Napton on the Hill to Bridge 109 (South Oxford Canal)

When we got up this morning, Kev said the boat was on a real lean as overnight the pound we were in had dropped at least a foot so he loosened the ropes, but we were stuck on the bottom, so he walked down to the lock to see if someone had left a paddle or gate open to find the pound below us completely empty!!  

He came back up and went up three locks opening the paddles as he went to let some water down.  A chap who was trying to come up the locks came up and he helped Kev.  I went up to the lock above us and helped with monitoring the water which was coming down.  We filled the pound we were moored in and then let the water through into the empty pound, it was quite a sight, I have never seen anything like it.   I wish I had taken a photo but I didn’t have my camera on me.  The chap who was coming up said that the top gate paddles had been left open on the lower lock and also some gates were open as well., there’s really no excuse for that, other than people being too idle to do the job properly.

Eventually all the pounds were back to normal by about 9.30am it took us a good hour to sort the problem.  Kev did ring CRT and they said they would send someone out.  He rang them at 8am and they rang back at 11.30am and said someone would be out within the half hour.  Good job we didn’t wait for them!!

Approaching Lock 9 of the Napton Flight

At the bottom of the Napton Flight

We had a coffee and our breakfast then set off down the four locks, there were a few boats coming up so we had an easy passage down.  We stopped for water, then chugged off up the canal back past the windmill on the hill and moored just past Bridge 109.

Back past Napton Windmill

We had lunch, then walked up the canal to Napton Junction and onto the Grand Union canal and walked up to Calcutt Top Lock where there is Calcutt Boats who have a chandlery and shop.  We had a look in there, the chandlery is very well stocked.  They have a coffee machine in the shop so we got a coffee and they have some decking with tables chairs overlooking the lock so we sat there in the sun drinking our coffee and watching boats go through the lock.

Calcutt Boats on the Grand Union

The locks on this canal are double locks, so two boats came into the lock and a chap got off on the non towpath side with a dog which was not on a lead and was running around all over the place.  The dog went off around the corner and they emptied the lock and chugged onto the next lock.  The chap shut the gate and started to head off down the towpath leaving the dog which had come back to the lock.  We shouted to him had he forgotten his dog and he said he’s on the boat, we said no he isn’t, he’s here, so he came back up and then had to get the dog over the lock.  He got it up on the beam and the dog gingerly walked across the lock, but was pretty scared.  The dog was then left to run around on the towpath while they went to do the next lock.  People are very strange or is it us!!

We walked  back down the towpath to the boat.  It was a lovely sunny afternoon.

We were having our tea and I looked out the back and saw a boat halfway across the canal, so out we went and it was a Kate hire boat, all locked up, we think the occupants had gone to the pub just up the road.  The stern pin had come out.  We pulled it back in and tied it back up, Kev banged the front pin well into the ground, like our friend Patrick says if its difficult for them to get the pin out,  then perhaps next time they might do it properly!!

We have been right volunteers today keeping the waterways running and clear of sloppy tied boats!! 

Aren't we good, I think we deserve a Blue Peter Badge!!

We are staying here tomorrow as well, then heading off up the Grand Union Canal towards Braunston.

Moored at Bridge 109