We were away by just after 0800 and were soon at Day's Lock. It wasn't in power operation so we had to wind the handle many, many times to open the sluices, open the bottom gates, close the sluices, close the bottom gates. open the top sluices, and gate then close the top sluices and gates. This took a little time, and no little effort. So all in all we felt better for doing it, if tired!
Just above Day's Lock I saw this pill box. It is the first I had seen that was constructed for any heavy armament than a machine gun. The land was very open around so the defenders would have a very good range of view and fire.
The locks came spaced out and by the time we got to the next one it was after 0900 and the Lock keeper was on duty. We had no waiting at the locks so we sped along very nicely. We were soon at Abingdon which looked very nice indeed and we will definitely stop next time. As we cleared the lock we saw the water point was free we pulled over and filled up. The water points are fitted with hoses on the Thames it seems so makes it nice and quick. We dropped off the rubbish too and there was recycling too.
At Abingdon Lock a Salter's Passenger steamer came down the lock ahead of us. By the time we got to Sandford Lock they had picked up their passengers at Abingdon and back up the lock to meet us at the lock. They do look very big when they are in the lock with you. The company was founded in 1858 and do trips all over the upper Thames.
The King's Arms at Sandford Lock.
Just after the River Cherwell meets the Thames there is a row of Oxford University's boat houses. It must be chaos on sports afternoon!
Soon you come to Folly Bridge where the channel goes either side of an island. One side is quite narrow but the other is congested with the Salter's boats waiting for passengers. After Folly Bridge you get the feeling that you have gone the wrong way as the great River Thames, Isis, is reduced to a ditch canal like that entering Birmingham. You pass the back gardens of terraced houses and you think that there will be little room to pass another boat.
The turn off the Thames in to the Sheepwash Channel leading to the Oxford Canal comes unannounced and is looking like just another by water of the river. Once dived down under the tow path bridge it gets worse as you go under a low railway bridge and the shrubs and trees close in on both sides. It seem that you are the first to pass this way for years. Next you come to an old swing railway bridge that to the track to a station further to the south east. The remains can be seen above.
We were soon up the first narrow lock for quite some time and found a mooring in front of 'Perfect Harmony' right in front of the Jericho yard and St Barnabus's Church. We had a quick look through the window and despite being Church of England it was highly ornate and reminded us of the Catholic Church at Droitwich Spa. There was a 'bit of a do' when they had to evict long term stayers at the land behind the church. They had formed a community and resented being moved on. It seems sometime they are to build 20 odd houses, some flats, a garden, a boat yard and a bridge across the canal plus other bits and pieces. It has taken some time to get it off the ground. Hopefully it will look better when completed.
After lunch we popped into the town, which is very close by and popped into the Information place to get a map etc. I found my self getting a little anxious when we surfaced in to the real world. It is a little culture shock after nobody to half the United Nations on the streets. I soon settled down though. We walked around the the place getting the lie of the land. Above is the Radcliffe Camera. There is nothing about it that is a camera as camera is room in Latin. It is a library. It was built between 1737 and 1749. The build and maintenance was paid for by John Radcliffe, a Doctor who left £40,000 in 1714. It houses a scientific library.
The Bridge of Sighs is actually called Hertford bridge as it joins two parts of Hertford College on either side of New College Lane. It was built in 1914 and looks nothing like the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.
By Magdalen Bridge you can rent a punt for £20, £25 if you hire a bloke to propel you about. I'm not sure whether this trio were practicing synchronised punting or was seeing a collision.
As we walked round the back streets and were passing Merton College we saw there was a filming team in action. It is obviously a 50's/60's piece. It think that they got the rain hood wrong on the lady as she would be wearing a scarf rather than a clear rain hood with no coat! No idea what they were filming. There was an aweful lot of hanging around though.
There were some fantastic gargoyles on Corpus Christi College. I could fill many blogs with pictures of the stone carvings on buildings, rather than the buildings themselves as they really show how much work and expense goes into the buildings.
Tomorrow there will be more sightseeing and walks etc so be prepared for more picture like above. The market is on too and Helen is after wool.
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