Karen and I got married on
8th August 2009 and spent the following week with seven of our
children on the western end of the Kennet & Avon canal. We hired an Alvechurch boat from their
Hilperton marina.
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Our hire boat decked out
with wedding ribbons
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To start the trip we
headed to Bath as most of the children had never visited the city before.
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One of several bike
sculptures on the way down to Bath
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There are a couple of fine
aqueducts across the River Avon but their true majesty can really only be seen
from the river level. Sorting through
the old photographs I could only find ones taken as we crossed the aqueducts.
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Crossing the Avoncliff
aqueduct (Sophie driving and Jake reading – both ignoring the newlyweds!)
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Crossing the Avoncliff
again on our way back (Polly keeping look out and Joanna reading)
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Dundas aqueduct (Polly and
Joanna pointing out which way to go)
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We bought our first narrowboat
after this trip and were based on the K&A for a couple of years before
becoming ccers and venturing farther afield.
We have fond memories of Avoncliff as it is one of the best places we
have found for ransoms (wild garlic leaves); the best we have found is near
Preston Brook at the top end of the Trent & Mersey canal.
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Pretty houses at Avoncliff
(the Cross Guns pub and microbrewery sits behind the houses and is well worth a
visit)
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Most of the bridge and
bankside stonework is quite ornate in Bath and very different from most other
cities that canals pass through.
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Sydney gardens footbridge
in Bathwick
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In the background of the
picture above is Cleveland House sitting on top of Cleveland House tunnel. Cleveland House was the headquarters of the
canal company until 1864. Tolls used to
be collected through a trapdoor into the tunnel roof.
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Karen musing on a stone
bridge
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The number of boats using
the Bath end of the K&A has vastly increased since 2009 and places like this would be full of double
moored boats now, just like London.
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The quieter mooring times around
Bathampton
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Not sure what Catherine
was doing here
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Looking at the picture
above reminds me that gangplanks are required at most mooring spots on the
K&A. Some people find this annoying
and put the canal down because of it. As
we cruised mainly the K&A and Thames in our early boating years it was the
norm for us and we found it strange once we started going farther afield onto
waterways where gangplanks are not required.
Once we had been to Bath
we turned round and headed hack east to visit Devizes.
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Bottom of the main flight
at Caen Hill in Devizes.
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We didn’t have enough time
to do the flight but walked up to the top to get ice creams.
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Side pond with heron on
the walk up the flight
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Karen with Catherine and
Joanna
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Jake, Sophie, Polly &
Lauren
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Each lock in the flight
has a side pond to help conserve water – great views across Wiltshire
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| Colourful boats moored above the top lock of the main flight |
We travelled 40 miles through 31 locks during the holiday.
