Menorca

Having a fantastic time.  The weather has been beautiful.

Amazing how quickly we got here, we left Mike and Liz's at 5:45 and by lunch time we had dropped everything at the Villa and were having lunch at the local bakery.

It was then back to the Villa to unpack, suddenly Mike and Rodney were worn out!!!!

We had a couple of days lazing by the pool and then were lucky enough to have a couple of days on a beautiful boat, very similar to below.

We were thoroughly spoilt and had a great time.  Only a bit different to By The Way!!!!

Saturday night we went to watch trotting races, was different, but great fun......no winners though for us.

We had a lovely Chinese on Saturday night and spent the night on the boat.  On Sunday we went to Cata Galdana, and went a shore for lunch via the rib.

Liz and I have tried to be good and have managed 3 runs, with varying degrees of success, it is very hot and quite hilly!!!

Thank you so much to our kind hosts, we had a fantastic time.

We have had a couple of relaxing days by the pool. 

 We are having a sight seeing day today, so will hopefully post another update before we come back, but unfortunately Internet access is limited.

Napton-on-the-hill

We have spent the week moored at Napton.  Rod had to travel to Manchester on Tuesday and we were booked into Wigrams Turn Marina from Friday in preparation for a weekend in Oxford followed by just under two weeks in Menorca.

We were initially really gutted as when we did this stretch a couple of years ago we stopped at the Bridge which is right on the canal, but it has changed management and was not serving food in fact it hardly looked open.  However, we found a great pub in the village called the Kings Head, did a fantastic Sunday lunch, so if you are walking in this area then would definitely recommend, but you need to book it is really popular.

Some more DIY was completed with some sanding and painting of the side hatches - some how I always seem to get more paint on me than the thing I am painting, but though I say so myself looked pretty good when it was finished.

Chris biked over from Swinford on Thursday which was really nice.

Then we met Wendy, Richard, Kerry and Mark in Kettering on Friday night, which was lovely -Kerry did   really well in her A-levels and has her first choice uni place.  Good luck to Mark with his results on Thursday.

Then we headed off Saturday morning to Oxford for a surprise 50th get together.  On the way we stopped to get a life jacket for George in preparation for his trip to the Norfolk Broads next weekend.  It would be fair to say he was not overly impressed!!

We then arrived in Cuddesdon near Oxford, where we were meeting Tania, Michael, Richard and Di (aka Dobbie), and Mandy who thought she was just meeting Tania and Michael.  Due to problems on the M25, Tania and Michael were delayed which meant Rod, Richard, Di and I were left hiding from Mandy at one end of the pub, whilst the staff endeavoured to restrict her movements!!  Won't bore you with all the details but at one point Di and I were hiding in the ladies and Rod was suggesting we all climbed out of the window :-)

Luckily we were successful and Mandy was suitably surprised.

We had a great afternoon and evening.

George was handed over to Tania and Michael, I would like to say he was upset to be left but it wouldn't be true, he was with his best friend Kayla, he didn't even notice us go :-((

Next update will come from the sunny island of Menorca.

Claydon to Priors Hardwick 5 locks, 9 miles

We moved from Claydon Bottom lock to Claydon Top Lock early Tuesday morning, as Rod was working for 3 days this week.  As we set off at 6:45 we completed the 5 locks by 8:00 which was pretty good going - I hope you are impressed Mr Lake.  A great spot with fantastic views over open fields.

The boat that moored behind us had a Border Terrier- Molly - who we established was a distant relative of George, they both have Dandyhow in them, the guy had a copy of her pedigree Rod was gutted as we haven't got George's with us, so he wasn't able to show them what a good pedigree really looks like!!

I have been honing my DIY skills, varnishing woodwork and painting scratches on the Hull - who'd have thought!

Friday we both went back to Swinford, to catch up with a few friends.  Rod got back on his road bike with Chris (thanks chris for a great morning) and I got my hair cut, and had a couple of coffees in Costa - it's a hard life :-)

We then set off this morning for Priors Hardwick, with a water stop at Fenny Compton.  There are no locks on this stretch, the canal twists and turns around the hills and gets very narrow in places, but is truly picturesque.  

Glad we didn't meet anyone coming down this stretch, known as Fenny Compton Tunnel.

We moored up at a lovely spot, just room for us.

I am  now in full training for the Great North Run (and in major panic mode, not helped by the email received yesterday telling me my event pack was in the post!!!), so I ran back to Claydon for the van 7.75 miles of nothing but ups and downs - what would I give for some nice flat runs.

The tow path has switched sides so whilst I was off to get the van Rod was able to paint the scratches on the other side.  

Off to Napton On The Hill tomorrow.

Aynho to Claydon bottom lock, 13.5 miles, 12 locks, 1 lift bridge, 7 hours (Monday)

The forecast was for heavy rain all day, so we had a bit of a lie in.  Decided we would move at least a short distance, so we were thinking Kings Sutton.  Got all dressed up in our wet weather gear, but by the first lock the sun was trying to come out and the rain had stopped.  We got to Kings Sutton and the weather was still good so we decided to press on to Banbury.  We did a splash and dash at Banbury and then tried to moor, there were unfortunately no spaces, so we pressed on.  On our original plan we had intended to stop at Chropredy but we knew there was a music festival on there starting this Thursday Alice Cooper is performing if any one has a burning desire to see him!!

