It's a bit wet at Heyford and the trains are loud too!!

Lower Heyford to Somerton, Oxford Canal, 3.5 miles 2 locks

We only stopped at Lower Heyford yesterday because we had taken most of the afternoon to cut and load wood onto the roof of No Problem.. we needed water badly, the tap being opposite the boatyard of Oxfordshire Narrowboats, a large hire fleet they have.  It was too late to put water on and continue north, nowhere to moor you see for quite some stretch, so we settled for a very noisy evening and lots of trains to listen too!

So I was pleased that the morning was dry, and we pulled the pins and duly picked up water and dumped rubbish before setting off to Somerton.  But no sooner had we set off than the heavens opened, and once again I was teased by Vic “It’s all your fault” says he to me “Don’t ever mention that we need rain ever again!”  OK I won’t!

I had the back canopy down… its the lift bridges, I am scared that the canopy might get caught under them, but it was raining far too much for my liking, and in mid canal I sent out the orders to the First Mate to “up canopy!”… Errrrrr well up it went, but I have to take the tiller off to do it, and we weren’t quite quick enough getting the thing up and getting the tiller on, and we took a bit of a bow view of someone's back garden… I don’t think they were looking, well it was raining, I doubt they would be worrying about a narrowboat entering their back garden somehow!  Wasn’t long ‘till I had extracted No Problem’s bow from their rockery, leaving both in one piece..

At least we were in the dry now.. Of course we wouldn’t normally be moving in the rain, but our winter companions Chas and Ann of NB Moore2Life need to be in Banbury at the weekend.. so its onward a bit each day.  It cheered up a bit later though, and back down the canopy came.. here both crews helping No Problem and Moore2Life lock through Heyford Common Lock..

I was wondering today just how many miles Lucy has done along the towpaths.. I must have a look at the logs to see.  She loves trotting along beside the boat..

Even on a day like today, it doesn’t matter whether it is wet or dry she wants to be out there. It was funny today, there are some gates along the towpath which were closed, presumably the farmers graze their cattle in the fields which include the towpath, anyway Lucy just could not find a way past one of them.  If she was tiny would have been no problem getting through, but nope she couldn't find a bit big enough… I suggested to her to get into the water and swim round it as we passed her.. but nope she decided that if she ‘barged’ into one of the gaps in the gate, her body might just squeeze through… well I nearly drove into the far side of the canal laughing.. Yes she had barged through, but such was the force, the gate swung open leaving her stuck for a moment in the tiny gap she tried to squeeze through!!  She sorted herself and pulled free to dive through the now open gate before it swung shut again!..  Great little dog, I am so lucky!

Here Moore2Life arriving at Somerton ahead of us.. nice mooring here, there are some nice walks around too.. umm maybe tomorrow there will be time to explore