Oxford Canal 2002

11-14 October 2002 - A Weekend on the Oxford Canal

Over the course of a long weekend (Friday afternoon to Monday morning), we took a boat on the Oxford Canal from College Cruisers in Oxford up to Upper Heyford and back...

After a night at Thrupp, on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, Stephen steers our boat Exeter into Shipton Lock

The lock is the point where (going upstream) the canal joins with the River Cherwell for a short distance. Because of the small change in height, the lock is very much wider than normal in order to pass more water down from the river into the canal.

As the boat rises in the lock, George climbs onto the foredeck ready to jump off the boat.

Bridge 215 is typical of the many lift bridges on the southern Oxford Canal, built to link fields bisected by the new-fangled navigation, at the least possible cost to the canal company.

Stephen operates Northwood Lock

Henry watching from the stern as the boat rises in the lock

Lucy operating a lock with George helping

George on the move

Watching the world go by...

George relaxed about life, while Henry wants to be close to the camera!

Having turned round on Saturday evening, we moored at Upper Heyford. A view of the bridge below Allen's Lock, with Henry again determined to be in the picture.

The mist on the surface of the canal early on Sunday morning.

A typical shot from the remainder of Sunday - rain, rain, and more rain! The gate next to the boat in front of us is a stop gate, at the beginning of an embankment south from Shipton-on-Cherwell, which can be closed in an emergency if the embankment is breached, to prevent the entire canal draining away.

A holiday with two very contrasting days, weather-wise, but a good break away from it all.