The forecasters were predicting a few days of settled weather followed by changeable conditions from about Tuesday onward, so as we planned what to do over a drink and a meal in the Boat Inn we came to the conclusion that heading too far on the outward leg maybe our undoing for the return journey.  Therefore, a cruise up the Northern Oxford Canal was chosen for its reasonably attractive scenery, minimal locks and numerous stopping off opportunities.

After breakfast and the usual pre-flight checks and engine warm up, we finally slipped our moorings and gently motored out of the marina.  The sun was now quite strong with only a few clouds in the sky and despite the chilly wind the temperature seemed un-seasonally high.

The stretch of canal down to the turn at Napton was now becoming very familiar and seemed to become shorter each time we cruised it.  When we arrived at the first of the Calcutt locks there was unusually a high volume of traffic going through the locks and coming from the adjacent marina, we must have hit it at just the wrong time.

Whilst we were waiting our turn we were joined by Keynsham and before long were recounting experiences and trips to each other, the 'Ownership' bond does breakdown the barriers to conversation very quickly.  We traveled up the flight together and were soon exiting the final gates.

We negotiated the turn with bow to stern communications again aided by our two-way radio's making the manoeuvre a lot less tricky.  This stretch of canal is also very familiar to us and is probably the part we have cruised the most with it's twists and turns and picturesque scenery.  Our experience has shown that, dependant on traffic, the trip down to the Braunston turn takes about 1¾ to 2 hours.

Our daily destination was going to be based on a 'suck it and see' principal but we were conscious that going too far in good weather may make an unpleasant return trip should there be a change for the worse.  So with this in mind we decided that stopping at Braunston would give us a relaxing day, which is what Canal boating is all about after all, as well as a nice setting for our stop.

As we would be turning left at the Braunston turn, we knew that mooring would be limited without going too far outside of the village, so we initially tried to stop just before the turn but this was made difficult by the sloping bank at this point.  We continued through the twin iron bridges and under bridge 90 where we were presented with suitable moorings giving us a view across fields to the church on the hill top, very pleasant and peaceful.

Having secured the boat, a short trip to Midland Chandlery was undertaken in an attempt to procure a longer tiller.  Unfortunately, like with most things in life, this was not as straightforward as first envisaged.   Surprisingly (or perhaps not, knowing the boating industry) the internal diameter of the brass tubes used for these are not a standard size and the closest one to Kinver's was in fact just too small.  To solve this one we think that we will have to contact the boat builder.

Having returned to the boat we felt that to complete the autumnal ambience we needed the warmth and glow from a real fire.  So using good Boy Scout fire lighting principals (and following the instructions on the bag of coal) the stove was lit.  Once the flames from the firelighters had died down the coals began to catch giving out a red, glowing warmth.  Fresh coal was added slowly building up the fire and the temperature inside the boat began to soar with it reaching at one point about 78°c.  By this time we had just started to get the hang of adjusting the vents to ensure sufficient air got to the fire so that it was kept gently ticking over but no too much that meant that you could smelt iron in the embers.

That evening we took the short, 5 minute walk to the Mill House pub for a drink and meal.  As we were returning along the tow path we looked up the hill to the church, which was bathed in a warm light that made it rise up like a beacon from the surrounding darkness.

The trouble with the wind being so strong was that it blew across the open fields right onto the side of the boat which made steering on your intended course extremely difficult at times.  On several occasions we were making forward progress but with the boat at a diagonal to our course.  This was spiced up even more when you met an oncoming boat, especially as this often happens on a bend or by a bridge and today of all days it felt like there was more traffic on the canal than the M25 at rush hour.

This stretch of canal runs through  open countryside and as you look across the fields and over the hedges all you see is the canal and a few farm buildings in the distance making you feel very isolated.  It's only brush with modern living is where the canal comes into contact with the M45 that links the M1 with the A45 into Coventry.

It only took us a couple of hours to reach Hillmorton so by mid-afternoon we had moored up just above the top lock.  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the warm cabin (real fire lit again) watching the trees being buffeted by the wind and the gentle passing of other canal boats all with their crews rapped up with big thick coats, gloves and various types of headgear.

As the galley is fully equipped with oven, grill and hob, cooking on board is relatively simple, so as it was Sunday, the evening meal consisted of a roast dinner with all the usual trimmings expertly prepared by the female member of the crew (and expertly consumed, with a glass or two of wine, by the male member of the crew).

The weather today was very sunny with a strong but reducing, wind and just before 10:00 am we set off from our overnight mooring.  The three locks at Hillmorton are unusual in that whilst being narrow beam like all those on the Oxford Canal they are laid out as pairs of locks.  This would normally facilitate the simultaneous passage of one boat up the flight and one boat down, however, at the time of our trip one of each of these pairs was blocked off due to ongoing repair work.

