Tuesday, August 03, 2010

A bit out of touch and a few problems

We moved on down to Lower Heyford and found that there was absolutely no phone signal here.  Just 3 miles north we had a very strong and fast connection through Orange and T Mobile.  Here we got a space, TV and radio so not all bad.  Then Del and Al on Derwent 6 went by going north waving their arms and taking pictures!  We had intended to catch a train back to Banbury but they are infrequent and we did not see one stop.  We would need to be sure to get back the same day.  Apparently the driver would stop if you were on the station at the right time so we were told later.
Found some expensive bread n milk, oil and filter at the boat yard.  Oxford Narrowboats were very busy on their turn round day with lots of boats waiting for families to take them away for their holiday on the waterways.  They are looking for an engineer so just hope that they all get back later with no problems.
We walked into the village but it was very exclusive and quiet.  “I wonder where they get their bread n milk from.”  No shop or Post Office here, just a pub.
It was a noisy night with that railway just over the hedge so we turned round next day and got water before heading north.  A boat called No Problem arrived just as we had finished.  They had met Sue n Vic on the Kennet and Avon canal.  Two No Problem’s on the same canal!  Pity that there are really so many problems on that canal with many boaters reporting that the canal is ‘falling apart’ with lack of maintenance and consequently lack of water due to leakage.  Lack of rain does not help either.  The latest problem is the actual closure of the Leeds and Liverpool canal due to lack of water we are told.

2 comments:

Jim said...

Chas and Ann,
Admittedly I only did the section from Devizes to Bradford-on-Avon last week but I can say that I found the K&A in perfectly acceptable condition and definitely no shortage of water.
Jim

Mike Moorse said...

Chas and Ann

The nearest shop to Lower Heyford is in Steeple Aston - a little bit of a walk away. You used to be able to give them a ring and they would deliver but this was a few years ago. Looking on Google the shop is still there, opens for about 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, but would appear toi have changed hands in the last couple of years. Re phone signals, the only place I could get a signal on Vodafone was by standing on the footbridge over the railway