The Oxford Canal is a 78 mile (130 km) long narrow canal in
central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby.
It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union
Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to
the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction just outside Coventry.
The Oxford Canal passes mainly through the Oxfordshire,
Northamptonshire and Warwickshire countryside, and is often
considered to be one of the most scenic canals in Britain. The
canal was once an important artery of trade between the English
Midlands and London, but is now highly popular among pleasure
boaters.
A new series of canal side caches is springing up along the
banks of the Oxford canal to join those that already take us there.
If you place a cache along the Oxford canal feel free to use any
components from my pages that you feel is appropriate and contact
Messe to have your cache added to the Bookmark list.
This small lock and lock container is a few yards along the
towpath from an aquaduct, a viaduct, two railways, a river and a
canal .. and just to top it off .. a county boundary as well.
The reason this cache is called Borderline is of course the
county boundary that runs along the aquaduct and thus the river
below. So you can stand astride Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire
here. There is another reason for the name though; this cache is
separated from its neighbour (Alpha Quest A), by just the canal and a small
amount of land across the railway line you may never see unless a
train passes you whilst you are there. In terms of distance as the
crow flies it is a "borderline" distance according to the rules our
moderators have to work with. I think we are qiute a little further
than the minimum 528 feet here though and should be safe
The pub near the parking serves a decent pint, I am told and
used to serve one of the railway stations nearby. Today its nearest
business is the chandlers yard and a canal side shop where
ice-creams and teas can be found as well as some maritime
goods.
Below you will see a stylised map of this stretch of the canal
from Oxford up to Banbury.