On the way to Bristol - part 2

Bradford-on-Avon

Continuing our travels westwards on the Kennet and Avon canal (K&A) we went through pretty Bradford-on-Avon:

Looking down from the bridge crossing the River Avon we saw this swan on her nest and got talking to a local lady who was also watching it.  She told us that the swan’s previous nest had been washed away by the swollen river two weeks earlier.  The silly thing (the swan) had built the new nest in the same spot!  She (the local lady) also explained that she spent as much time on the bridge as possible as she had previously chased some young yobs who were throwing stones at the nest.  By the time we came back through Bradford-on-Avon the nest was empty so we never found out whether the swan was successful.

Aqueducts

There are two major aqueducts on the K&A and they are both in this area.  They were both built to cross the River Avon from one side of the valley to the other.
First we came to Avoncliffe aqueduct.  We found the turns a bit tight when we hired a boat here years ago and grounded the boat in front of a crowd of tourists but were OK this time round.  There is a nice old micro brewery pub just off the aqueduct.  The banks along here are full of wild garlic; the smell is wonderful at the right time of year.  It is the leaves from this plant that are used in cooking so we made sure we took what we needed for the next few days.

Dundas aqueduct was next.  This is a honey pot for tourists; the old Somersetshire Coal canal joins at the aqueduct and has a rowing boat hire centre and cafes. 

Strange art/sculptures

Well, they were strange to us. I’m sure artists find them normal.  There were several of these pieces between Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.  Here are three that we managed to photograph.

Pumping stations

After Dundas aqueduct we went past Claverton pumping station.  Pumping stations were built at the same time as the canals and were/are used to pump water up to the higher levels. The highest level on a canal is known as the summit level.  The summit level on the K&A is 15 miles long, i.e. 15 miles without a lock.  The stretches between locks are called pounds.

Many pumping stations are open to the public and are fascinating to visit.  We had spent some time at Crofton pumping station (just west of Hungerford).  They say it is the oldest steam beam engine in the world that still works and is still in its original building.  I suppose they mean not restored and rebuilt in a museum.  It was here that we had the clever idea of pressure washing the boat.  Unfortunately the water pressure at the water point was not high enough to get the pressure pump working.  Still, it provided a good spectacle for the visitors to the pumping station who had wandered down to the canal for picnics or to gongoozle.  Here is a link to an informative video about the Crofton beam engines.

As regular canal travellers we get email alerts of breakdowns, blockages and stoppages etc. to help us plan our journeys.  Coincidentally I received this one yesterday; it would have been a bit frustrating if we were travelling through that area at the moment.

1 note

Polelathe on the way to Bristol

Devizes (where all the pubs sell 6X)

We spent a few nights in Devizes and found some quaint places.  My eldest sons Chris and Steve came down for a weekend to help with odd jobs on the boat and enjoy a bit of cruising.  I seem to remember that the Saturday evening was one of those where it seems a great idea to crack open the port.

Wootton Rivers

Unusual dial on this church clock at Wootton Rivers.  

Pewsey

Our good friends, John & Heather, joined us at Pewsey for a long weekend.  We had an unfortunate start on the Saturday morning.  Whilst filling up with water at Pewsey Wharf we heard a massive bang/crash and a white van had hit the side of the canal bridge and flipped over completely blocking the road.  As some of the bridge coping stones had been displaced the police put tape across the canal to stop us travelling until structural engineers arrived and passed it safe.  It was OK as there was a pub on the wharf right next to where we were moored and we weren’t driving anywhere.  When the engineers arrived they just pushed the loose stones into the canal and we were on our way. Would have made the repairers’ job more difficult as they would have had to retrieve the stones first.

We eventually got through and had a pleasant weekend cruising, albeit in a lot of rain, down to a place called Horton.  I believe we had another ‘good idea for port’ nights on the Saturday.  As we had two cars between us we had already stationed one car at the the Bridge inn in Horton to make it easy to go back for the other car once we finished cruising.  When we arrived we couldn’t find the key to the car at the Bridge inn so John and I had to cycle back to his car at Pewsey in the hope we had dropped the keys in his car on on the canal side.  Karen and Heather took refuge in the pub of course. It was rather a long cycle as we had cruised a long way assuming we would be using the cars,  All was OK in the end as I had dropped the keys in John’s car.

Traders

We have seen all sorts of boat traders but this guy has been the most interesting.  We bumped into him around Pewsey and he had made a polelathe and carried it on his boat (dismantled) and assembled it on the towpath to turn bowls and plates etc.

Limpley Stoke

My youngest daughter, Polly, joined us for a weekend with two of her friends.  We had a great weekend and found a good ice cream boat and saw our first book swap telephone box.