Having cleared through the locks we stopped to take on water at the water point just below the bottom lock.  As we had left it a few days before doing this task it took longer than normal and we finally got moving again at about 11:30.

Whilst Hillmorton is on the outskirts of Rugby the canal doesn't go through heavily populated areas until the last couple of miles and even then it is still reasonably pleasant.  The trickiest part of this section is that by Clifton Cruisers because with the hire boats moored up on one side the width of the canal is reduced to that just sufficient for the passage of one boat.

Today's problem was one of leaves on the canal.  Now that may sound like an excuse from British Rail but with autumn now in full swing the canal was covered in patches of fallen leaves which get sucked into the propeller and significantly reduce its efficiency.  Fortunately it is easily cleared by a short blast in reverse, restoring normal forward progress.

You know you have reached the end of Rugby when you go through the tunnel at Newbold.  Whilst this is classified as a tunnel it is only 250 yards long and therefore very easy to see from end to end.  From here on the canal winds its way through quiet farmland and short stretches of woodland before reaching Stretton Stop.

Our plan was to turn at this point and moor up, but having managed to do a multi-point turn with plenty of bow rope hauling we were again presented with a canal bank that slopped making it very difficult to get close to the side.  We therefore decided to stop briefly to get milk from the store at Rose Narrowboats and make our way back down the canal to more suitable moorings.

When we eventually got up just after 8:00 am we were greeted by a heavy frost which made the ground white and covered the roof and sides of the boat in a thick layer of white.  But despite this the sun was beating down and there was hardly a breath of wind which made it a very crisp, pleasant, autumn morning.

Further investigation of the boiler problem revealed that the gas bottle was running out and whilst not making any noticeable difference to the cooker, was obviously affecting the boiler.  Having changed the bottle normal operation was resumed and the inside of the boat gradually warmed up from its very chilly 5°c.

We rapped up against the cold and set off once again towards Hillmorton.  This meant that we were heading in a south-easterly direction and therefore at times directly into the low rising sun, which whilst glinting through the trees in a very picturesque way, blindingly reflected off the surface of the canal. 

Throughout the day we were again suffering from 'leaves on the cut' which at times even managed to knock about 100 rpm from the engine speed and we were having to use the clearing process about every 10 to 15 minutes.  Fortunately canal traffic was light today so it was easy to pick spots to do this without causing disruption to others.

Newbold and Rugby both came and went in a slow cruise during what turned out, despite the cold, to be the most pleasant day of the week.  Before long the familiar multiple radio masts of Hillmorton came into view signaling time to prepare to go through the three locks.

Soon after we started it began to drizzle which initially was only very fine but gradually it built up until it became fully fledged rain.  This combined with the cold, cutting wind made standing at the back of the boat steering a quite unpleasant experience and quite a contrast to the previous day.

Unfortunately the open countryside offered no real protection from these elements so we were lucky when the rain eased to an occasional light shower.  Despite its coldness the wind soon dried our outer clothing so that when we arrived at Braunston we didn't need to go dripping into the cabin.

As we needed to stock up on  a few provisions we took a walk up to the shop in Braunston village.  We crossed over the canal at bridge 89 and walked along the footpath which took a gentle climb up through the fields where cows and sheep were lazily grazing, finally exiting by the church.  We then made our way along to the shop, bumping into Keynsham's crew again who were just returning to their boat having done the same.

So with this in mind and a 3½ hour journey ahead of us, we set off at about 10:00 am.  With one of us steering the other cleaned the inside of the boat and packed away all our gear.  The sun was out again but the wind still had an edge to it and shortly after leaving Braunston we came up behind Woolverly (Kinvers sister boat launched on the same day) which must have made passing boat owners think that they were seeing double.

 By the time we arrived at Calcutt locks we had joined two other Ownership boats, Cropready in front and Crofton behind.  We locked through with Crofton and as usual, ended up comparing the 'ownership' experience.  Crofton's crew decided to moor up for lunch just before Ventnor Farm marina but we continued on to Stockton Top.

As we approached bridge 21 we passed Ownership boat after Ownership boat with their respective crews furiously cleaning and tidying.  Fortunately we were able to come along side just opposite the marina and join the queue waiting to be serviced.  Eventually it was our turn and we had to make the very tricky manoeuvre of threading Kinver between the marina entrance and two moored boats.  With this accomplished, without a scratch on the paintwork, we set about unloading our gear into the car whilst the pump out and refueling was performed.

The guy's at the marina did a sterling job keeping boats moving through for their services and finally on into their parking spot and soon the available spaces were filling up.  We washed the outside of the boat and made a final clean through before we finally left to make our way home.