Are falling. We left Thrupp on Saturday morning heading for Aynho to our winter mooring. The canal and moored boats are littered with fallen leaves as is the tow path and it makes for quite a slippery surface after rain.
I got up early, 7.10am, to take the car to Deddington, which is a mile and a half from our moorings in Aynho, and then I'd park up and bus back to Thrupp, 7.57am bus, then we'd take the boat up and today walk to get the car and to have it handy to the boat. At the Deddington bus stop all around was plenty of activity as vendors were setting up for market day in the village centre.
Glance at the time it was pretty well bus arrival time when a lady approaches and says,
" the bus stops around on the main road on market day, you better run"
Bloody Hell, well run I did to miss the bus by 30 seconds.
An elderly gent on the other side of the road yells out,
"I think it was a minute Early"
Stuff this. The next bus aint for and hour and six minutes, it's to early for the pubs to be open, so back to the car and drive 15 minutes bact to Thrupp.
I politely explain to Leonie that our early start plans are Shot to Bits, have something to eat then drive back to Deddington.
Catch the bus ok and you wouldn't believe it. This one turns off the main road and goes to two out of the way Freak'n villages plus does the usual detours to pick up punters and adds 30 minutes to the trip.
Finally casting off at 10.30am the wind had picked up and made for tricky reversing the 100 yrds back through the lift bridge to turn in the basin. The wind blew the bow across the canal and I thought each owner off the NB,s we passed had come out to wish us Bon Voyage but it was more likely the fact we gave there boats a good slap,n with our bow as we passed.....
Moored in Thrupp and.....
Littered with autumn colours.....
Cutting a......
Path through after leaving Pigeon lock....
There's a short stretch on the river Cherwell and ....
The warning boards were only just onto the yellow meaning more water than usual making the tight turns easier to "broadside" around...
We were going to take two days for the trip but because of the doggy weather forecast, like 80mph gales, we decided to push on.
We never stop to eat mid day or afternoons preferring to keep plodding on.
So a couple of.....
Pancakes with sugar and golden syrup filled the hole......
The weather was ok with a short shower of rain having no effect and failing to deter.....
The "Clint Eastwood of the Cut" peeling back the miles.....
We had to pass through....
Just another old gate on the towpath....
After pushing ourselves past the endurance levels of a Tour De France rider this....
"Stairway to Heaven" emerged from nowhere... put the bloody windlass down Babe.......
Leonie gets to steer.......
While I do the locking......
And after our 7.5hr day the....
Rail bridge by Aynho and our mooring was a welcome sight...
Today we walked and got the car then checked out a couple of superstores. The winds have been pretty strong but tomorrow, Monday, morning is storm time.......
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