It’s been a long hibernation.
We have kept our spirits up with dumplings and beer but perhaps the salad option would have been a sensible choice instead. Can you buy will power in the shop? We must take a trip and see.
We have overwintered in the new Cropredy Marina. To ‘overwinter’ sounds a very Victorian pastime. Fabulously geographically placed, Cropredy is a friendly village and so is the marina. We were able to stock up on new friends and catch up with old ones. We funded our stay with part time work a-piece, kept the home fire burning and were tempted to linger for the Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, but that being in August it would have interrupted the summer’s cruising and that would be inhibiting and silly. We now have a
better idea of what is and what isn’t achievable in Canal World and know that we cannot navigate the entire system in a season as previously imagined and have adjusted our itinerary accordingly. We appear to be in this for the long term!
Setting off on May 1st we were coated in drizzle but excited to be continuing our watery adventure up the Oxford heading for a rendezvous in Stratford. We met up with the lovely Madison Avenue crew and tackled the Hatton Flight of twenty one uphill locks in the rain after such a sunny May Day bank holiday and clean-fest.
Just look at the treasure trove glint on this mushroom compared to it’s grubby sister. (This miraculous improvement achieved using Brassmate from Miracle Leisure Products bought from last year’s Crick Show).
Resting at the top of the Hatton Flight we took the opportunity to visit The Hatton shopping outlet and bought a hat each to commemorate the experience (‘a real Hat-On experience ‘ said Tom and how we laughed!)
We had found the canal to be quiet and lined with lime green foliage that is neat and well managed and with the smartest of towpaths and Lego-like ‘split cantilever design’ bridges. Their teasing off-centre walls fooled our perceptions repeatedly as we smacked our way under them even at our usual creeping speed. And other larger bridges were oh-so-low you were in danger of losing your tiara.

Approaching Wilmcote, Mary Arden’s hamlet, we were suddenly upon the Edstone Aqueduct (everything’s sudden when your map reading skills need attention). A cyclone whipped up and the 28 feet of nothingness between us and the ground was voluminous. 475 feet later I felt the need for a tea-will-revive-you experience. Pontcysyllte awaits…
The South Stratford canal meanders so quietly you wonder if the local population has been beamed up. Where is everyone? People disappearing in a blink continued in Stratford where we moored in Bancroft Basin for the allotted and free 48 hours: we witnessed the strange phenomena of flashmob visitors – clots of tourists appear magically at Lady Macbeth’s bronze statue and before you have time to blow on your tea they have vanished. On to the next Shakespearian delight I suppose (but with sci-fi swiftness) and we too retreat back up the South Stratford and head for the North.
Thanks to (now not so new) Liveaboards Donna, Mark (and Inky) for writing and giving us permission to publish this.