Lock queues.

5 Locks, 7 Miles, 2 Lift Bridges. Now moored at Heyford Wharf.
557 locks, 690½ miles, 18 Tunnels, 37 swing bridges and 15 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Another early start was the order of the day on Friday but with boats all going the same way we soon found ourselves 5^th in the queue for the first lock. We did meet the occasional boat travelling in the opposite direction which spread the boats out a bit. At Kingsground boats yard we stopped for diesel which was only 50p a litre. The site is under development and there is an on site lady who will sell you a pump out card but you have to ring the main office to get somebody to come down and dispense the diesel. Apparently the contractor who was developing the site for Kingsground went bust (familiar story these days) and until the liquidator has finalized the winding up of the business they cannot appoint another contractor. Eventually there will be a chandlery, shop and workshop on the canal side site.

The trip up to Heyford wharf was slow but it has been a beautifully hot day. After lunch we went for a walk up to Oxfordshire Narrowboats where we were hoping to find Doug and Clare of n/b Zanzibar who we met on the Thames at Reading. The boat was in the marina but the crew were not onboard. Normally they are in the yard on Fridays and Saturdays but for some unknown reason they were AWOL. We continued on a circular route around the village and along the towpath north of the village before returning to the boat. We were on the lookout for blackberries but they were very small which indicated lack of water early in the growth period. We had found some nice berries around Oxford bit insufficient in quantity.

Elderberries are in abundance so home made wine makers will have a bumper crop to make their favourite tipple.