Oxford Canal 2002
11-14 October 2002 - A Weekend on the Oxford Canal
Over the course of a long weekend (Friday afternoon to Monday
morning), we took a boat on the Oxford Canal from College
Cruisers in Oxford up to Upper Heyford and back...
![](../../images/2002/2002-10/canalmap.jpg)
![Shipton Lock on the Oxford Canal](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1945.jpg)
After a night at Thrupp, on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, Stephen steers our boat Exeter
into Shipton Lock
![Shipton Lock on the Oxford Canal, with the River Cherwell behind](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1947.jpg)
The lock is the point where (going upstream) the canal joins with the River
Cherwell for a short distance. Because of the small change in height, the lock
is very much wider than normal in order to pass more water down from the river
into the canal.
![Shipton Lock on the Oxford Canal](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1952.jpg)
As the boat rises in the lock, George climbs onto the foredeck ready to jump
off the boat.
![Lift Bridge 215 on the Oxford Canal](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1953.jpg)
Bridge 215 is typical of the many lift bridges on the southern Oxford Canal,
built to link fields bisected by the new-fangled navigation, at the least
possible cost to the canal company.
![Northwood Lock on the Oxford Canal](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1958.jpg)
Stephen operates Northwood Lock
![Henry on our College Cruisers boat](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1959.jpg)
Henry watching from the stern as the boat rises in the lock
![Lucy and George](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1961.jpg)
Lucy operating a lock with George helping
![George by a lock beam](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1963.jpg)
George on the move
![Lucy and George working a lock](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1964.jpg)
![George and Henry looking at the Oxford Canal](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1968.jpg)
Watching the world go by...
![Henry and George](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1973.jpg)
George relaxed about life, while Henry wants to be close to the camera!
![Oxford Canal at Upper Heyford](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1978.jpg)
Having turned round on Saturday evening, we moored at Upper Heyford. A view
of the bridge below Allen's Lock, with Henry again determined to be in the
picture.
![Mist on the Oxford Canal at Upper Heyford](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1982.jpg)
The mist on the surface of the canal early on Sunday morning.
![Oxford Canal at Shipton-on-Cherwell](../../images/2002/2002-10/img_1987.jpg)
A typical shot from the remainder of Sunday - rain, rain, and more rain! The
gate next to the boat in front of us is a stop gate, at the beginning of an
embankment south from Shipton-on-Cherwell, which can be closed in an emergency
if the embankment is breached, to prevent the entire canal draining away.
A holiday with two very contrasting days, weather-wise, but a
good break away from it all.
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