Thursday 14 September 2017

Aren`t canals narrow!!

After over two and a half months on the Thames we are back on what is really our home ground.   No longer can we wander along looking for the best mooring place and then turn around if we need to go back.......and so narrow!!

We really felt the difference as we left Oxford and passed the extensive area of Agenda 21 Residential moorings.   A very long stretch of boats, the majority of which could do with a touch of TLC, making it very hard to pass a boat going in the other direction.

Meanwhile the Jericho redevelopment does not seem to have made any progress, there is no sign of any activity behind the hoardings showing what it could look like.  The artists impression in the link above looks great....but.......is it just a pipe dream??   Oxford could well do with improving its image in this area.  Great potential.........



Before this trip we had two nights on the Oxford Road east Moorings, which are part of the Thames Visitor moorings.  Here one can have one night free and up to 2 further nights at £5 a night.   You can either register your arrival on line or call the telephone number given on the notice.  It was a very pleasant and cheerful gentleman I spoke to when registering.  When I asked him where he was controlling the system from, he said from his boat which was presently moored in Weybridge.   I forgot to ask him how he kept a check on whether people bothered to call or not.  In fact a gentleman in a wooden boat in front of us told Geoff that he thought someone came around to collect the money but we didn't see any sign of that.

The moorings are well placed to either walk into town or hop on one of numerous buses just up along from the bridge.  The new shopping centre has made progress and is due to open next month...at least it says so on the notice!

The goal today was Thrupp for the weekend providing there was space.   After a pleasant run (after the had escaped Oxford)  we stopped at the first space available by the Jolly Boatman just in case there was no room further up on the 7 day moorings.   Geoff walked up and soon rang me to say there was plenty of space......this is the advantage of arriving late morning/lunchtime.   Soon we were nicely settled in.

The mooring notices do ask boats not to run generators or engines but am not sure how they think one can manage for 7 days.


Total distance:6.95 miles 
Elapsed time:4h17m30s 
Locks:5
Bridges:29 
Average speed:1.62 mph (2.79 lock/mph) 

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