry to the Ashby Canal and through Nuneaton to finally tie up for the day just beyond Wood Bridge (27) about 3 miles from Atherstone.
Marston Junction
An interesting mooring on the Coventry Canal
This is my first time on the Coventry Canal, and it’ll my first time on the canals I’ll now travel on to Llangollen. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Coventry Canal, both by the countryside and condition of the canal and the locks which is good. So far, apart from the 3 Hillmorton locks and the Hawkesbury stop lock, my journey has been lock free. Today, my third, is to be different. Through Hartshill the canal winds through the countryside and past what were once quarries and slag heaps but you’d hardly guess as they’ve all been landscaped and blend into the landscape. Continuing on, approaching Atherstone where the Atherstone locks have to be negotiated – 11 in total spread over approximately 2 miles. Once through the Atherstone locks it’s a lock free cruise for approximately 8 miles before the 2 locks at Glascote are reached just before Fazeley Junction. Continuing on from Fazeley Junction the canal becomes the Birmingham & Fazeley with bridges having names rather than numbers. There are no locks on this section between Fazeley Junction and Fradley Junction. Once the canal reaches Whittington Brook it becomes the Coventry Canal, and the bridges are again numbered until it reaches it’s terminus at Fradley Junction. I didn’t make it that far and moored for the night at a village called Hopwas about 2.5 miles from Fazeley Junction on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.
Surprising how attractive the Coventry Canal is.
Atherstone Top Lock. The first lock of thirteen on the Coventry Canal
The only pillbox I’ve spotted on the Coventry Canal. It guards the Tame Aqueduct.
Fazeley Junction where the Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.
Setting off the next morning from Hopwas, it was Saturday and raining, however, the rain was forecast to stop for several hours approximately an hour after I set off so that was okay as I would dry off in the sun. The rain did stop but for only a short period from when it alternated between heavy and torrential. It was a wet day. Soaked through I made it onto the Trent & Mersey Canal at Fradley Junction and my first locks for the day.
The swing bridge at the terminus of the Coventry Canal at Fradley Junction
Fradley Junction
Trent & Mersey Canal Shadehouse Lock (19)
Another view of Shadehouse Lock (19)
Rugeley Coal Fired Power Station from the Trent & Mersey Canal
Aqueduct over the River Trent on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
Tixall Lock on the Staffs & Worcs. Canal
Going up in Tixall Lock
View from Deptmore Lock on the Staffs. & Worcs. Canal
Taking water on at Penkridge Lock on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal
The M6 motorway running parallel to The Staffordshite & Worcestershire Canal between Otherton Lock and Rodbaston Lock
Autherley Junction on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal for the Shropshire Union Canal
Autherley Stop Lock on the Shropshire Union Canal
Moored at Brewood on the Shropshire Union Canal
High Bridge 39 Grub Street Cutting on the Shropshire Union Canal
Narrow cutting on the Shropshire Union Canal
High Bridge 57 Woodseaves Cutting the Shropshire Union Canal
No stopping between Tyrley Locks 4 & 5 on the Shropshire Union Canal!
Happy fishermen near Tyrley on the Shropshire Union Canal
Gongoozlers on the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropie Fly Boat Saturn moored at Audlem Wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal for the Historic Narrow Boats Gathering July 26-27
Hurleston Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal – Welcome to the Llangollen Canal
Wrenbury Church Lift Bridge 19 on the Llangollen Canal
Moored on the Whitchurch Arm of the Llangollen Canal
Hassell’s No.1 Lift Bridge 33 on the Llangollen Canal
Llangollen Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company Warehouse at Ellesmere Wharf
Beech House and Ellesmere CRT Yard
Llangollen Canal Chirk Aqueduct leading into Chirk Tunnel
Llangollen Canal a view from Chirk Aqueduct
Llangollen Canal Chirk Tunnel
Llangollen Canal moored at Chirk
Llangollen Canal Vale of Llangollen Plas Isaf Bridge 37W
A view of the River Dee from the bridge in Llangollen town
Llangollen Canal Ty Craig Bridge on the canal between Llangollen and Horseshoe Falls
Llangollen Canal view of River Dee
Llangollen Canal Horseshoe Falls
The return journey: August 04 – 15, 2014
Llangollen Canal Historic Shropie Fly Boat Saturn moored below Grindley Brook Locks
Spotted on the Shropshire Union Historic Fellows, Morton & Clayton Narrowboat Viceroy
Coventry Canal Landscape Scene
Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Hopwas
CRT’s Hartshill Yard on the Coventry Canal
Another Coventry Canal Landscape Scene
This is the planned route for my next journey from Braunston to Llangollen:
Places on route:
June 21 – 24, 2014.
Starting the day on the Thames in Oxford at Osney Bridge we took the Sheepwash Channel and turned onto the Oxford Canal at Isis Lock. Dave was back as crew for the day and our target was Lower Heyford nearly 14 miles and 10 locks away.
The Isis Lock entry from the Thames Sheepwash Channel onto the Oxford Canal
The Duke’s Lock entry from the Thames Duke’s Cut onto the Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is not for people who are in a hurry. It’s narrow locks that can take only one boat almost inevitably mean that sooner or later you will find yourself queuing to go through them. Despite this, we made Lower Heyford, where Dave could catch the train back to London, comfortably after stopping for lunch and a pint in Thrupp.
This isn’t the first time I’ve travelled up the south Oxford Canal from Oxford to Braunston and consequently I had a plan of where I wanted to stop at the end of each day’s cruising. Leaving Lower Heyford the following morning my planned destination was Kings Sutton, or more accurately, the moorings at Twyford Bridge opposite Twyford Wharf.
Wild flowers on the canal bank
Railway viaduct close to Aynho Bridge 190
On a very hot day, that took in Somerton Deep Lock, where I had an accident last year (my gear cable snapped!), it took me longer than expected to make Twyford Bridge due to queuing at the locks. I was lucky to secure the last space to tie up for the night.
Moored at Kings Sutton Twyford Bridge 177
I was away from Twyford Bridge early the next morning in order to get through lift bridge 144 in the centre Banbury before the town became busy. The bridge is operated with your lock windlass. This I managed and I reached my next destination Cropredy at mid-day, just in time to visit the Red Lion for a bit of lunch. Unfortunately, it being Monday, the day they don’t serve food, I had to make do with a drop of lunch 😉
Moored at Cropredy
The Red Lion Cropredy
After an easy day yesterday I left Cropredy with the intention of reaching the moorings just round the corner from Napton Bottom Lock. To do this I had negotiate 17 locks in total that included 2 lock flights – Claydon 5 locks and Napton 7 locks – as well as 3 locks leading up to the Claydon flight and 2 further locks at Napton leading down to the Napton flight. The gap between the first 8 locks and the 9 Napton locks is big and involves several hours of lock free cruising – plenty of time to recover for the Napton flight. I managed to make Napton as planned but unfortunately all the mooring spaces were taken. Rather than tie up in the middle of nowhere, I was looking forward to a couple of pints after a long hard day, I decided to press on to Braunston another lock free 7 miles. By the time I reached Braunston I’d been on the go for 12 hours.
Pillbox on the Oxford Canal
Junction with the Grand Union Canal north
Back in Braunston Marina