As expected we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof, it reminded us of our camping days with a caravan! However the forecast had improved and it looked like there would be some dry spells during the day so we decided to wait a while before leaving.
We didn't have to wait long, by 09:45 we were away and soon through Buscot lock, the sun even started to make an appearance. We decided we'd carry on all the while it was dry . . . and it never rained again! How lucky were we?
We motored on through Grafton Lock (on self-service), Radcot Lock (assisted by a very chatty lock-keeper, took an age!), Rushey Lock with 2 other boats (manned by lock-keeper), Shifford and Northmoor Locks (with 1 other boat, both on self-service), Pinkhill Lock and finally Eynsham Lock.
We were still dry but the wind had picked up a lot which made steering more challenging, luckily we were near our destination for the night - Kings Lock. This is actually quite close to the A34 and A40 - quite near Peartree Services if you know where they are and we can hear the rumble of traffic in the distance.
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| Grafton Lock Cottage |
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| Caroline steering under Radcot Bridge |
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| Moored on the island at Kings Lock |
Something that we've learned in the last few days is that there is nowhere to buy groceries between Lechlade and Oxford! And as we didn't go shopping in Lechlade yesterday we been living on digestives, cheddars and crisps today!
Actually it's not that bad, we just tucked into a 'meal from time' consisting of a Fray Bentos pie, new potatoes and mushy peas! All washed down with a lovely champagne that we bought with us to celebrate reaching Lechlade.
Tomorrow we have to pass under the 2 most awkward bridges again - Godstow, then Osney. This means fully removing the canopy and folding the windscreen down before we set off. It's planned to be a fairly gentle day for us, about 4 hours cruising down to Abingdon and a relaxing afternoon in the sun. Maybe a spot of fishing even. Then we'll probably head out somewhere for a curry.
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