Off at 6.45 a.m. again in full glorious sunshine. As we left a large herd of cows was coming in the opposite end of the field and heading straight for the moored boats. There is no fence between the field and towpaths here!! Cruising along I suddenly spotted the torch on the roof where I had left it full on last night when I adjusted the TV aerial! Cows everywhere but no boats except for sudden flurry of activity at Allen’s Lock.

Came round a bend to find Lift Bridge B205 down, the first one closed of the holiday, Angela was in the shower so I was just going to moor up and sort it out when a kind passer-by stepped in and help me. We then stopped briefly at Heyford Wharf for water from 8.40 to 9.05.

At Shipton only a drop of 2ft 5 inches. Just before Thrup Wide at the narrowest stretch of the canal opposite a line of moored boats BW has two dredgers and a mudflat working on the towpath and the flood gate! Well work has to carried out and there was room to pass, even if it did make me concentrate!!

After mooring for lunch between 1.00 and 1.30 just after B 223, we finally moored just before Isis Lock at 4.45 p.m. to explore Oxford and to enjoy a meal at the Turff Inn in the city. The Oxford Festival moorings had cleared most of the ‘residentiary’ boats well out of Oxford so no problem mooring here.

Miles 17 Locks 11 Time 9.25 hours.