Retirement with No Problem

Moored Barby, Oxford Canal

It wasn’t so bad here today, the sun shone this morning and I took the girls for a short walk along the dismantled railway line close by before returning to No Problem to try to clear a bit of bookwork. I say try, I always seem to be distracted and start doing something else like my mapping which is a new project for me, but I never seem to have time to do it!

Anyway after lunch I looked out of the window and couldn’t resist getting memory-map out to see what footpaths there were towards Willoughby to the south east of where we are moored.  I gave Ann on NB Moore2Life a shout and we set off with the K9s.  Although the sun was out, we had to wrap up against the cold wind.

Plenty of paths over some really delightful countryside then, and it wasn’t too long ‘till we got to Willoughby…

What a lovely village this is.. here the village pond and just a bit further on the vicarage on the left and the church in the centre. 

From there we headed back to the canal towpath across the fields.  It was great training for Meg (the young collie of 9 months old) today, as a lot of the fields had ewes and lambs in them.  Total control from her.. in fact she is becoming a well behaved and obedient dog, I am really pleased.

Just a brief stop for about 10 minutes sheltering up against a high hedge while a vicious hailstorm went past.. those things really sting the face they do!.. the dogs were not impressed with them either and their tails went down.

It wasn’t long before we were off again and soon joined the Oxford Canal towpath at Navigation Bridge 85 at Willoughby Wharf, turned left and walked back to our boats.

Ha no sooner had I praised British Waterways about their towpaths I now have to report the very same in a terrible condition between that bridge and Barby.. Look at this!!

The sides of the canal have no protection against the steady stream of boats that pass.. not all going too fast at all, there is wash coming off most of them which is eroding away the banks.  Until BW shore them up, us walkers are going to have to put up with more of the above I feel.

Oh and false alarm at Harecastle Tunnel, it wasn’t a WW2 bomb at all.  It was a bit of an old gas lamp!!