So we expected to have to go beyond Chropredy.  Just as well we didn't want to moor, there must have been 3 miles of solid boats moored up.  Just as we got through Chropredy lock the heavens opened - the earlier forecast downpour had arrived.  We pressed on through the next 3 locks, looking like drowned rats, I did attempt a Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain moment but not quite the same on a lock gate as a lamp post still kept Rod amused.

We finally arrived at Claydon bottom lock and luckily there were a couple of spaces, as we pulled up the two guys on the boat in front offered to help us moor, which was really kind of them given it was still chucking it down, I very politely declined , no point in two more people getting soaked.

This is the picture of the mooring this morning, obviously looks much nicer in the sun.

We needed to get the van, so Rod got up at 6:00 to go and get it from Kings Sutton, as he is working an extra day this week.  On the way he decided to take up bi-Athlon by falling in the canal on his bike just past Banbury.  He has decided its not the sport for him and that he will stick to cycling.

He and the bike are both ok, although his clothes and the bike were very muddy.  So now both Rod and George have fallen in the canal, after seeing the state of Rods clothes I certainly do not want to join their club :-)

Thrupp to Aynho 8 locks, 2 Swing Bridges 8 miles, (Sat & Sun) 9 hours

The meal on Friday was really nice, so I think we made the right choice.

Set sail on Saturday at about 9:00 with our trusty crew. Weather was lovely although we did have a couple of sharp showers.

We saw our first Kites since leaving the Thames and managed to get a couple of quite good pictures of them.

Matt and Karen helped with the locks and were soon relaxing and enjoying the trip (well I think they were any way!).  Matt did get confused a couple of times and tried to shut the lock gate before the next boat had driven in, but we were soon all in the swing of it.  

As usual George was enjoying lots of extra attention, he sure knows how to turn on his best cute looks.

I

We moored up in the middle of nowhere near a small hamlet called Northbrook.  Karen, Matt, George and I went for a walk, while Rod did a few jobs.  By chance we ended up in Upper Heyford where there just happened to be a lovely little Bistro, so Matt treated us to a beer - it had to be done.

On Sunday we left at about 9:00 and had bacon butties on the move.

Matt and Karen did the first lock.  As you can see they were working hard.

We were aiming to get to Aynho Wharf, on the way we went through the appropriately named Somerton Deep Lock.

As you can see it really is deep, a 12 foot drop. One of the deepest on the network apparently.

George has been having lessons on the use of an IPad, he looks like he knows what he is doing!

We managed to find a spot just past Aynho wharf, we are treating ourselves to a romantic meal for two, in celebration at having let the house.  The Great Western at Aynho has been recommended to us by the warden at Thrupp so we are hoping it is as good as he said.  

Karen and Matt left at about 3:30, I think they enjoyed themselves.  

Off to Banbury tomorrow.

Kidlington to Thrupp 2 locks, 2 miles, 1.25 hours

Really short day today, but got to Thrupp and had to stop, lovely canal side village and really friendly.  With a great tea room with lovely home made cakes, we obviously had to try them - support the local community and all that.

Only 58 miles to Rugby, get ready for a bike ride in a week or so Chris!

Really strange, in a good way, being on a narrow canal again.

We are off to the pub with the Jones's when they arrive this evening.  We have had another of our infamous dithers, we have a choice of two pubs.  We initially booked the one we are moored opposite.

But then we got chatting to the people on the boat behind and they recommended the other one - what to do??  We have opted for the other one - will let you know tomorrow if we have made a mistake!!

Kings lock to kidlington, 3 locks, 1 swing bridge, 3 miles, 2 hours

The Thames licence ran out today so we had to make sure we were on the Oxford canal by the end of the day, slight problem as it was a work day for Rod, so we got up at 6:30 and set off at 6:50.

Today proved that things really do happen in 3's.

At the first lock, the rope got caught in the lock and started to tip the boat slightly, so we had to stop the lock filling to be able to loosen the rope.

We then turned off the Thames onto the Oxford.

When we arrived at the first lock, for some reason I decided the lock needed to be emptied, wrong, so I then had to refill it again.  Been spoilt the last two weeks with electric locks and lock keepers.

The next lock was more successful and we then stopped to get water, we were really low having not filled up a couple of days ago, because of the Dutch barge!  The pressure was really poor, so took forever to fill.

Next stop was a swing bridge, which need a Canal and River Trust key, it didn't work, we couldn't get the key to turn.  Eventually we worked it out, but we were now right up against it for time, luckily just round the corner we found a mooring spot.

The tenants for our house now want to move in on the 8th, so I needed to get back to Lutterworth to sign the paperwork and sort out the keys.  This meant biking 9 miles to Upper Heyford to get the van - on the hottest day of the year - lovely.  Still mission accomplished and everything sorted with the estate    agent.

Karen and Matt come to see us tomorrow, which will be lovely.