January 23rd and 24th. To Banbury via Cropredy.

As promised Saturday was a dry day, although a bit grey. Just 2 miles and 4 locks to moor in Cropredy. As we entered the village, gardens backed onto the canal, including this one with a mass of fallen apples and a clump of snowdrops just opening.

 

 

We met a few other boats and saw a posse of off-road cyclists and a jogger. Positively bustling compared with recent days. We stopped in Cropredy to fill upon with water and to visit the shop. The Bridge Stores were advertised as we approached the village and we expected much. Unfortunately what we found was a rather sad and understocked Nisa type store in which we bought an onion and a postcard rather than the extensive list of supplies we actually needed.

 

Harold at the water point with the overhyped and under-delivered Bridges Stores in the background.

We moored on the towpath amongst the many WP boats. Robin did some fishing (but not catching)...

Jo went for a walk around the village which had some very pretty cottages and a nice church.

Cropredy Church.

A row of cottages with the Red Lion pub in the middle.

On Sunday we set off again. Three and half miles and three locks to Banbury. Lots of canoeists about. They do whiz past and manage to set even big solid Harold arocking. We went under the M40, which seemed very noisy after the quietness of the last couple of weeks.

After that it all went down hill a bit. The canal's entrance into Banbury is definitely by the back door; industrial and rather grim. We had identified a big Tesco's close to the canal. We stopped to moor but realised that the bridge across the canal was not accessible from the towpath and there was no way to actually reach the shop, even though it was just a couple of hundred yards away. We carried on rather despondently into the town centre. The canal has been tarted up but goes between a rather ugly shopping centre and car park. Robin was a bit stunned by the number and loudness of the people around, but then he has been on the boat in rural Warwickshire for nearly 4 weeks now! 

Jo went an explored the town which is a bit of a mish-mash and no supermarket except M&S. This evening Robin took Scooby for a walk further down the canal and found a Morrisons which we should be able to moor near tomorrow, which is a relief because we do need supplies.  We'll stay here tonight and move on tomorrow. Banbury is, quite frankly, not what we hoped for.