Wigrams Turn

Yesterday we continued our journey down through Napton Locks and moored at the junction of the Oxford and Grand Union Canals at Wigrams Turn. We had a good journey, it was warm but not sunny. As each day passes the canal gets busier with more holidaymakers out and about either on their own boats or hired ones. I'm sure the trend will continue until the autumn when we will start to have the waterways virtually to ourselves again. Busier canals have advantages and disadvantages, when it is busier working through locks is often easier with either another crew to share the work or the chance to be lazy and leave the gates open for an approaching boat. It gets harder to moor in your chosen spot of course, but as we normally try to moor up by about four in the afternoon we are often moored long before the holidaymakers think about stopping.

When we moored we decided to carry on with the DIY and encountered the five minute job that took two hours. After having made the new seating for the cratch it was time to remove the old cratch board. It was only secured by two nuts and bolts, simple! One bolt unscrewed very easily, on the other the nut had corroded so badly that it was impossible to turn. We tried just about everything and eventually Ray had to take a hacksaw to the bolt in order to remove it. It is so nice to now have a forward view when sitting in the prow or inside the boat with the doors open.

The view from my front doors

I spent some time today 'modifying' a tarpaulin into a cover so that we can keep the rain off our new seats, it needs further work but I'm getting there. My shelves are nearly finished but both they and the seating will need painting. I'm just waiting to decide whether we are heading for Rugby or Warwick and hopefully we will go in a direction tomorrow.


Yesterday's journey 5.7 miles and 9 locks

This year we have travelled 236.6 miles, 230 locks, 5 swing bridges, 13 lift bridges and 2 tunnels

In 2012 we travelled 876.9 miles, 675 locks,  55 swing bridges, 23 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

In 2011 we travelled 461.4 miles, 444 locks, 3 swing bridges, 34 lift bridges and 15 tunnels

During 2010 we travelled 740.3 miles, 642 locks, 53 swing bridges, 4 lift bridges and 25 tunnels

Since Ray retired we have travelled 2315.2 miles, 1991 locks, 116 swing bridges, 74 lift bridges and 73 tunnels