As we couldn't continue on the Leeds and Liverpool we had to try and find an alternative route home avoiding as much as possible of the canals we had travelled up on. There was no alternative to start with down to Castleford but from there we carried on down the R. Aire, Knottingley & Goole, New Junction and Stainforth & Keadby canals. At Keadby is the last remaining sliding rail bridge, a fascinating bit of engineering.

Back onto the tidal Trent with a stopover at Torksey before Cromwell lock and the non-tidal waters again. After the familiar towns of Newark and Nottingham we carried straight on at the junction with the R Soar onto a fresh section of the Trent and Mersey canal which would take us through Burton-upon-Trent to Fradley and the turn South onto the Coventry Canal and narrow locks.

A nice long lock-free section through to Atherstone where we were in a group all going and up nothing coming down; at lock 9 we discovered why – the next pound was dry. CRT managed to get the levels usable but the rest of the Coventry was 9"-12" low all the way to Hawkesbury. The N Oxford was much better and had good runs down to Braunston and up the Napton flight.

Pleasant weather continued and we continued our familiar path down the canal and via Duke's Cut onto the Thames and a quiet mooring on East Street in Oxford city centre.