June 1, 2018

I promised to tell you about the only lock along the way that I didn’t pass through.  Well this was the one.  When I was at Pinkhill lock the lockkeeper warned me that he was opening up the weir in order to increase the flow so that the storm surge from the heavy rains would pass through without causing any flooding.  Because of this increased flow they were initiating a red warning which was intended to discourage boats from travelling until the water level fell.  For me in my canoe this simply meant faster moving water to help me on my way.  However the lockkeeper at Osney Lock had allowed three narrow boats into the lock and she would not let them through until the red warning was cancelled.  So I was stuck on the mooring above the lock with a canoe weighing 90lbs and all of my equipment.  Fortunately I had met six guys in three canoes earlier who were paddling the river as a fundraiser for Meningitis and when they saw my predicament they unloaded my canoe and carried everything down below the lock