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| Thrupp canal turn. |
Thursday- We had bacon banjo's in Annie's tea room before having a circular walk, down to Shipton bridge over the canal through the church graveyard, along the canal offside, through a couple of fields and along a lane that came out at THE Boat pub, a one harassed barman will do establishment (well on this Wednesday lunchtime anyway)
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| Shipton church. |
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| Just a field adjacent to our walking route. |
It was in the pub's beer garden that we finally got to know Sue & Vic over a glass of ale. When boat crews meet a visit to the nearest pub is always high on the agenda. We had met very briefly on the Macclesfield canal last year, we were cruising in opposite directions, a quick 'watcha' and wave was all we managed.
We arranged to meet up on the meadow above Pinkhill lock on the Thames, as it turned out we were getting FL ready for the off when NP came past so we followed on behind, with another boat following FL, Roundham and Kidlington lock gates are shut behind FL for us by their crew. Drinkwater lift bridge is always a challenge with its hold the bridge shut with one hand/foot and try and remove your key with the other hand operation. Soon after we are at Duke's Cut lock the last lock going south on the Oxford canal.
Out of DUKE's cut and we are on the Thames, deep water under the hull ups the knots a little, the humid air seems to have brought out a plague of horsefly's, the Collins Nicholson guide comes in handy to bat them into the water.
The water tank was topped up above Eynsham lock, lock keepers at most of the locks now, Pinkhill lock has it's self service boards out. FL locked through with an experienced Anglo-Welsh hire crew. We moored FL on the meadow with the other Sue's assistance (note: keep out of the firing line when Sue goes into goose poo flicking mode or you may end up with an avian turd in your hood).
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