January 4, 2023
On January 1st we made our way
through heavy winds back to Lower Heyford where our journey first began. Our
friends, Mike and Diane, were due in town around 3:30 and were staying at the
one and only B&B, The Heyford House. We were set to meet up with them soon
after they arrived late that afternoon.
We had to drive the boat to the marina and
use the intensely tight winding hole to turn around and aim ourselves
‘upstream” to join our friends once they were settled on their boat the next
day. David did an amazing job maneuvering around the many boats tied up on all
sides. There were many more boats moored at the marina than when we started our
trek. Diane told us that David Dare owns 10 live-a- boards and 60 rental boats.
We also found out that he and his partner have rebuilt all those boats usually
gutting them and redesigning and rebuilding the interiors.
We had time before connecting with Mike and Diane so had a pleasant walkabout in Lower Heyford. What we saw was a rather upscale community. We were told that it serves much like a “bedroom” community since the train station is right there in town. We found the local pub, The Bell, opened so enjoyed a Guinness together. They had been opened since 3 am the night before for New Year’s Eve. Wish we had been in town for the big bash. We found out from Diane that David Dare owns the pub, too!
It was so exciting to see Mike and Diane walking toward us later that day. Two couples from little ol’ Calaveras County finding each other thousands of miles away in jolly old England. What fun! We were going to start at the pub and have a celebratory drink but decided that since it gets dark so darn early, we would head straight to our boat for a chicken dinner. The pub was not serving meals but luckily, David had bought out the butcher’s sale items in Banbury just days before so we were set.
In the morning we strolled the town again
and came upon two workers repairing a stone wall. David was curious about the
process so struck up a conversation with the older gentleman who was quite
willing to explain how the job was being done and even whipped out his phone to
show us several other stone wall projects he had completed. Quite impressive. He said the job he was doing
that morning would be about a thousand pounds in cost. He called it “village
prices”. We also walked past several
brick homes with thatched rooves covered in a type of chicken wire. People
casually walked in the middle of the road and drivers crept along slowly. As
the villagers passed us, they offered a warm and friendly, “Happy New Year”.
We ended up at the marina hoping to see David Dare. We found him working on the Fullaway boat, The Duchess. We knew things were not going well when we heard some rather colorful language coming from inside the boat. David came out holding a pipe fitting that was malfunctioning causing a major leak. He was visibly frustrated and angry at the situation. He was under the gun to get everything “shipshape” for the Fullaways who he was to pick up in about an hour. We decided it was best for us to keep walking.
The woman in the office had come out to greet us saying that she had seen us on her surveillance camera as we entered the back gate from the meadow. She shared with us a video she had captured of a ginger cat walking backwards on the narrow runner of one of the boats at the marina. She was so concerned about its safety but figured it must be someone’s boat cat. We looked for the cat as we passed by the moored boats but saw no sign of it.
We were hoping that we would shove off around noon after Mike and Diane’s orientation. It was a lovely sunny day, and we didn’t want to waste it. But things just were not running all that smoothly for David Dare that morning. He was finding all kinds of things that needed tending on that boat. We finally heard a horn on our starboard side and saw The Duchess pulling over in front of us. David Dare was aboard giving instructions, and Diane stepped on shore to work the electric draw bridge. When I joined her, David Dare told me he was taking them through the first lock and suggested that we should go on ahead which we did.
By the time we both got through that first lock, it was late. We were hoping to reach Aynho and have a pub meal, but decided after about an hour, that before it got any darker, we should tie up and call it a day. We had lamb chops and pork chops that evening moored near a picturesque lake.
I asked Diane if she was feeling
overwhelmed by all the information she was trying to process. She said, “This
is hard work. It was difficult understanding David’s accent at times, so I am
still a bit confused over the names of things. He talks so fast!”
I assured her that she will soon get the hang of it, and it will become
routine. I also tried to lessen her anxiety by sharing that I have made many mistakes
and some of them more than once. It’s
just part of the learning curve. All I know is… It was certainly much more fun
having Mike and Diane working the locks with me rather than doing them all by
myself!
Mike and Diane really got a taste of canal boating with the Hitchcocks yesterday. We provided a 6 hour journey with 7 locks accompanied by a large dose of rain and wind. What could be better? I was impressed that Diane was ready to take over the tiller and even navigate under drawbridges. She’s a natural.
As we moved along, we were noticing the high water level in the canal and the flooded meadows with runoff straight into the canal. This did not seem good at all. As our boats met up, Diane shared that a man came out of his boat and warned them about the flood waters and that they may not be able to get under the next bridge. He warned, “Once you commit, there’s no going back. I am going to sit it out and wait.” We pulled over to consider our options.
Mike and Diane leading the way
Dave and Mike walked down to the bridge and lock to check out the situation. They returned convinced that they could make it through. The Duke was the first boat to attempt passage under the narrow and very low bridge and into the lock. Dave made it through with just centimeters to spare as we all held our breath. I was so anxious I forgot to photograph the event! Mike skillfully squeezed through, as well, and we were again on our way. David was thrilled that they had met the challenge and came through it unscathed. I was still questioning the reason for trying it in the first place. But that’s me, “Miss Scaredy Cat”
We stopped at the boaters’ station just at
the Banbury Lock. Mike discovered that there was no hose connector on his boat
so had to wait for us to finish filling our tank before filling his using our
hose. The bow on his boat seemed high, and we wondered if the tank had been
filled before leaving the marina. NOT. They also do not have a working washing
machine on board. David Dare is supposed to be meeting up with us tomorrow to
fix that along with the new refrigerator that seems to not want to work. He will also get a request for a proper hose among other items on
their list.
We are moored right downtown in the same place where David and I stayed on our way down to meet our friends. We went out for a Guinness and then found a place to eat. We settled on The Auctioneer Pub. Dave and I haven’t been all that pleased with the food in Banbury on our two visits here, but the buffalo wings were mighty tasty last night along with the dough balls dipped in the wing sauce. Diane was excited about trying a piece of Sticky Toffee Pudding which I had raved about on my blog. We ordered it for dessert but there just wasn’t enough sauce. It is our mission now to seek out the very finest Sticky Toffee Pudding in the land. A mission we enthusiastically choose to accept.
As we are being rocked by heavy winds this evening our thoughts go out to our friends and family in California who have faced torrential rains, landslides and flooded roads, and many who are now gearing up for more flooding and mighty winds, as well. Stay safe.
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