Saturday 15 September 2012

Gosty Hill and a hike around the northern reaches of Oxfordshire.

After stopping at Fenny Compton to purchase a service kit for our d.i.y. pump out at Lee San we have moved on to Claydon. On the inline moorings above the locks Gosty Hill is looking somewhat sad.


Originally a day boat for Stewart and LLoyd on the B.C.N. Built 1909 she was converted to a motor and had a wooden full length cabin fitted in 1977 and was used as a holiday boat. In 1999 the cabin was removed and a steel back cabin fitted.

Since then Ian and Alison have traded on her on the North Oxford, Coventry and Ashby Canals but have now decided to give up the round and sell her. They'll be missed by all the boaters on their run. So if anyone fancies a life as a working boatman here's your chance.

The parish church of St James the Great at Claydon, early 12C. in parts and with a very early clock in the 14C. tower, it does not have a face but strikes the hours. Unfortunately we have yet to find the church unlocked.
We walked along a bit of the Macmillan way today, the full path is 290 miles and runs from Boston, Lincs. to Abbotsbury in Dorset, we covered about a mile and a half of it but it was through wonderful Oxfordshire country side.

Through stubble fields awaiting the attention of the bailer and to the top of  the hill by Highfield, once a farm

but now empty. There were views in all directions.


We were then off the footpath and onto minor country lanes, passing the delightfully named

Appletree Farm, sounds like somewhere out of Enid Blyton. The oddly shaped building to the right was once a dovecot, now a des. res. It was another couple of miles back to the cut, the boat and a welcome cuppa. One of the problems with living on the canals is that the legs become unused to climbing hills, one can only assume that the exercise is doing us good.

Watch this space........

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