A "Kingsground" Day!!

Tuesday 7th August, 2012 at Bradford on Avon.
We were expecting Simon from Kingsground, but were a bit surprised when his van appeared driving down the towpath! He took advantage of the fact that there was a gate on to the towpath in order to get his van right up to us, so all his tools were close to hand.

Simon is our lovely engineer, who was part of the team that built MM and knows her inside out, so we were very pleased that it was he who came to do the 300 hour service. After a cup of tea, chocolate biscuits and an exchange of news, he set to work. He declared that all was well in the engine bay; the next service will be at 750 hours, which will be sometime next year at our current rate. He also attended to a few other jobs that needed doing. R helped him to remove and re-fit the solar panels, as water had got underneath them and started to blister the paint and to cause rusting and staining around the fixing screws. Cleaning the rust stains under the panels required a lot more elbow grease!

We just managed to get the job done before it started to drizzle with rain. After a very late lunch, Simon departed and we waved him off as he drove down the towpath into the distance.
Soon after, Annie and Paddy arrived. It was lovely to see them as the last time had been in February. We sat down and had tea and a catch-up. They presented us with the most beautiful sampler, lovingly stiched by Annie in the style of "arrival of a new baby" with a perfect picture of MM. It now graces the wall above the sofabed.

They were interested to see round MM as a fully equipped home, since the last time they saw her was at the launch, when she more resembled an empty show house.
In the evening, we walked into Bradford on Avon to find somewhere to have dinner. We decided that the Swan Hotel looked to be the best; it's a charming hotel right in the middle of the old town. It turned out to be the right choice as the food was excellent and good value. We walked back to MM via the Tithe Barn and then along the towpath before waving goodbye to Annie and Paddy.
Another super day!
Just 1.1 hours to charge the Batteries.

Congratulations "Curiosity"

Monday 6th August, 2012 in Bradford on Avon.
A bright morning, with the early morning sunshine driving away the mist.

After breakfast, we walked up to the Town Lock to reconnoitre canal traffic and moorings, as we wanted to find a 48 hour mooring for the next two nights. There were moorings free and the lock was in our favour, so R ran back to get MM while M opened the lock gates. Well, she tried, but the gate was very stiff so she couldn't budge it! Luckily, there were plently of good-natured onlookers to help her.

We were very pleased to see that Andy and Janine on nb "Scavenger" were moored up above the lock, so we took the opportunity to top up with diesel from them.

The early morning news brought tidings of "Curiosity's" safe landing on Mars. We were delighted, as we had known about its mission from our visit to NASA in Houston last January. Other news, from the Canal & River Trust, was that the Bath flight of six locks was closed for a week due to a gate problem and the Avon was closed to navigation due to heavy rainfall. It seems that we made the right decision not to go on to Bristol, as we would have been stuck down there until all the problems were resolved!
Kingsground was due to come today to do a 300-hour service on MM, but they phoned to say that they had a problem with their van, so they will come tomorrow.
We set off to explore Bradford on Avon, as we hadn't seen much of the town itself on the way down. It really is a little gem. It has charm and history from its previous weaving industry, and no big shops or chain restaurants!

An old Mill, beautifully converted to Apartments.

Back on MM, R set to washing down the roof of MM as it hadn't been done for a couple of weeks and with all the recent rain it was very mucky, requiring much elbow grease and scrubbing. M polished some of the brasswork. R's patent cleaner had worked well but the "acid" rain had spotted all the brass again.
Today: 0 miles, 1 lock and 1.9 hours.
Trip: 191 miles, 161 locks and 157.2 hours (307.2 total).

Heni's "Cafe on the Barge"

Sunday 5th August, 2012 in Bradford on Avon.
What a joy to hear the bells of Bath Abbey below as we had breakfast! It's been quite a strange feeling to be so high above the city, but it does afford the most splendid views.
So, this is the point at which we end our westward travels and start back east. We had decided not to risk the River Avon down to Bristol as, with all the rain we have been having, it keeps being closed to navigation.  Starting off this morning necessitated reversing a few hundred yards to the nearest winding hole (turning point) through some tight spaces between moored boats and under a bridge. Having seen no traffic all morning on the canal, just as R started to reverse, two boats came the other way!
We saw at least three boats with stag parties aboard, some of them we had seen yesterday although this morning (after the night before) they were predictably much more subdued!
Soon after we started, the rain began to take it seriously. We decided to moor up briefly at Bathampton, where there is a water point and a floating coffee shop that we had seen on the way down. The puddles are the evidence of the downpours!

A timely decision, as once inside the "Cafe on the Barge" the rain came down in torrents accompanied by thunder and lightning. We were a motley crew, all huddled inside to escape the weather - ourselves, two gentlemen cycling to Bristol, one local chap just out for a stroll, and the staff of three ladies, two of whom were Greek and the owner, Heni, was Hungarian. A fairly riotous time ensued with much laughter and banter. The coffee and cakes were great too! If you are passing, do drop in, it is definitely worth it even if its not raining!

