Farewell to the K&A.

Friday 12th October, 2012 in Reading.
We woke to a bright morning, most welcome. However, we were dismayed to see the state of MM after the rain, the conkers and leaves from the horse chestnut trees and the little gifts from the birds that appeared to have set like concrete.
One of the buildings that we walk past on our way to the shops here has a large conference room on the ground floor. It has been full all week with about 40 people, presumably on some kind of "course." They were all concentrating very hard and looking terribly serious (which was no doubt a clever front to conceal their boredom). As we walked by, with a great effort, we resisted the urge to hold up to the window a big placard with the words "It's ... all ... B*llsh*t". At least it would have livened things up a bit for those inside!  
We were low on water, so we sailed across to Reading Marina on the other side of the Thames and filled up with water and diesel. On the way, we passed our friendly Heron at Blake's Lock.

The Marina is in an old gravel pit and is very well equiped. At the service moorings was a brand-new wide-beam that had been launched that morning, but it had a lot of problems. Apparently it had been lifted incorrectly on to the truck and, as a result, the shell had flexed, all the granite work surfaces had cracked and some of the flooring had lifted. Ouch!

On the way back, we passed the familiar gasometers at the entrance to the K&A. They looked quite spectacular against the clear blue sky.

Back beside the Oscar Wilde Walk, we moored up (but this time away from under the horse chestnut trees!). R spent the afternoon cleaning the whole of the outside of MM, removing the debris and muck. That night we discovered that, in fact, the trees had been shielding us from the very bright security lights that surround the prison and stay on all night. Consequently, the bedroom was as bright as day all night! Not conducive to a good night's sleep!

So, after four months, we are about to leave the Kennet and Avon Canal. What a journey of discovery it has been. We've seen so much and we've learned so much. It's been fascinating to do a "there and back again" route (Reading to Bath and back), partly because one gets such a different perspective on the way back. It's an interesting comparison between the outward journey and the return; on the outward journey, everything is new and exciting, one never knows just what is around the next corner. The return journey is, by comparison, familiar territory, and lacks that frisson of anticipation, yet is comfortable and reassuring in that one knows what to expect (and where the shops and good mooring spots are!!).
Thank you to the K&A for a brilliant summer!
Today: 1 mile, 2 locks and 2.0 hours.
Trip: 300 miles, 309 locks and 274.1 hours ( 428.0 total).