24th October
A warm, still morning in Abingdon enticed Pete to have an early paddle instead of his end of day slot. So we set off separately, me by narrowboat, Pete by canoe to meet at Sandford Lock. He disappeared ahead of me around a bend and I didn't see him again until he doubled back, which he managed twice in the time it took Ani to travel 4 miles!
We joined forces again at the lock and travelled on to Oxford. Hardly any of the locks were manned, so I got to be lock keeper again. It is incredibly quiet, very few other boats on the move and only one or two dog walkers or fishermen around - the solitude is lovely. Because we'd got a week's Thames licence again which we didn't need but is as cheap as getting the daily rate for 5 days, we decided we would carry on upstream along Port Meadow to Dukes Cut instead of joining the Oxford canal at Isis Lock. We moored for the night ready for this last stretch of Thames alongside East Street just upstream of Osney Lock. Had a pint in The Punter pub and walked to Jericho to eat at our favourite Bookbinders. East Street and it's surrounds are similar in feel to the Jericho area. A pretty terrace of Victorian houses straight onto the road in a block which seems to have a little pub on each corner!! These areas of Oxford are as charming as it's dreaming spires.
A warm, still morning in Abingdon enticed Pete to have an early paddle instead of his end of day slot. So we set off separately, me by narrowboat, Pete by canoe to meet at Sandford Lock. He disappeared ahead of me around a bend and I didn't see him again until he doubled back, which he managed twice in the time it took Ani to travel 4 miles!
We joined forces again at the lock and travelled on to Oxford. Hardly any of the locks were manned, so I got to be lock keeper again. It is incredibly quiet, very few other boats on the move and only one or two dog walkers or fishermen around - the solitude is lovely. Because we'd got a week's Thames licence again which we didn't need but is as cheap as getting the daily rate for 5 days, we decided we would carry on upstream along Port Meadow to Dukes Cut instead of joining the Oxford canal at Isis Lock. We moored for the night ready for this last stretch of Thames alongside East Street just upstream of Osney Lock. Had a pint in The Punter pub and walked to Jericho to eat at our favourite Bookbinders. East Street and it's surrounds are similar in feel to the Jericho area. A pretty terrace of Victorian houses straight onto the road in a block which seems to have a little pub on each corner!! These areas of Oxford are as charming as it's dreaming spires.
Location:Oxford
No comments:
Post a Comment