﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  

   CANADIAN 
  CANOE 
  

  

  By 
  R. 
  J. 
  Evans 
  

  

  WATER 
  has 
  always 
  had 
  a 
  fasci- 
  

   nation 
  for 
  me, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  my 
  

   holidays 
  have 
  been 
  spent 
  camp- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  waterways 
  of 
  England. 
  This 
  

   account 
  deals 
  with 
  my 
  most 
  successful 
  

   trip. 
  We 
  started 
  from 
  Oxford 
  up 
  the 
  

   Oxford 
  Canal, 
  which, 
  bearing 
  due 
  north, 
  

   brought 
  us 
  in 
  safety 
  to 
  Warwick, 
  where 
  

   we 
  embarked 
  upon 
  the 
  Avon. 
  

  

  Except 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighborhood 
  

   of 
  Stratford, 
  this 
  river 
  is 
  little 
  known 
  — 
  

   a 
  surprising 
  fact 
  when 
  one 
  remembers 
  

   that 
  for 
  beauty 
  of 
  scenery 
  and 
  historical 
  

   interest 
  it 
  is 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  Thames, 
  

   while, 
  as 
  providing 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  pictures 
  

   of 
  English 
  country 
  life 
  unspoilt 
  by 
  mod- 
  

   ern 
  innovations, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  Thames' 
  supe- 
  

   rior. 
  The 
  Avon 
  we 
  followed 
  to 
  Tewkes- 
  

   bury, 
  where 
  we 
  entrained 
  to 
  Cricklade 
  

   and 
  started 
  the 
  second 
  half 
  of 
  our 
  voy- 
  

   age. 
  

  

  The 
  Thames 
  needs 
  little 
  introduction. 
  

   Within 
  the 
  small 
  compass 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  miles 
  it 
  shows 
  just 
  what 
  is 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  in 
  English 
  scenery, 
  history, 
  

   and 
  modern 
  life. 
  The 
  monuments 
  of 
  the 
  

   past, 
  the 
  placid 
  and 
  prosperous 
  life 
  of 
  

   the 
  present, 
  the 
  quiet 
  pastoral 
  beauty 
  of 
  

   meadow, 
  woodland, 
  and 
  silver 
  stream, 
  are 
  

   seen 
  here, 
  and 
  all 
  at 
  their 
  best. 
  

  

  One 
  is 
  inclined 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  visitor 
  

   had 
  only 
  four 
  days 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  capture 
  

   a 
  true 
  impression 
  of 
  this 
  country, 
  he 
  

   would 
  do 
  well 
  to 
  spend 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  

   the 
  Thames 
  Valley. 
  

  

  THE 
  EQUIPMENT 
  FOR 
  TWO 
  IN 
  A 
  CANOE 
  

  

  Preparations 
  for 
  the 
  voyage 
  were 
  soon 
  

   made. 
  There 
  being 
  only 
  two 
  of 
  us 
  to 
  

   consider, 
  a 
  large 
  Canadian 
  canoe 
  was 
  se- 
  

   lected 
  as 
  the 
  easiest 
  craft 
  to 
  work 
  and 
  

   one 
  which 
  possessed, 
  in 
  addition, 
  the 
  

   virtues 
  of 
  roominess 
  and 
  portability. 
  A 
  

   light 
  gypsy 
  tent 
  was 
  carried 
  for 
  camping 
  

   purposes, 
  and 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  trip 
  

   no 
  trouble 
  occurred 
  to 
  cast 
  doubt 
  upon 
  

   the 
  wisdom 
  of 
  our 
  choice. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Oxford 
  on 
  a 
  sunny 
  August 
  

   morning, 
  we 
  paddled 
  slowly 
  north 
  to 
  

   Banbury. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  stretch 
  is 
  

   rich 
  farming 
  country, 
  marked 
  bv 
  that 
  

  

  peaceful, 
  settled 
  look 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  

   the 
  Midlands. 
  

  

  The 
  canal 
  winds 
  quietly 
  through 
  wav- 
  

   ing 
  poppy-starred 
  wheatfields 
  and 
  low- 
  

   lying 
  meadows, 
  with 
  the 
  meditative 
  cattle 
  

   standing 
  knee-deep 
  in 
  the 
  sweet 
  pastur- 
  

   age, 
  while 
  anon 
  a 
  bend 
  carries 
  one 
  past 
  

   woodlands 
  where 
  the 
  trees 
  meet 
  over- 
  

   head 
  and 
  form 
  a 
  canopy 
  through 
  which 
  

   the 
  sun's 
  rays 
  scarcely 
  penetrate. 
  

  

  At 
  intervals 
  one 
  comes 
  to 
  tiny 
  villages, 
  

   usually 
  clustered 
  round 
  the 
  old 
  gray 
  

   church, 
  and 
  looking, 
  as 
  they 
  dream 
  in 
  the 
  

   sunlight, 
  the 
  very 
  embodiment 
  of 
  ease 
  

   and 
  peace. 
  

  

  More 
  frequently 
  there 
  comes 
  a 
  lock, 
  

   which 
  affords 
  a 
  welcome 
  break 
  to 
  the 
  

   pleasure-boat, 
  but 
  which 
  presents 
  a 
  for- 
  

   midable 
  obstacle 
  to 
  commerce. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  only 
  sixty-five 
  miles 
  from 
  Oxford 
  

   to 
  Warwick, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  sixty 
  -three 
  

   locks, 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  spent 
  in 
  negotiating 
  

   these 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  reasons 
  why 
  the 
  

   canals 
  do 
  not 
  prosper. 
  They 
  are 
  small 
  

   in 
  size, 
  having 
  been 
  designed 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  

   man 
  can 
  work 
  them, 
  and, 
  admitting 
  only 
  

   one 
  barge 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  are 
  wasteful 
  in 
  the 
  

   extreme, 
  both 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  water. 
  

  

  BANBURY, 
  FAMOUS 
  EOR 
  CAKES 
  AND 
  

   A 
  NURSERY 
  RHYME 
  

  

  Twenty-seven 
  miles 
  from 
  Oxford 
  is 
  

   Banbury, 
  famous 
  for 
  its 
  cakes 
  and 
  its 
  

   nursery 
  rhyme 
  of 
  the 
  Lady 
  upon 
  a 
  

   White 
  Horse. 
  Nowadays 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  pros- 
  

   perous, 
  sleepy 
  market-town, 
  not 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  well 
  built, 
  but 
  having 
  a 
  few 
  fine 
  

   half-timbered 
  houses. 
  The 
  Globe 
  Room 
  

   at 
  the 
  Reindeer 
  Inn 
  once 
  had 
  some 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  oak 
  paneling, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   acquired 
  by 
  an 
  American 
  millionaire 
  and 
  

   now 
  decorates 
  a 
  mansion 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Four 
  miles 
  farther 
  on 
  is 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  

   Cropredy, 
  where, 
  on 
  June 
  Jc), 
  1044, 
  a 
  

   fierce 
  battle 
  was 
  fought 
  between 
  the 
  

   Royalists 
  under 
  Charles 
  1 
  and 
  the 
  Parlia- 
  

   mentarians. 
  The 
  scene 
  of 
  the 
  tight 
  was 
  

   the 
  old 
  bridge 
  which 
  spans 
  the 
  little 
  river 
  

   Cherwell, 
  and 
  which 
  still 
  remains 
  much 
  

   the 
  same 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  that 
  summer 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  278 
  years 
  ago, 
  with 
  the 
  church 
  tower 
  

  

  473 
  

  

  