Banbury to Thrupp

I really enjoyed my time in Banbury but by the time I left the commute was beginning to get to me.  It is good to be home.

Maffi fancied a spot of boating so he came along and drove for the first 6 hours and I did the locks, then we swapped for the final 3.  An arrangement that worked well as I had work to do and could get on with it between the locks. I had a go at baking while I was at it, and made some lunch – all of which the crew complained bitterly about but at least they didn’t starve. They even looked to be enjoying themselves on occasion:

We met some fantastic people along the way, learnt a few things and saw some wonderful birds. This one was looking for lunch on the railway line:

and several of these were around south of Enslow

This time of year is always beautiful on the canal. I headed north as Spring really set in and I returned to see the vegetation lining the canal and flowers blooming. The fields looked amazing.

The house at pigeons lock looked splendid

Some of the trees have gone so there is now a better view over the golf course at Kirtlington

People have often asked me how single handers do the lift bridges; some use a Banbury pole and some just get it wrong. This time I found the perfect adaptation of the Banbury pole and it worked very well:

so, here I am. Home. It has been a fantastic trip.