Napton

We had returned from our holiday and hung around/outside Braunston until last weekend, retaining the car in order to visit the Crick Boat Show on Sunday.  The excellent weather over the bank holiday weekend was a real bonus for the show and visitor numbers seemed to be pretty high when we were there but whether that translates into boat sales who knows...  
On the Monday Joe went off with the car having arranged to get it serviced and MOT'd on the Tuesday morning before putting it back in storage.  On Wednesday I caught the bus from Braunston into Rugby to get a new phone from T-Mobile, the contract was up and my phone was on it's last legs anyway.  Thursday we had mail to collect from the Post Office so it was not until today that we finally made a move and left Braunston after our prolonged stay and what a lovely day to travel after all this wet weather we have been having.

We moored above the first lock on the Napton flight and I went and found Sue and Vic on No Problem who were moored 20 minutes walk away.   We have arranged to meet tomorrow for a drink; today being our  'fast day'* we don't drink any alcohol and on Sunday we have accepted, with a certain amount of alacrity I might add, an invitation to Vic's famous Sunday Roast!!

*(We have been following the 5:2 or IF (Intermittent fasting) diet for the last six months)

 Moored below Napton-on-the Hill on the South Oxford Canal

 

 Water Buffalo grazing  in fields alongside the canal

 

A view from the hill 

 

 Leaving Joe fiddling with final fittings on the latest solar panel I took the dogs and headed for an attempt on Napton summit...

 

 

 St Lawrence, the 13th C Church that occupies the top of the hill whilst the village it serves is scattered around the flanks of the hill below.  Houses up here in Napton village come with an enviable view...

See the deer grazing in the centre of the shot?

Hols

Sorry about the lack of posts lately but we are currently on hols with friends in the Malvern Hills.  We have just been in to see Yarwood's boatbuilder, Ian and Steve at Lambon Hull and Stuart at Barnowl Narrowboats for quick hello and how are you and this afternoon we are going to see Evelyn and Graham Booth, she of Lockside Antiques and he of the many articles and books on narrowboat fit-outs etc.
The dogs are staying in Norfolk with my brother, Yarwood is staying in Braunston and we are dodging rain showers in Worcestershire...hey ho

Fire door update

After posting about the padlocked fire door we had encountered last Saturday at the Old Royal Oak at Hillmorton Wharf I contacted the Local Authority, Rugby Borough Council, to report the safety breach and sent photo's to back up my concern.  Within the hour I got a response to say they were on their way to visit the pub. 
Hopefully this will be an end to the stupid and careless disregard for fire regulations demonstrated by staff and management at this pub.

Walking in circles

I have a preference for circular walks rather than the linear variety, they seem eminently more satisfying and throw in the clockwise or counter clockwise option and 'Bob's yer uncle, Charlie's yer aunt', a great walking route.  The other little option that I often factor in is my ability to got lost, if only just a little lost, time  after time.   This is exacerbated by a phone with battery on it's last legs as I come to the end of my contract, so GPS and mapping on the phone is not available when I want it.
I am thinking of buying a small solar portable charger for the new phone when it is time to update so that I don't find myself minus a map when I need one.   In the meantime, I will invest in an OS map of this area because the walking in the Braunston area is really rather good.

 

Heading out across country towards the village of Barby from Braunston I have climbed a hill and looking back, what a view!

 

Barby windmill now sadly minus it's sails

A style with a difference...see the plywood board hanging down

 

Now why would I be photographing styles you might ask... Well, as Jill of Nb Matilda Rose, would testify, styles are pretty significant when out walking with Floyd.   Fletcher just bounces over a style, easey-peasey and he will bounce back again just to show Floyd how to do it. 

Floyd just sits and looks at it and getting him up-an-over when it is not a dog friendly style is a real struggle.  So this style was a real treat and recorded here specifically for Jill.

 

The plywood board was hinged and here it is propped open so I could get the photo.  This proved altogether acceptable to Floyd and I continued our walk without the potential slipped disc from hoicking him over a barrier.
Shortly after this stretch of our tramp I expected to come over the brow of a hill and see the North Oxford canal...
Someone had stolen it or I had miscalculated.
I pressed onward.
Soon I came across a couple of other walkers, the first I had seen, and asked about the canal
'Where are you heading?' they asked
'Braunston.'  I replied.
'Blimey, that s long way!'
'Is it?' heart sinking...

Well as it turned out I hadn't miscalculated, well not that much anyway.  I was soon in sight of the ditch and joined the canal at bridge 79 which has been rebuilt over the winter.  Another hour's walking and I was back where I started, circle completed.

Bridge 79, refurbished with some new coping stones

 

The cheeks of the re built bridge protected from collision damage

Posh Nosh and the Re-launch

Last night we took ourselves along to The Admiral Nelson and had a meal; it was just excellent!!!

The dogs are welcome, which is always a bonus to us, so we took the boys with us and found a table at the end of the bar and looked at the bar menu.  We were soon presented with the restaurant menu and an explanation, 'We don't normally serve this in the bar but I have asked the chef and he said it would be okay'.
We chose a starter of seared scallops with chorizo, roasted pistachio and pea vine garnish and it was Divine.   For our main course we had a fresh pesto and tomato ravioli with the chef's garlic bread.  If you are in Braunston, give this pub a whirl I don't believe you will be disappointed.

 New owners and a game change in the Admiral Nelson

So this morning was re launch day and about 9.30 the digger was fired up and chains attached and Yarwood was gently shoved back down the slipway into the canal.

And there she be, floating.  All they have got to do now is get her out around the stern of Nesta, the tug, and Joe has to reverse down the cut to wind.