From the top of the hill just by the marina entrance we stood looking down and were almost blinded by the sunlight reflecting off her gleaming paintwork.  She looked very majestic, tide up against the quay side in her new blue, cream and red colour scheme.  But soon we had to tear ourselves away for a little light refreshment and the pleasures of the Owners Meeting.

The meeting was very informal but informative with Allen Matthews running through all the points of being an owner punctuated by many amusing anecdotes.  We were surprised at the number of people in the meeting but it soon became obvious that two boats were being launched today, Kinver and Wolverley.   Everyone appeared to be listening intently but I guess most were like us, eager to get aboard and have the opportunity to look around.

With the meeting over we all jumped in our cars and headed off to the marina.  Soon Kinver was overrun with all the owners walking around, the women opening cupboards, looking at space, utensils, cooking equipment etc. and the men looking at more technical things like the engine, the controls, and places for the beer.   Everyone was impressed and we think, a little envious of us being the first to take her out.

As we all had something in common it wasn't long before little groups of owners were discussing Kinver and Canals in general.  Tales of previous trips were recounted and the getting to know each other process started.  Gradually these conversations concluded and owners drifted back home to leave just us and Kinver to prepare for her maiden voyage.

With all our gear installed and the last minute jobs complete, we were given the grand tour by Philip, who humorously explained everything we would need to know (we're sure we only remembered less that half of it).

At last we're ready.  It's gone 5 o'clock and we have a table booked at the Bridge Inn at Napton for 7 o'clock.  We untie the mooring ropes and with the engine gently ticking over we move off slowly down the Grand Union.  It takes a short while to get used to the way Kinver handles and the extra boat length (we have normally hired 50 foot boats and Kinver has an additional 8 feet) but before long it becomes natural.

We've got the three locks to work through at Calcutt and with the sun still beating down we hope that we will meet another boat going in the same direction to share the work load.  As we approach the first lock we spot another boat waiting, we're in luck.  With both boats in the lock and the gates closed we slowly rise, chatting to the people on the other boat, a couple from London with three teenage children on their first 'barge' holiday as they called it.  They were very keen to learn some of the tricks of the trade so to speak and very, very complimentary of Kinver to the point where the teenage girl was heard to exclaim in her cockney accent when she saw inside the kitchen "here, it's got a bleedin microwave!"

In order to make the journey just a little longer we headed for the turning point just before the Napton flight rather than use the one just outside the pub.  This gave us an opportunity to find out how easily Kinver would turn, which to our delight, she did with amazing ease.

Once we had tied up against the staging in the marina and secured the one remaining Ownerships boat which was left drifting, secured only by its stern rope, we proceeded to make out the shopping list which included various items such as waste bin, coasters, table mats etc. which we felt needed adding to the otherwise comprehensive inventory.

As was yesterday, today was hot with the sun high in the sky and not a cloud to shade it, so we drove to Daventry with all the windows and the sunroof open and the wind in our hair (well one of us anyway!).  Tesco's proved to be as busy as expected on a Saturday but before long the provisions were filling the trolley (we seem to eat more in a week on the boat than 2 weeks at home!).

Back at the marina we unloaded all the shopping and wheelbarrowed it round to the boat and safely stowed it away.  The fridge had now gone from being empty to not having a cubic inch unused and as the weather was hot it would to be a good test to prove its capability.

We then settled down to relax in the sun whilst we awaited the arrival of the other two crew members later in the evening.  The marina looked a lot bigger with only a few boats moored up but that gave us the opportunity to take a couple of photographs of Kinver with an uninterrupted view.

We took a short walk to the Boat pub, which was extremely busy early on a warm Saturday evening, for a meal and a couple of drinks before retiring back to Kinver just as the sun was beginning to set.

The windmill at Napton soon came into sight, closely followed by the first lock in the Napton flight.  This is where we started to encounter more boats going in both directions.  A lock is a natural bottle neck on a canal and where there is a flight of them this only compounds the problem.  One advantage of this is that there is generally a good camaraderie amongst those traveling on the canals and always a willing hand to help move the boats through the locks.   Unfortunately this time the problem was the heat and with very little shade.  Standing holding the boat whilst you waited in the queue became almost unbearable at times.  

