Adrian and the Caen Hill Flight of Locks.

Saturday 11th August 2018 outside Devizes.
M was up at 5:45, early enough to catch the mist rising from the water with a colourful sky behind.

As the sun rose, a bright shaft of sunlight shining through the bridge 'ole lit up the canal. Magic!

Guy was already on the lookout for Adrian, due to join us for the day to help us up the Caen Hill flight (his idea, honestly!).

Adrian appeared just after 9:00am, cycling down the towpath, having left his car in Devizes. After a sustaining bowl of porridge each, we set off towards the first of the locks about a mile along the canal.

At Foxhangers Wharf, there is a pumping station that is capable of pumping 32 million litres of water to the top of the flight, equivalent to a lock-full of water every 11 minutes. These days the pump is powered by solar cells next to the lock. Adrian and R looked at the digital readout that said that over a quarter of a million kilowatt-hours have been generated this year by the panels.

We waited for an hour here in the hopes that another boat would arrive to share the locks with us, but what did arrive was a wide-beam, which we waved through. As the wide-beam was going up, another boat arrived to go down, so the lock ended up in our favour and we decided to go on ahead on our own.
There are seven spaced locks before the main Caen Hill flight of 16 locks and the side ponds of these locks were full of pretty yellow wild water lily.

Approaching the bottom of the main flight, M walked through the old horse tunnel, which had also served for the tramway built along the towpath while the locks were originally being built in the early 1800s.

The workboat was in the last of the seven locks, on its way to Semington to repair erosion to the canal banks.

R and Adrian posed at the foot of the main Caen Hill flight, which stretches up into the distance behind Adrian's left shoulder.

The 16 locks rise 130ft 8in in three-quarters of a mile, an average gradient of 1 in 30. We started into the bottom lock (lock 29) at exactly mid-day.

Adrian quickly got into the swing of things, doing each lock with R while M went ahead to set the next lock.

About halfway up, we fell into conversation with a German family from Cologne who are touring the area. They were delightful. Marc and Johann, father and son, wanted to help with the locks, while Doethe and Antonia, mother and daughter, came on board MM for the ride up through the locks after both children had tried closing a lock gate together.

More teazels, now dry and brown and forming seed heads.

Towards the top of the flight there were very many gongoozlers (onlookers), while from the bank Doethe kept a watchful eye on her children, now both on MM.

As we entered the top lock of the 16, it started to drizzle. We left the top lock just on 3:00pm, so three hours for the flight with just three crew (plus help from our new German friends). We moored up just above the top lock on a 24 hour mooring that we used twice six years ago. Time for a group photograph in front of MM...

And another group photograph on the bridge looking back down the flight of locks, where we bid them farewell. We would not be at all surprised to hear that they hire a narrowboat for next year's holiday!

Finally, the three of us repaired to the café at the top of the flight for two cream teas and a sausage bap. Adrian then left to cycle back to his car in Devizes, it was so much fun to spend the day with him.

Today: 3 miles, 23 locks and 5.8 hours.
Trip: 200 miles, 111 locks and 130.8 hours.

Rain!!

Friday 10th August 2018 near Seend.
Yesterday evening, M photographed these teazels, jusy catching the rays of the setting sun.

The early morning sunshine was lovely but sadly rather short lived, as rain arrived by 10:00am.

We had moved up to the lock mooring to wait for a second boat to share the locks. A hire boat arrived
and we "buddied" up with  them and we were also joined by the "Waterbike" from yesterday - with a different volunteer crew as well as four extra volunteers to help them through the Caen Hill flight, which they planned to do today. Because the hire boat was quite short, we were able to get all three of us into each lock together.

R asked the gentleman on the "Waterbike" if he had invited his girl for a ride on his yacht! This amused them both but they said that they had volunteered independently and only met that morning.  They were smiling cheerfully, despite the rain which was just starting.

As we went into the first lock, R donned hat and waterproof! Probably only the second time this season that the latter has made an appearance.
There are five locks in this flight and we were now committed, so we soldiered on despite the rain becoming torrential. Luckily we had lots of volunteers as well as the crew from the hire boat, so M wisely decided to stay below decks in the dry (an occurence even rarer than the appearance of R's waterproofs!).

Everyone got very wet indeed. In particular the young lady on the waterbike, who had to stay on board in the locks to make sure it stayed clear of the narrowboats in the turbulence from the paddles as the locks filled.

Once we went through the top lock, we moored up for the afternoon behind the hire boat while the waterbike went on towards the Caen Hill flight with another 29 locks in front of them. One has to admire them.
R came back on board, changed out of his wet things and was rewarded with piping hot soup.

Just a week ago, we were eating salads, drinking ice cold drinks and treating ourselves to ice creams. What a change! Well, this IS England, after all.....
Not long after we moored up the rain stopped and the sun came out - typical! It gave the countryside a decidedly "John Constable" look.

The evening light was quite magical.

 

Today: 1 mile, 5 locks and 2.8 hours.
Trip: 197 miles, 88 locks and 125.0 hours.

The Wilts & Berks Canal and a Rubbish Waterbike.

