Hill

Napton-on-the-Hill – you'd imagine you were in for a long series of locks. Actually, the Oxford Canal circles around the village-on-a-hill, and the flight you then have to climb, still named after the village, is up a different hill altogether. But the Napton hill does offer some splendid vistas to its worthy inhabitants.

The windmill has sails, which is more than can be said for the one at Braunston (unless they'd been removed for maintenance).

The houses have a very pleasant prospect,

since I assume the hill the locks ascend hide the huge mountains of silt we passed a couple of days ago. Mind you, one of the houses seemed a bit brash, without quite the same touch of class.

While, down below, a couple of residents were making do with a definitely inferior brand of habitation.

For a boater, Napton-on-the-Hill is mostly something to be gazed at from afar. Its village store is excellent, but it's a long, hot walk up too many contour lines on a day like today.