Oxford.

Hi,

I’m writing this weeks blog while moored in the city of Oxford.We did the 5 Miles,3 Locks and 3 Lift bridges between Thrupp and here last Tuesday and pulled into the first likely moorings we saw,they were just past Bridge 240 alongside a play park.The moorings were a little bit out from the City centre but they were quiet and did us for a couple of days or so. There aren’t many moorings on the approach to Oxford,what there are seemed to be taken up by what is signposted as Agenda 21 Residential Moorings.Others that we tried were too shallow to get Chyandour alongside the towpath.Spaces became available nearer to the City Centre on Friday and that is where we are now,a part of Oxford called Jericho,opposite College Cruisers Hire Boat base.We’re going to move off tomorrow,Tuesday,to make our way back up the Oxford Canal to the junction with The Duke’s Cut where we will turn left and go out onto the River Thames.We’ve asked plenty of questions of other boaters,we’ve looked at the Environment Agency’s Website for stream warnings,checked the weather for the next few days,and now we’re going to take the plunge,so to speak,and cruise on the Thames.It hadn’t been our intention to go onto the river this year but,having met up with Rob & Suzie off Swamp Frogs,who are going onto the river later in the year,we all decided to go together to support each other,this being the first time for all of us.We’ve decided to cruise to Lechlade and back but more about that next week though.

We haven’t travelled very far this week,after Tuesdays short cruise we’ve only covered a few hundred yards,most of our days have been spent looking around Oxford City and all the touristy bits.We haven’t done any of the Colleges though,those have been saved for a later date.On Wednesday we all piled onto one of the open topped Tour Buses as that seemed to be the best way to have a look around.All the interesting places were pointed out for us and we could then go back for a proper look at what took our fancy.

 

Christ Church College from the Memorial Gardens which were laid out in 1926 to commemorate the college members who fell in The First World War.The Bridge of Sighs or Hertford Bridge,built in 1914 to connect the two Hertford Colleges.

On Thursday,Lisa and I went to have a look at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and only saw a bit of it,we’ve just got to go back to see the rest and also the Pitt Rivers Museum.There was just so much to see that one day is not enough.

 

A couple of the exhibits at the Natural History Museum,Lisa’s talking to T Rex.

 

A couple of pic’s of the inside of the museum itself which was built between 1855 and 1860.

On Sunday we decided to take a bit of a walk to see some of the Thames and one of the locks that we are likely to have to negotiate.

 

A Peacock in the garden of a house in Lower Wolvercote,we saw it as we were walking by on Sunday.The approach to Godstow Lock from the North,this was what we had come to see because all the locks we would have to do on the Thames would have a weir to one side which we have to avoid.

 

Godstow Lock from the South,non of the locks we will do between Oxford and Lechlade are very deep and we got some sound advice from the Lock keeper while we were there.Looking North on the Thames from Medley Footbridge by Bossoms Boatyard at Binsey,it’s wide but there are warnings that the sides are shallow so stay in the middle of the channel,a bit like being on the canals.We called in to The Perch at Binsey,it’s an 800 year old thatched pub,for a couple of beers as we made our way back to our boats.

  

The disused Rewley Road Swing Bridge at the side of the Sheepwash Channel which connects The Oxford Canal to The River Thames.The bridge was built in 1851 and went out of operation in 1984,the bridge in the background now carries the railway line.Isis Lock,this is the way down from the canal to Sheepwash Channel where you have to turn and go back into the lock to head back up the Oxford Canal if you’re boat is over 52 feet long and you don’t want to go onto the Thames.

That’s all again for this week folks.Since our last blog we have covered 6 Miles and done 4 Locks,that gives us a Grand Total of 709 Locks and 1254 Miles since we set off in October 2012.Sorry it’s late again,been busy enjoying ourselves.Take care everyone.