Friday 22/5 Heyford Common Lock to Twyford Wharf

Not much to report today. Pulled pins at 8.00am. Our first lock of the day was Deep Somerton. 

Luck was with us again and just as Lawrence touched in at the lock mooring the gates opened and out came a boat. So Lawrence could drop me off under the bridge at the foot of the lock steps

You can see the damage the bridge has sustained from narrowboats colliding with it over the past 200 odd years as they try to line up the lock

This is what it is like, looking out the kitchen window when you go under a lift bridge, it's a tight fit on most of them.

Coming up to Aynho Wharf  through long lines of permanent linear moorings under a drizzling grey sky - very English

Here is an even better example of of bridge damage caused by narrowboat - roofs in this case.

At 11.00am we stopped at The Pig Place. I told you about it earlier this week. I thought they had a laundromat type arrangement, but it is a laundry service. So I had to unpack all the washing, sort it by colour, go through pockets etc and put into two separate bags. The other downside was that whilst doing our washing and drying Sarah who owns and runs The Pig Place made coffee, cooked food and served it, ran the farm shop, cleaned up after diners, showed people around and introduced them to the pigs - you get the picture, the two loads of washing and incomplete drying took five hours. 

But while not completely dry, our clothes, towels and bedding are lovely and clean, which I'm sure L. will appreciate once he gets over the grumps resulting from the 5 hours of enforced idleness.

Washing eventually returned we set sail and motored on for a couple of hours and moored up at Twyford Wharf for the night.

Still waiting for answers to the latest quiz!!!!

9 miles, 3 locks, 5hrs