Month: April 2026

Here… near Cropredy

Not quite in the village as yet. Located out in the wilds.

Life is very quite here. I have the geese. The fields. The cows and the crows.

Varney's lock - Oxford canal
Varney’s lock – Oxford canal

There’s the odd boater who stops beyond the bridge and the odd boater that stops with me here, before the locks.

There’s a fair bit of traffic coming through. That’s through from the marina, Cropredy Marina or the locks. Claydon.

A few every day. Weekends more busy.

It’s very peaceful here.

Fenny Compton - Tunnels
Fenny Compton – Tunnels

I actually moved down four weeks ago, but due to time restraints and some technical problems, haven’t got round to writing and uploading.

Fenny to Cropredy

Although people stop in between. It doesn’t appeal personally, to little mobile and solar. No roads. No shops. No nothing… Better to enjoy passing through…

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Bonnie Journey – Cosgrove to Fenny Compton (44 Miles)

Taking overnight stays in Gayton, Norton Junction and Napton along the way!

Moored at Grand Union Iron Trunk Aqueduct
Moored at Grand Union Iron Trunk Aqueduct about 100 yards from the aqueduct itself.

Back out in the sticks

Spring is here. At least in theory.

Whilst my stay around Milton Keynes, in the winter, was fine. It’s really not somewhere I’d continue to add my patronage to.

The idea of the boat, as I see it, is to provide the luxury of modern living detached from civilization, which it does quite well.

Milton Keynes is one of the biggest social housing projects in Europe. Although they throw trees, parks, shops and other attractions in, there’s no getting away from that fact.

I’m glad to be out of it and back out in the sticks.

Cosgrove's Ironstone Bridge
Passing under Cosgrove’s Ironstone Bridge in spring

Day 1: Cosgrove to Gayton in the Fields

A bad day weather wise. Wind and hail. Not ideal.

Just one set of 7 locks to get through at Stoke Bruerne, and the tiny ‘stop-lock’ at Cosgrove.

A view across toward the River Tove - Cosgrove
A view across toward the River Tove – Cosgrove

As I came out of Cosgrove, the weather was a little sunny. This soon changed as I got underway, and by the time I’d got my fuel and was ready to get underway proper, the bad weather really set in.

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