Having pottered around the Midland canals on holidays for many years, after thoroughly enjoying our sojourn darn sarf last year, the outline plan for Biggle’s 2015 cruise is to meander down from the winter mooring at Cropedy onto the Thames at Oxford, then down past Windsor onto the Wey Navigation and Basingstoke Canal. These latter two come highly recommended, but despite being so close to “home”, we’ve never explored them much at all. After that, who knows?

Anyway, we did manage a couple of exploratory research expeditions on foot…

The first was a winter’s day wander along the Wey Navigation near Ripley on a rather gloomy day – along past Newark Priory (with no public access, sadly) and Newark Lock. Let’s hope we don’t get any red boards when we come down on the boat. Mind you, the last time we walked down this way, the navigation was frozen solid, and the swans were have some difficulty learning ice-skating. Strangely, the boat Newark Priory was spotted on the outskirts of Banbury.

Biggles’ dear  friend Emma (who lives just around the corner from here) came with us, stealing my hat for some reason. We also bumped into Paul, an old colleague from Fairoaks and Farnborough airports (and a locally based narrowboat owner); and Pauline & Alan, a couple of SWMBO’s morris dancing associates (who were also local). Don’t see people for ages, then bump into a string of them all at once.

The second ramble was on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year, when our dear friends Simon & Hilary rang up at about 11:00 and said “…’ere, do you fancy going for a walk along the river somewhere” before realising somewhat later that although a lovely sunny day, it was (a) absolutely Baltic by the water, and (b) Hilary had left her walking boots in Suffolk (don’t ask).

So, a pleasant if rather curtailed wander along the less boggy bit of the Thames-side path at Henley before beating a strategic retreat to the Rowing Museum for tea and buns. There were some nice houses that looked warm and comfortable: more than can be said for the intrepid boaters.

And just off the river, at a humble establishment called Henley Court, a fine indication that at least some people take their model-railway hobby seriously… the real buildings behind give some idea of the scale.

As we start to think about Sir’s next expedition, a look at last year’s log shows that in the period from 19th June to 25th October we covered quite a lot of ground without trying too hard: when we were actually cruising we averaged about 4 hours a day – hardly enough to charge the batteries!

Anyway, setting off from Stoke, first up was the Caldon Canal to Leek and Froghall, which never strayed very far from the Piper Boats factory, in case of early teething troubles… and there were a few! Then down the familiar (but highly enjoyable) Trent & Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction, followed by a jaunt round Birmingham for a change, on the Coventry Canal and North Oxford Canal to Braunston. There followed the lovely South Oxford Canal to Oxford (what a surprise!) before dropping down onto The Thames. The Upper Thames from Oxford to Lechlade and back was delightful and unexpectedly remote from any civilisation (not enough research, Jenkins!) before continuing down to Reading, and joining the Kennet and Canal for the long haul down to Bath. A slight disappointment that river conditions, encroaching autumn and the need to find our way back to Cropredy before they shut the Thames locks for winter meant that we didn’t quite make it all the way to Bristol, but there’s no hurry!

Anyway, to keep Biggles quiet we covered 522 miles and worked 372 locks. The engine was running for 342 hours and we burnt about 450 gallons of diesel.

Wonder how we’ll get on this year!

If you’re going to wander around Oxford then the Saturday of Matriculation is probably not the best… as well as the usual thousands of foreign tourists (one hardly hears any English spoken) there are hundreds and hundreds of shiny new matriculating students milling around all in sub fusc, many with proud parents in tow.

Attendance is mandatory, and with college team photos at crack of sparrows, ceremonies in the Bodleian Library and Sheldonian Theatre, champagne receptions etc, etc. by the early afternoon the shiny newness is starting to wear off, as more and more of the freshers get progressively hammered. Still plenty wandering around in kit as the sun went down though, fortunately relief was at hand with a “splendid venue” solo concert in the Wesleyan Church from the blessed Karine Polwart.

Bit ambivalent about Oxford as a place to visit, but a few random pics from the many taken:

One just has to see the Bridge of Sighs, but it’s less obvious why they are threatening to remove the railings around the church.

The University Church is rather fine, with the highest viewpoint over the city, and an excellent cafe in the vaults. Unusual ceiling too, with the night and stars painted on.

We were puzzled by the Radcliffe Camera – part of the Bodleian Library (doesn’t look like an SLR to us), until we read the board which pointed out in small letters that camera is Italian for room. And Hertford College looks impressive from on high.

And as for the Hook Norton Brewery Dray… it wasn’t even one of their pubs!

Just off the hustle and bustle of Broad Street, Oxford, on a Friday afternoon, the gardens of Balliol College, Oxford’s oldest, provided a haven of peace and quiet for a while. The 400 year old Mulberry Bush/Tree somehow seemed so appropriate. Mind you, the notice in the entrance telling all the freshers that there was a mandatory team photo, in posh kit, at 08:30 on the Saturday morning was a bit of an eye-opener. New undergraduates + early Saturday morning + up and smartly dressed… does not compute.

Just after we cruise all around (I use the phrase advisedly) Didcot Power Station, there’s a huge fire.

Just after we leave our moorings at Abingdon Park, [cue Taggart] it seems there’s been a murder exactly where we were moored.

Hope things don’t really come in threes, but they’re forecasting serious gales and disruption tonight…