September 8, 2016. Day 3 on the Oxford Canal boat trip

LOCATION:  A few miles north of Oxford, England

WEATHER:  Beautiful.  Sunny. Highs about 70

I think we chose the best time of the year to make this trip.  I imagine that the traffic on the canals gets quite busy in the summer.  We have seen enclosed cabins for the pilot for severe weather.  Thankfully, Captain George has not needed this.

The boats are called narrow boats, canal boats or long boats.  You can see how they got their name.

 

We had a leisurely breakfast, then headed north.  Our destination was about 2 hours north designated as a turnaround point.  The boats are so long that there has to be a man-made wide spot to turn around.  We did the 3-point turn with great difficulty.  It was really tight.  Alexis and Graham pulling on the ropes, George steering, and me cowering inside.

We went through about 8 locks today, some really deep.

 

Graham's hands are getting calloused from cranking the lock openers.  He looks like he is lounging, but he is pushing the lock gate.

We stopped for lunch at this cute pub along the canal.

We have seen quite a bit of wildlife...ducks, geese, kingfishers, swans, coots, herons, and cows.....right next to the boat, getting a drink..

We traveled until about 6:00.  We can moor (free) almost anywhere along the bank.  We stopped at a place where the map shows a nearby pub.  After a lot of searching, we finally found it,  about a mile's hike  into the village.

Another great day on the water!

DINNER:  Beans and rice.