Inside the "Cafe on the Barge"

The same weather pattern continued all afternoon, heavy downpours, thunder and lightning with occasional glimpses of the sun. Despite the rain, we had a lovely journey back to Bradford on Avon. The fallen tree had been removed and it was nice to see our dream house and nb "Tsitsikamma" again. We looked her up and she was Kingsground's 33rd boat, built in 2000 and she still looks great.

We were fortunate to find a mooring at Bradford on Avon opposite the Tithe Barn as there was a lot of activity towards the end of the day and queues for the lock. We will go through the lock tomorrow when it is quieter. We did walk up past the lock to reconnoitre and found that the K&A Canal Trust Cafe had closed early due to the weather. The fact that they had a neat laminated notice, confirms that it has been raining quite a lot this summer!

Kingsground is due to come down to MM tomorrow to do a 300 hour service on the engine.   After that, we have friends coming down to visit for the day Tuesday and Wednesday, so we will stay around here until Thursday.
Today: 9 miles, 0 Locks and 4.2 hours.
Trip: 191 Miles. 160 Locks and 155.3 hours (305.3 total).

A Surfeit of Cream and More Rollicking Buns!

Saturday 4th August, 2012 in Bath
The new day was heralded by a cacophony of sound, courtesy of a particularly raucous group of seagulls doing their best to wake the dead. One pities the local residents...
Heavy rain at first light gave way to intermittent showers, with the odd bit of sunshine in between. We decided to do the tourist bit, so we set off to explore the town on foot and by tour bus. Our first stop was at a delightful coffee shop by the name of Patisserie Valerie, a classy but friendly French transplant where the coffee was excellent and the ample cream patisseries were of the sublime kind that warrant the status of cardiovascular nightmares. Fortified by caffeine and a week's ration of cream, we struggled heroically to the open top deck of a tour bus that was just about to depart. Bath is truly a beautiful city. R hadn't been here for years and the last time M was here she was doing research for her A-level history course, but it hasn't changed all that much, thankfully. We enjoyed the ride, the commentary, seeing all the sights and the fact that it only rained a little.
The town was packed with tourists, mainly from overseas. We had hoped to visit the Roman Baths, but the queue ran all the way round the corner so instead we watched a man juggling fire while riding a 10ft uni-cycle!

The Abbey has the most remarkably elaborate and beautiful fan vaulted ceiling and was hosting an exhibition of illuminated calligraphy and embroidery with 35 panels telling the story of Jesus. Each piece was exquisite but the photographs of them on sale in the Abbey shop didn't do them justice.

As we wandered around the town, we saw an incredible window display, four windows each full of ancient sewing machines! M was thrilled, since some of them appeared to be of similar age to her own Singer machine which is 100 years old this year!

Later, we walked past Sally Lunn's again and realised that it was tea-time! So we decided that what we really needed was a cream tea. Half a toasted and buttered rollicking Sally Lunn Bun with oodles of cream and jam (R) or lemon curd (M) set us up for a bit of shopping in M&S! Perhaps we should have taken the Sedan Chair?

Slowly (very slowly after all that cream), we walked back up the hill to MM and then strolled along the towpath for a while towards Bathampton as it turned into a very lovely evening.
Just 2.1 hours today to charge the batteries.

A Wonderful Day's Cruising

Friday 3rd August, 2012 in Bath.
There were many boats on the move early this morning. There are always a lot of hire boats moving on Fridays, as most of them have to be back to their bases early Saturday morning. Today they found themselves moving in heavy rain. The forecast was dire, but about 10:30 the rain eased and we decided to set off towards Bath.
Two very friendly Canal & River Trust volunteers helped us through the town lock.

On the other side, we moored up opposite the famous Tithe Barn and walked down to take a look. The building is very impressive, particularly for its roof, the timbers of which have been dated to about 1350!

Contrary to the forecast, the sun came out and it then turned into a balmy day. The voyage down to Bath was a joy. Most of the way, the canal follows the contours along the hillside, so it is very reminiscent of the Llangollen or the Mon & Brec, in that it sits high above beautiful wooded valleys. All the guide books say that this canal gets better and better as one gets further west; well, it doesn't get much better than this....

We passed the house of our dreams, a charming large period cottage with its own mooring. Then we saw to our surprise that their narrowboat, nb "Tsitsikamma," was also built by Kingsground!! Obviously people of good taste!

Shortly after, came the drama of the day. A large tree, dislodged by all the recent heavy rain, had slid down the bank and fallen across the canal. A narrowboat was already stuck trying to get through. R to the rescue with our bow saw! Half an hour of struggles later, we were all through. 

We crossed two delightful aqueducts, the Avoncliffe and the larger Dundas, both of which cross the river Avon far below. Just past the Dundas aqueduct is the junction of the old Somerset Coal Canal, which is still in water for a short distance as a marina, but looked very sadly abandoned.
We continued down to Bath itself, the canal is a delight all the way. We moored up in a lovely spot just before the top lock of the six locks that take the canal down to the River Avon.