As we approached each lock the queues were getting longer and longer and hence the wait got longer too.  This reached its maximum at the eighth lock with us being the sixth boat in line.  It took over an hour for us to get our turn through this lock with just as many boats waiting to come down the lock and new ones joining the queue all the time.

After we had completed this and the last lock of the flight at Marston Doles we could once again get on the move and create a little breeze through the boat .  We were now well into the afternoon and it was becoming obvious that our pace was no where near that we could achieve in the quieter months.  So we started to consult the maps to find a suitable stopping point for the end of the day.  Fenny Compton  was the next village with a pub close to the canal so this was to be our days destination however, this was still seven miles away but fortunately with no locks in between.  This part of the Oxford canal effectively runs along the side of a hill following its contours and provides some exceptional scenery as you look across rolling fields with farmers working the land in the distance.  At one point you double back on yourself and the landmark of the radio masts move from right to left instead of the left to right they were a few minutes before.

We found a suitable mooring just past the Wharf pub which was slightly shaded by a row of trees and having been out in the sun for a number of hours this was a welcome relief.  We like to finish our days traveling at about four in the afternoon because this gives us a little time to sit down and relax before we either prepare or go for our evening meal.  Today was no exception, however, the lure of the pub with it's cold beer got the better of us and we popped down for a quick drink to wet our parched throats.  The pub seemed quite busy, especially as it was in the process of being extended and therefore was a bit of a building site, so we decided it was prudent to book a table for the evening instead of taking a chance.

After about an hour we came to the first of the days locks at Claydon.  We had a short delay here which gave the women of the crew the chance to pop into Jane Selkirk's studio to look at the many decorative pieces of 'canalware' that she has on display.  Invariably this means that they return to the boat clutching their purchases which they then show to the men of the crew.  Whilst this was going on we are amused by a huge bull in the field next to the lock who seemed intent on wooing (or was it mooing) the cows in the field on the opposite side of the canal.  They then proceeded to answer his calls and come to the field gate which by then had been opened by the farmer.  Soon the bulls field was full of cows which he gently herded into one corner, presumably to make his pick.  However, we did not see the conclusion to this escapade because by then it was our turn for the lock.

The Cladon flight consist of seven locks with a combined drop (or rise if you are going in the other direction) of approximately 30 feet.  A short walk from these locks is the Bygones Museum which is reportedly very good and every time we pass we keep saying we must go in but we never have (maybe another day).

After another three locks we approach what is one of our favourite villages on the canals we have traveled.  Cropredy is a quiet place with the canal running beside it and to us epitomizes  a canal village with two good pubs, interesting and varied architecture, a lock with a small Lock Keeper's cottage, bridges, a country store and a gentle pace of life.   Normally, when traveling the Southern Oxford canal we stop at Cropredy on the outward and inward legs of the voyage, however, today it was only midday and we felt we wanted to go a little further before we stopped.

After refilling the water tank at the facilities and purchasing some extra provision in the shop at Cropredy we continued on, not really knowing where we would stop.  The sun was extremely hot and the boat offered little respite from it especially for the steerer, so as time wore on all crew members were feeling that a stop near some shade might be a good idea.  We needed to find somewhere before Banbury so that we could still enjoy the delights of the rural canalside but with the water levels quite low, the number of available spots to stop were small and those with shade were already taken.  As we approached Bourton Lock we spotted a possible mooring some 100 yards back from the lock, it had some shade or though that was likely to go as the afternoon wore on but it would do for now.  We hammered the mooring pins into the ground and tied up for the day.

Bourton Lock is where Mrs Paine lives although you rarely see her now because she has become quite frail.  It is nice to think that she still maintains her independence miles from anywhere but its a shame that her once beloved gardens have now seen better days and are somewhat over grown.

We had provisioned for the possibility of eating on board each night in case we were unable to stop at suitable pubs along the way.  Tonight was one of those nights, so the women set to work preparing a feast whilst the men set up and lit the disposable barbeque, purchased for the very purpose that day from the shop at Cropredy, ready to cook the steaks.  Meals cooked and consumed on board are often very satisfying (especially when washed down with a good red wine) and with the sun slowly setting this one was no exception.

We wanted to stop in Banbury for some shopping and a look round so the plan was hatched to cruise through the centre, turn at the winding hole just on the outskirts and return to the centre to moor up.  Over the years the centre of Banbury has undergone a massive redevelopment that has seen a large shopping mall, museum and vastly improved moorings.  The regeneration of this area has resulted in a canal friendly environment where boaters and pedestrians gently mix without interrupting each other.

