Sadly this post will be sans photos, not for lack of photos taken in the last few days, but for the severe antiquity of current onboard computing technology. I would love to kick it up a gear and maybe get a few photos online, but I fear the boiler would explode.
Wils and I have made it onto the Thames! Leaving Thrupp, we spent one night at Kidlington, where tiles, adhesive, grout and a number of associated and equally fascinating tools were ordered, and collected the next morning. Toby now knows that tiles are heavy. Adhesive is heavy. Grouting is also rather weighty. Carrying the above in a backpack on a BMX bike is therefore HELLISH, and not an experience I'm likely to repeat soon! But at least it's all onboard now. Now if only I could tile... I started, then I stopped. It's a work in progress. Every morning I wake up in a cold boat and a sudden pang of energy to get on with it and get the stove in suddenly kicks in, but then the days heat up (I have sunburn - it's nearly October!) and the importance of the job dwindles slightly.
Lately the job of cruising on the Thames has taken priority, and what a contrast it is from the Oxford canal! They definitely haven't heard of a narrow lock on these waters! This afternoon Wils and I passed through Sandford Lock where I learnt the lock takes in 1.2 million litres of water every time it fills! I was impressed.
Also discovered a lizard in the engine bay whilst removing old paint/rust and applying new anti-rust paint in there, who seemed glad to have a new home beside the canal, hope he managed to avoid the many, many herons around these parts...
The Oxford Canal ended unceromoniously at Dukes Lock, where I skidaddled onto Dukes Cut, thus avoiding the madness of attempting to moor in central Oxford. Dukes Lock is a fitting closure to the Oxford Canal, fitting in all its fine tininess. It's like a pixie shipping canal! A very cute little affair (yes, I did just describe a lock as cute), nestled under the railway bridge and between veritable walls of plantlife, this boater advises mooring before the entrance to the lock, although going right in does cover your centre line in those prickly thistle-like baubles, which look good but won't aid you when you come to need to actually USE the centre line - anyway...
After the small scale of Dukes Lock it was on to the widening (and widening, and widening and...) Thames, and to Kings Lock - where the brilliantly mustachio'd lock keeper sold me the right to cruise on the Thames and a winning smile. Afterwards he mentioned that every British subject (remember, we're not techincally citizens these days, we're still subjects), has the right to cruise on the Thames unheeded, since the Magna Carta was drawn up, and that the Environment Agency can't stop a boater proceeding into a dangerous part of the river, they can only advise. What then, I later mused, is the deal with the EA selling licenses? If we have the right to cruise on the Thames, how can a government body permit and penalise boaters? Hmmmmm....
Past Kings Lock and on towards Godstow Lock, which is where I, temporarily, came unstuck... Getting Wils into the lock was no problem - closing the gates behind Wils was no problem - but on all of the many written instructions and push buttons available, nowhere did it say; "now that your boat's inside the lock, look over to your right and observe the terminal from which the opposite lock gates are controlled". Muggins 'ere was pushing and pulling and pressing and jabbing at control box A for nearly twenty minutes, before he realised you have to walk over to Control Box B to open the second gate. Yes, it's ridiculously simple, and if I'd seen anyone else doing it before me, I'd have had no problem - but in my defence, the entire lock is drawn up on Control Box A, with buttons beside the second gate - ok, nuff said, I'm a fool. At least now I know, right?
Past the bathing cows of Port Meadow, I come under the (enjoyably low!) Osney Bridge and there's a mooring waiting for me right in the middle of Oxford! So a shower and a night-time ramble into a town I know well was on the cards, and any pub serving Hobgoblin on tap is a good one in my book.
Early this morning we were off again, down to Osney Lock, where I'm told the Sculls are on today just a little way down the river. They certainly were, I came passed the superb island buildings beside Folly Bridge and was directed by a Race Marshal over to the moorings, where I and a number of other boaters were waiting for the race to finish so we could move on. Turns out I had a good seat right on the finish line. 50 rowers later we were allowed to continue down-river. Huge houses, huger forests (Lock Wood, apparently) and some extremely impressive underbridge art went by, photos to follow shortly of course! And here I am just below Abingdon Lock. I make that a little over 25 miles in the last 4/5 days, not bad going!
The Thames is a seriously refreshing contrast to the Oxford, it's so very, very wide; though mooring and water opportunities seem rare and even boatyards seem hard to come by... I was able to fill up with water above Abingdon Lock, so just diesel to get now... On to Wallingford! Now bring me that horizon... The next pipe bridge'll do.
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