Somerton

Wednesday August 8

At the risk of being repetitive it was another glorious sunny day. Left Banbury after taking on water near Tooley's Yard . Radio Oxford were broadcasting from the canalside. Albert's dull thud must have provided some of the background sound to the commentary and interviews. Not being in the right place at the right time we were'nt picked to be interviewed.


Aynho Weir Lock

The early boating congestion at Banbury was soon left behind. It was straight forward boating all day apart for the usual encounter on a blind bend or defunct bridge hole. Steve was mystified by the bridges at Aynho. The one to the north by the weir lock has a tricky alignment and the one below the wharf is unexpectedly low. Still not getting it right is all par for the course. I suppose the trick is not getting things too wrong.


Somerton Deep Lock

We were interested to see the lock cottage at Somerton Deep is for sale by auction. It has a wonderful location but with access only by boat or towpath it will be interesting to see who gets it. It certainly deserves good owners.


Mooring at Somerton

We finished the day early (three thirty) and moored up by the meadows at Somerton. It is great overnight mooring spot with a super view. We went for a late afternoon walk down by the River Cherwell. Some signs of the recent floods, and the stream was still flowing quickly, but it is remarkable how the area has recovered. However, just behind where we are moored there was obviously a small breach in the canal that has been filled with a dry mixture of agregate and cement.


River Cherwell at Somerton


Steve got to use his keb for the first time to remove some weed that floated onto the rudder!

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