The weather was hot again today and the air conditioned shopping mall was a delightful respite from the beating sun and therefore unsurprisingly busy.  We went off in two pairs to browse the local shops for necessary provisions and unnecessary knick-knacks, occasionally bumping into each other but before long we returned to the boat eager to be on the move again and reach our intended destination of Cropredy.

As with any first day of a return journey the canal seems all to familiar as we passed landmarks that we had seen only a few hours before.  Having passed our previous nights stop at Bourton Lock and passed through  Slat Mill Lock it wasn't long before we reached Cropredy.  At the risk of repetition and boring the reader at this point, Cropredy is a favourite stopping point but as we traveled through the village our usual mooring places between bridges 152 and 153 we all occupied so we had no choice but to work through the lock and see if we could find a suitable place above the village.  As luck would have it there was an ideal spot just before the bend, under a tree that was casting a nice shady shadow.  This proved to be an even nicer spot than usual and one which we will repeat if, no we mean when, we return another day.

Previously we had not been fans of the Red Lion pub in the village, preferring to dine at the Brasenose Arms.  However, on the wall beside the lock we noticed that the Red Lion sign proudly proclaimed that it was under new ownership as from April 2003 so we decided to renew our acquaintance with this old 15th Century thatched terraced pub.  This was our second piece of good luck that day because we were treated to an excellent meal, freshly cooked with more than ample portions.

We set off reasonably early and were soon tackling the first of eight locks which started our assent up to the 10 mile long summit.  There was only a moderate amount of canal traffic today with just enough to mean you met up with the same one or two boats at each lock.  Finally we made it up through Claydon Top Lock which would be the last of the day.

We needed to stop for water today and knew that there was a couple of water points at Fenny Compton just by the pub, so we planned to briefly stop here before continuing on to our, as yet, undecided destination.  When we arrived at this point we found that not only were all the adjacent mooring places taken but the two at the water points were also occupied by a hire boat which had moored in such a way as to leave insufficient room to get in either side.  Having put one of our crew ashore to establish if they had finished we found that they were enjoying a spot of lunch on the foredeck.  Without wishing to be derogatory of hire boaters (after all we were up until recently ones ourselves) they seemed to not understand the problems they were causing and were therefore, somewhat reluctant to move on.  This was also exasperated by a foul mouthed female sat in the pub garden who professed herself to be a canal law expert intent on winding the situation up.  Eventually the hire boat moved on, enabling us to fill up along with another boat which had been patiently waiting behind us whilst the episode had unfolded. 

With our water tank now full we quickly headed off (making way for yet another boat wanting to fill up) in order to get ourselves into more peaceful surroundings.  As we cruised on the weather was getting more and more unsettled and the odd spot of rain appeared.  Initially this was not unpleasant as it served to cool things down a bit but before long it was getting heavier and it was therefore decided to pull in at least until the rain stopped.

At this point we were in between bridges 128 and 129 which overlooked rolling fields and farmland and as the rain appeared to be settling in for the afternoon we decided that this would not be a bad place to stop for the night.  Two other boat were moored a short distance in front of us and before long we were joined by a further two boats behind us.  The rain slowly eased but this left a muggy, dampness in the air which started to cast a mist over the water and surrounding fields.

As with the first night, we had a table booked at the Bridge at Napton and therefore had to press on especially as this was our last full day.  As with previous days you tended to travel along with a small band of other narrow boats which you bumped into (not literally) at each lock.

Napton Top Lock did initially bring about a minor delay as four other boats were in front of us waiting to go through with only a couple waiting to come the other way.  However, once this lock was cleared the boats managed to become more spaced apart and therefore, minimise the delays.

With the three locks at Calcutt cleared, which at that time of the morning we did on our own, it was a steady cruise along our last stretch of canal for this holiday.  We were told of the unique 'valet parking' service during the initial owners meeting and were keen to try it out, so we duly wrote out the services we required (diesel and main toilet pump out) on the End of Holiday Report and as we approached the marina were directed to moor along side the appropriate facilities.  With our gear unloaded and packed into the cars we had completed our first week aboard Kinver.