A small project finished and a walk around two Villages.

My side hatch has been a security worry from day one, a lot of reports into break-ins of narrowboats cite entry being gained through the side hatch, mine is secured like a lot are with two little brass bolts, one top and one bottom, externally there is a nice small gap where the doors overlap just the right size to put a jemmy in and force the doors, I proved how easy this was when I locked myself out and gained entry through my fronts doors which were secured in the same way, a spanner was my only tool and slipping it in the gap between the doors I snapped both bolts and was into my boat in around 15 seconds, I have since upgraded the security on those doors! 

So after a lot of thought I came up with this solution.

Original with small bolts top and botom

A 5mm steel triangle to fit

Plate bolted to right hand door

Captive bolts on left door and wing nuts to secure

This secures it moderately easily (slip on the wing nuts and tighten) if I am leaving the boat for any length of time and the four visible bolt heads externally (cup heads so not undoable from outside) should deter any attempt, but I would like to see the rascals get those open now without an angle grinder. It’s not that elegant but preferable to finding my home trashed.  

My mooring is about equal distance from the villages of Tackley and Kirtlington with each about a mile away, so this morning I took a walk to Tackley. A footpath leads the way in from the canal. Picture captions will tell the tale.

Footpath crossing the river Cherwell

Skipping merrily through fields and meadows

Passing some of the locals

To reach the rail station which signals the start (for me) of the village or the end if arriving by road

The mandatory Thatched Cottage, I wonder what he wants?

Terraced houses on one of the 'main' roads

More terraced houses, shame about the cars and bins

There was a volunteer run local shop in the village hall, but not very picturesque, I did buy some milk spuds and a loaf to help the local community out.

Then this afternoon it was along the bridleway and into Kirtlington.

Along the bridleway passing the rear of Jane's teas it's canal facing really

and not open til 15th August, perhaps Jane's on holiday.

A new modern development at the end of the bridleway just before the village

Not bad eh, but where's the nearest nightclub?

Well the Dashwood hotel and restaurant might do dinner dances?

The village hall tucked away at the end of the village

Opposite the village hall is the Church of St Mary the Virgin

Some of these small villages have very grand churches.

A small Thatched terrace nestled between the Oxford Arm pub and the Village store/Post Office.
 That would do me very nicely thank you. 

and finally this one, it's To Let if you are interested.

I would love to have posted all the pictures I took but I would have used a month’s worth of data allowance on my Wi-Fi, for beauty Kirtlington won me over most of the properties were in pristine condition looking almost as if they had been scrubbed clean, the pictures don't really show that, for convenience if you wanted to commute Tackley with its rail link would be the choice, I don’t think either would disappoint.