Braunston to Banbury

We recently moored in Braunston Marina, a location that is the historic heart of the canal system. This is where many of the old boating families were based and ran their fly boats on what was known as the “jam’ole’run”.

Braunston is at the meeting point between the Grand Union and the North Oxford Canals the two bridges are a landmark for this area. Heading south on the North Oxford has been a little emotional for both of us. This is the start of the region of the southern canals that we used to cruise with the children when we first got Heron back in 2009. When we bought our boat she was called Eostre, after the Saxon Goddess of New Beginnings – pronounced Easter. After a few problems with trying to explain the name to lock keepers we decided to rename her the next time she was out of the water. Apparently, it’s bad luck to rename a boat unless she’s on dry land.

This is quite a nostalgic time for us. The last time the boat came this way was when we were moving north back to our hometown to support elderly relatives. It’s been a traumatic time, so I think we’re both feeling a little melancholy, but there have been some fun moments too like when the pair of ducks decided to inspect the boat! Mrs Mallard bit me!!

Heading down the locks through Cropredy (famous for its annual Fairport Convention musical festival),

we saw that the marina we’d stayed in a for a few years has expanded again, now having three boat basins! The last few decades have seen a surge of interest in narrowboat holidays and ownership which in turn has created a demand for secure moorings. We’ve certainly found that the canals can be ridiculously busy and finding a visitor mooring can be a challenge unless you time it just right.
As you may have noticed, we usually like to moor in the middle of nowhere, off-grid as they call it. But sometimes, like this week, we need to be near to a train station, so we headed into

Banbury. It’s amazing how much a place can change in less than a decade. It’s not the best place for the dog, and on the way back from a trip to the cinema, she certainly knows how to make you feel guilty!