The first lock we encountered was Somerton Deep Lock which 12 feet deep but fills and empties quickly.
Motoring on we passed an unusual garden with old Morris Minor cars and all sorts of paraphernalia dotted about.
A little further on we saw a lovely garden full of daffodils, it must be much warmer down here as those at our marina had not come out when we left.
We found a lovely lunch time mooring out of the wind and in the sun and would have stayed the night but for the fact that we had to wash Phoenix twice whilst we were there as she kept going into the mud on the banks of the adjacent river Cherwell.
If you read the books you will be familiar with this boat, Muddy Waters, which can be hired by families.
At bakers lock we entered the River Cherwell which did not look too dramatic but was just below the Red in Amber so the advice was to proceed with caution. It was the fastest we had travelled in a long time and soon reached Shipton Weir Lock where we moved back onto the safety of the Canal system.
I think Phoenix had had enough of being in the boat and was trying to tell us she wanted to get off.
We moored up for the night in Thrupp where there was plenty of room on the 7 day mooring. It is an old canal settlement and has lovely old cottages adjacent to the canal. Later I took Phoenix a lovely walk back to the church and then up onto the main road by Kidlington Airport and back over the fields to the Boat inn.
Today was the first time that we have seen a Heron and that was on the side of the River Cherwell as it runs parallel to the canal.
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