It doesn't seem five minutes since Claydon locks were on short hours in order to save water and we were worried about running aground down at Twyford wharf. Well folks those worries are over and we have huge amounts of new waterway available.
Why stick to the canal when you can pull over onto the fields and even the streets in some places? You could moor up right outside a corner shop and save all that carrying back to the boat -if it wasn't for the fact that all the goods in the shop are a bit soggy. Come to think of it, why go under Evesham bridge when you could probably cruise round the side of it and then carry on down the Avon. You'd be in Tewkesbury in half an hour with your crew enjoying the waterskiing on the end of your mooring rope. Endless fun.
I think the lovely guys at our marina have been going round lengthening the mooring ropes in case boats are pulled under by the rise in level. I would think large parts of the S Oxford canal are un-navigable. Apparently a lot of the towpath is submerged below Banbury and I wouldn't mind betting that top lock gates are overflowing all over the place down that way. I've had to paddle across some of them in the past when the canal wasn't nearly so high as it is now. Here's a link to the Banbury Guardian showing the flood waters pouring over the path and into the canal. Apparently a few of the villages on the Cherwell flood plain are in trouble.
Joking apart, is anybody out there actually doing any boating?
HERBIE! Journeys on our narrowboat and the trials and tribulations of maintaining her.
2 comments:
The levels are high in Oxford on the canal. Both paddles at Isis Lock are currently open, the Thames only being a few inches lower.
Talked to someone at your marina today, apparently the levels have gone back down to normal now.
Pip NB Oleanna
I know it's not a funny situation, Neil, but you did make me laugh with this post. I had no idea the flooding was so bad. We've had huge amounts of rain here too, but we have a) the Dutch engineers, who manage all these things, and b) flat country, so flash floods are less of a problem. By the way, I loved the article. I've never been on a 'toe path' before. The image was very entertaining. I sometimes wonder at the standard of journalism these days, though. Even the headline could do with a clean up!
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