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Welcoming party at
Cropredy lock
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My back wasn’t too bad on
Sunday morning so we decided to have the final push to Cropredy. It was only four miles and nine locks but we
knew the final mile and last few locks would take ages. The three-day Fairport Festival starts on
Thursday but boaters start pitching up a week or so earlier in order to secure
the best spots.
We last came to the
festival in 2013 when Alice Cooper and 10cc were the main acts. We arrived fairly late in the week then and
had to moor about a mile from the village.
It was gorgeous weather though and we took the canoe down each day and
paddled back again in the dark. We were thinking
about it yesterday and it must have been the year when we were between dogs as we
didn’t have a dog in the canoe with us. We wouldn’t have left a dog in the boat all
day either.
We went down the first
four locks of the Claydon flight and stopped for lunch. Karen then walked back to get the car and
move it closer to Cropredy whilst I rested my back.
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Claydon top lock
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Coming out of Claydon
middle lock
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We were headed for the
very centre of Cropredy as Mike and Lesley were letting us use their mooring
alongside their (building) plot during the festival. We are really fortunate as we are in the
centre of the village and therefore the centre of everything that’s happening
during the week.
Mike walked up to meet us
for the final four locks which was very helpful – Lesley was away at a guide
and scout camp. He arrived when Karen
was having difficulty winding up the paddles of Elkington’s lock so he timed it
perfectly. As well as a helping pair of
hands it meant we had an extra set of eyes for the last stretch where there are
boats moored both sides making it very difficult to negotiate.
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Approaching Cropredy lock
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Mike had warned us that on
the weekend before the festival, villagers gather at Cropredy lock to listen to
local musicians whilst raising money for charity. They raise the money by taxing walkers and
cyclists to come past on the tow path and also by operating the lock for the
passing boaters.
As I went into the lock
they raised a loud cheer to recognise that I got the boat in without hitting
the sides. Mind you, I expect they raise
a cheer when a boat hits the sides. The
guy in the lock cottage has barrels of beer and hands out a glass to passing
boaters for a charitable donation too.
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Raising my plastic beaker of beer
to the crowd – to yet another loud cheer
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Karen popped into the boat
to get some money and as she put it in the bucket yet another loud cheer went
up.
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| Karen eying up the drinks table |
As I left the lock I
couldn’t help but give the musicians some change too – after all they had
serenaded me through the lock.
We moored up and had a
look around the building works that had started this week for Mike and Lesley’s
new house. Mike then ran us back to get
the car. We really fancied taking Mike
for a drink at one of the two pubs but my back was playing up again so we were
sensible and stayed in for the evening.
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Hopefully we'll get some better pictures during the week
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