Thursday 9th August 2018 at Seend Cleeve
A bright morning. Over the last couple of days, we've been chatting to Tony who lives in the Middle East, but during the summer months, he and his lady live on a huge Aqualine widebeam called "Marimba". At 70ft by 12ft, it is one of the largest boats on the canals and is beautifully looked after and in immaculate condition. They were heading slowly towards Bristol. Tony was a delightful character and was intrigued by the Karcher that R was using to clean MM's windows - so R ended up cleaning their windows with it, much to their amusement!  They were impressed and Tony vowed to acquire one! We were sorry to see them go but hope that they might catch us up again on their way back from Bristol.

Notice that R is wearing a jumper! Much cooler this morning. M walked ahead to Sainsbury's a little way up the canal for a "few bits" while R washed down the other side of MM and filled with water. When M rang to say that she was ready, R let go and sailed up the canal to pick her up along with the "few bits".

At Hilperton Marina, we stopped to fill up with diesel. Happiness is full diesel and water tanks, and an empty poo tank!
Overhead a series of gliders were being launched by being towed up behind light aircraft. What a lovely day for it and there were clearly lots of good thermals as the gliders were climbing higher and higher.

M did three swing bridges today (not her favourite pastime). They are manually operated just to take footpaths from one side to the other but can still be quite heavy and stiff (only three tons!).

This is a very significant spot on the waterways where the Wilts & Berks canal used to connect the K&A from here to Abingdon via 42 locks over 52 miles. There is a very active restoration group but it will be many years before it could be reopened. Not only will it one day be very attractive cruising but it would also make a brilliant "ring" with the River Thames and the K&A canal.

The information board gives a better picture of the route.

The canal originally passed to the right of this house but, due to building work, a new site will have to be found for the junction. At the other end, in Abingdon, a new junction has already been created to circumvent a housing development but, at that end, the canal is only 150 yards long - so a long way to go yet!

The recent lack of rain has caused us some anxiety for the level of yield of this season's crops but this maize has reached a good height, which is reassuring. We love fresh corn on the cob!

Pretty Purple Loosestrife - it grows in abundance along the canal banks.

These are double locks and we shared them with a American family from Chicago, out on a hire boat for the first time.

We travelled alongside a volunteer "Rubbish Cyclist". It is operated by the "Waterbike Collective" and a different person volunteers for each day, collecting rubbish as they go. The "Cycle" is scheduled to travel all round the canal and river network over the summer. What a brilliant idea and very public spirited!

The aim is to cover 1,000 miles and pick up a million bits of rubbish, so far they have picked up over 70,000 items! This is their route.

Mooring places are at a premium on this canal, so we moored up on pins about three feet from the bank and with the stern firmly aground.

On the positive side, it was a lovely peaceful rural location with only the cows in the next door field for company.
A dramatic evening sky and rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Today: 7 miles, 2 locks and 4.3 hours.
Trip: 196 miles, 83 locks and 122.2 hours.

Three Quiet Days in Bradford on Avon.

Monday 6th to Wednesday 8th August 2018 in Bradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is far too pleasant a place to go rushing off and we passed three very agreeable days here.
Our journey back from home on Monday was fast and very comfortable on one of the new GWR Hitachi trains.

The pretty little station at Bradford on Avon was designed by Brunel and, coincidentally, it is the station upon which the buildings for R's 00 gauge railway model of Havant are based.

It was very hot as we walked back to the marina where MM was moored, so we called in to the café next to the lock on the way (on the right in the photo below). It has to be one of the best tea rooms that we have visited in terms of the warmth of its welcome. It's still run by the same smiling family who were here six years ago when we last came through.

The marina is about a mile further along the towpath and since the towpath was in full sun, we were very pleased to arrive and find that MM was in quite a shady spot.

As it was late in the afternoon, we decided to stay in the marina overnight and were rewarded by a magnificent evening sky.

Next morning, after breakfast, we left the marina and returned to a mooring by the tea room. Jolly handy for breakfast - and morning coffee - and lunch!

A resident trip boat, the "Barbara McLellan" was just departing with a manifest of happy pirates.

The crew were clearly enjoying entering into the spirit of things!

This must be one of the most popular locks in the country. It is always a hive of colour and activity.

Wednesday morning's treat was breakfast in the tea room. As usual, M had the "full English" while R had a small tasty snack!

Yesterday, we had fallen into conversation with a couple on the towpath. They had never been on a narrowboat, so we showed them round MM and invited them back this morning for a short trip. Richard and Lorraine duly showed up as arranged and we set off through the lock with Richard wielding the windlass.

M was impressed by the hanging baskets on the wall of the pub as she and Richard walked down from the lock back to MM, now moored below the lock.

We turned around on the other side of Avoncliffe Aqueduct and Richard tried his hand at the tiller on the way back.

A C&RT volunteer was on duty as we went back up through the lock so we were able to stay on board as the lock filled.

We moored back up near the tea room and the four of us went in to have a coffee together before Richard and Lorraine left to return to Bath, hopefully with happy memories of their trip on MM.
3 Days: 4 miles, 3 locks and 7.6 hours.
Trip: 189 miles, 81 locks and 117.9 hours.