There was only one space available and we were not sure that MM would fit, but she did - with just a few inches to spare!

The River Avon is running very fast after all the recent rain.  Going down to Bristol at the moment with such a strong current would be "exciting" and fighting our way back up again against the current would be tedious, so we have decided to turn here and start back east on Sunday. When we stopped the engine, we saw that MM has done exactly 299.0 hours since new!
We walked down the towpath to see the six locks that we're not going to do. "Thank heavens!" said M as she peered balefully into the vertiginous depths of the 19ft Bath Deep Lock.

We strolled back through the city and happened upon the "Sally Lunn" restaurant. Sally Lunn, who lived in the house, was a French refugee who arrived in Bath in 1680 and invented the famous Sally Lunn Bath Bun. M was delighted, because the Sally Lunn was much celebrated by Gilbert and Sullivan in their operetta "The Sorcerer"; aficionados will remember "the rollicking, rollicking bun" in the banquet scene! Outside, the restaurant was advertising a two course dinner plus wine for £12.50 until 7:00pm. The Abbey clock had struck seven just seconds before we arrived, but they very graciously honoured the offer - and a truly wonderful dinner it was too, quick and courteous service and excellent food in the "oldest house in Bath."

Back at MM, we fell into conversation with Pete and Yvonne on nb "Alma Mary," our neighbour for the next couple of days. A fitting end to a wonderful day.
Today: 9 miles, 1 lock and 4.5 hours.
Trip: 182 miles, 160 locks and 150.1 hours (total 299.0 hours).

A Quiet, Wet Day

Thursday 2nd July, 2012 in Bradford on Avon.
A quiet day of mixed weather, sunshine (a bit) and rain (lots). R spent all morning doing Capture work while M sorted and lined the drawers under the dinette, something she has been meaning to do for ages. We took advantage of a lull in the driving rain to walk up to the K&A Trust Tea Room next to the lock.

On the way, we passed the nb "Warneford VC," which belongs to the RNAS at Yeovilton and is used by serving RNAS personnel for R&R after overseas duty such as Afghanistan. R.A.J. Warneford was awarded the VC for downing a German Airship on 7th July, 1915. He was killed just 10 days later.

Painting on the side of nb "Warneford VC"

After a brief stop at the tea shop, we headed off to Sainsbury's for a "few bits" as the rain started again. The rain continued all afternoon and evening, so we stayed in and had a stir fry (Guy thought he might get some too).

Finally, we listened to the Bach B Minor Mass from the Proms on Radio 3. A bit like the "Curate's Egg" - parts of it were excellent!
Just 2.1 hours today charging the batteries.

Many Meetings in Bradford on Avon

Wednesday 1st August, 2012 in Bradford on Avon.
1st August already? We've been out since the 25th May and what fun we have had along the way!
A pretty start to the day, although rain was forecast for later. M stood on the stern with her morning cuppa watching a pair of bullfinches feeding on seed heads. The swallows delighted us with their aerobatic displays, dozens of them skimming the water, swooping round the boat and even trying to land briefly on the tiller or on the roof of the boat - something that neither of us have ever seen them do before. A good sign though, for as long as they are still here then so is the summer.

Early morning (spot the gull!).

By 10:00am, we were moored up at Bradford on Avon Marina, the base for the Sally Narrowboats hire fleet. We filled one tank (water) and emptied the other (poo) and acquired a new gas bottle before leaving. Our previous gas bottle was the original one from the launch last October and had only just run out, so had served us well.
Bradford on Avon was only just around the corner and we found a very pleasant 48 hour mooring just a few hundred yards from the only lock on this stretch of the canal.
We did a quick inventory of our chest freezer; since it is a small "chest" type it's difficult to see what's in it, and to our astonishment (and amusement) we found that we had 18 chicken breasts in there! So chicken is definitely on the menu for the next few weeks!
Another day of more happy meetings. As we arrived, we were surprised to see Richard and Lizzie on nb "Dragonfly." We had expected them to be way ahead of us but it seems that they too had to leave their boat for two weeks. It was good to see them again and a very emotional Richard updated us on the gold success of the ladies' coxless pairs in the Olympics (and well done, Wiggo!!!). Shortly afterwards, Derek and Angela in nb "Braithwaite" arrived and moored in front of us to watch more of the Olympics.
We walked along the towpath to the little tea room beside the lock where we were warmly welcomed and treated ourselves to coffee and cake in delightful surroundings. Lovely oilcloth tablecloths and vases of fresh wild flowers on each table.
Outside the tea room, we met Sorcha and Will who were recruiting new members as "Friends" of the new Canal and River Trust that has recently taken over from British Waterways. We fell into conversation with them and ended up inviting them to come down to MM when they finished work. They must have been doing a good job because we signed up as "Friends"!

Guy with two new friends.

One more happy meeting - albeit electronic - we were thrilled to hear by email from Bob Blues back at Harefield. How lovely to hear from him again!
Today: 1 mile, 0 locks and 2.1 hours.
Trip: 173 miles, 159 locks and 144.6 hours (292.4 total).