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.