Winters Coming.

Friday 17th Sept 2010
Aynho Wharf to Cropredy
10.5 Miles 9 Locks. 

Friday. As planned we moved across to the Diesel pump this morning and filled up, Jayne went to pay at the office/shop and get a newspaper and milk, no milk, but the girl who served her said that if we moored by Travis Perkins Builders Merchants at Banbury and walked over bridge 168 there was a Morrison's Supermarket there.
The weather in the morning was cloudy,windy and cold, but all the lift bridges we went through today were in the open position so that helped progress.

Bridge 183 chained in the open position.

We passed under the M40 Motorway three times today, the first time was just after the lift bridge in the picture, we have seen this bridge many times when driving north on the M40.

We arrived at bridge 168, moored up and did a shop, we had planned to stop at Cropredy tonight so as soon as the shopping was put away we moved off. The Canal goes right through Banbury and we had plenty of Gongoozlers (people who watch boaters at Locks) as we worked through Banbury Lock, the next half mile was very busy with visitor moorings on both sides of the Canal and trip boats adding to the general chaos, the moorings give access to the Castle Quay shopping Precinct. (every town must have one), we also past the famous Tooleys Boatyard which nearly disappeared under the Precinct but was thankfully saved.

Banbury Visitor moorings, not much room for error.

After leaving Banbury we passed under the M40 Motorway for the third time today and arrived at Cropredy at Teatime, we we lucky to find a mooring 100 yards above the Lock, so thats where we are tonight.

Repairs to the towpath, were it has collasped into the Canal metal piling is erected, the Canal dreged and used to fill the void behind to piling, the mud dries out and becomes solid.