Now for the 'not so challenging bit ......'
Friday, 14th June 2013
Getting ready to leave Hungerford Marshes
We were really excited about going, it's been a lovely
place to stop for a couple of nights but we're leaving this morning. Hungerford
Marshes have sheltered us from the wind and rain once again, loved every inch
weve walked, but a new place for tonight will be great!
I woke up
early and took Jack round the meadows here at Hungerford Marshes for the last
time, back on the boat Paul had got things ready, engine running, mooring pins
loose and we'd left by 8.30. its windy right now but its going to be windier
later.
Guess the guys an accountant, a 'turf' accountant.... look at the roof!
Going under the bridge into the next lock
Beautiful views from the tiller
Massively leaky locks, call Bob the Builder!
The canal is beautiful still, the locks are easier than a few days ago.
We did 11 locks and 6.5 miles today, on our own except for the last three
locks, we were joined by a boat called Nestamay, turns out they're from
Cosgrove and know Julie and Brian from Woodford really well! We chatted and got
through the last three locks easily and quickly (there's about half a mile
between locks now, thick and fast).
At one lock we nearly had a fatality. A couple if young
girls were walking two lurcher type dogs and one dog decided to jump in the
canal right by the top paddle as we were filling up the lock, the water was
swirling round as it was sucking in filling up the lock. The dog was going down
and just in time the girl grabbed its scruff and hauled it out! Phew! My heart
doubled in beats per second!
Beautiful area to moor, lovely towpath too!
Crofton Pumping Station, still a working pump house
As we got to the bottom of Crofton flight of 7 locks
we went through the bottom lock and found some lovely 48hr moorings just below
the Crofton pump station, built 200 years ago and now fully restored and in
full working order. It still pumps the water to the summit if and when the
electric ones regularly used now dont work.
The train line runs very close to the canal most of the way, but it wasn't at all intrusive
So we decided to stay there, it was quiet although
there was a train line right next to the canal it rarely disturbed us. A few
walkers and people visiting the pump station were about, the odd dog walker. It
was 1pm and we had lunch and explored the walks around.
There were loads again, beautiful
meadows and woodlands with paths all the way, there was an old roman road used
by dog walkers only, and acres and acres of fields with the edges cut for
walkers, beautiful views! Wow! And a working windmill. It's awesome. We walked
for miles, got back to the boat and went over to have a look in the pump
station. There was a tour going on, so Paul joined them while I ate scones and
drank coke! I went and got Jack and waited for Paul in the sunshine.
Back on the boat Paul fishes in the clear water, it's not
like any other canal, so clear and clean!
Catch of the day!
On Saturday it was forecast strong winds, up to 50mph!
We're not moving today, to dangerous and stressful! So we have a massive walk
with Jack, we all get knackered. We were out for ages! Lovin it!
Walking over the hills and fields was great
It was really cold later in the day so we lit a fire
and stayed in, except for our second great walk! Cosy back in the boat, fires
burning and we're sheltered from the wind.
On Sunday at 7.45am we left the mooring, Paul walked
Jack up the remaining flight of locks as I bought the boat in and out of the
flight of locks.
We follow a wide beam up the flight but theyre preparing every
lock for us, probably cos they feel guilty for pulling out in front of us in
the lock flight! But no problem, we get to the top! The summit!
The top lock at Crofton.... now a leisurely cruise for a little while
Now for the
tunnel. It's quite a small one, about 500yds long, called Bruces tunnel and
the furthest I've been before on this canal.
Entrance to Bruces Tunnel, the summit of the Kennet & Avon Canal
We enter the clean and non-cobwebby tunnel
The fisherman tuts and shakes his head in disgust... how dare boats use this canal!
Then we meet a widebeam and as the channels only narrow, we take up the whole
width in passing. Behind us is the widebeam that pulled out on us earlier up
the locks, they now have to pass the widebeam which is going the other way in a
very narrow channel in the middle of a fishing match! Ggggggrrrrrr! The air is
raging!
The two widebeams pass, much to the annoyance of the fishermen
Paul happily asked one fisherman, "caught
much?" His reply, "I was until you came past and messed up my
swim!" Pauls reply, "Think I'm right in saying the canals were built for boats..... Not fishing!" As I said, lots and lots of grumpy fishermen!
On we go down 4 locks and we pull up above the next
lock on the water point at Wooton Rivers. Fill up, feed up and walk Jack in the
rain....
Bit later the rain still hadn't stopped but we wanted
to move on, start the long 15 miles of 'no lock' cruising! We've had so many
locks to do, this is a real treat! So in the lock I go, as we're going down and
the doors open (there's a bridge obscuring Paul's view) I see a BW workboat
across the canal, totally blocking out passage.
Paul doing his strong man impression
So Paul leaps on with the boat
pole and punts it back to the mooring it was on, tying up the boat best he
could. Back on our way, the rain eases off a bit, I try out my new £1.99
poncho, and were enjoying the new scenery.
Its hilly here, reeds line the
banks, trees meet in the middle above our heads. It's beautiful, very rural,
lovely views. We decide we'd like to moor in Pewsey on the 48 hr moorings, but
as we came into Pewsey every single bit of the bankside moorings were taken, some
doubled up, most seem pretty settled and not moved on. Not a spot to stop.
Boats are doubled up on the 48 hr moorings at Pewsey, I think someone needs to tell people here what a 48 hr mooring actually is. These boats haven't moved for weeks!
So no space for us. The
banks are still high, reedy, shallow in places, difficult to get in anywhere. But
were really keen to stop now, keep on scanning the banks for gaps..... Up ahead
there's some boats shoved in the reeds, so we give it a go and eventually
manage to get the front end in near enough for Jack to be able to get on and
off.
Nudging in the reedy bank is the only choice of mooring here!
We leave the back end out, no choice. After finding a great walk for Jack
around three meadows and some woods, we settled back on the boat for the
evening. we got talking to our neighbour, Irish Greg, who knew everyone on this
stretch, knew how to get anything, chatted about all sorts. he had an 8 yr old
Alsation called Tessa who just wanted to keep kissing Jack but Jack was having
none of it, he actually manned up and gave her a little growl! See, hes got it
in him!
We had no telly, Internet or phone signal here, and we
walked Jack again. Paul fished, and caught no fish!
We had no sunshine today, in total it was a very 'no'
day today!
In the morning on Monday we left in the drizzle after
a lovely Jack walk in the meadows.
The canal opens up now, we can see the
landscape all around us, hills and valleys all about, not so many trees so it
seems lighter and brighter, and as we look over to our right side, there's a
whacking great white horse cut out of the turf in the massive hill in the
distance!
It looks like its been cut out of the chalk hillside, looks amazing! We
then came into Honey Street, seems there is a boatyard and a pub here, that's
about it. But for some reason it's packed with boats every where, outside the
pub is the 24 hr mooring.... One space left we gave it a go, slowly easing the
boat in the space that never did look big enough, and it wasn't!
So we went on
a bit more, under a couple of bridges and we tried to get in to the bank, but
no luck, too shallow to get near enough to get off.... Until we got to bridge
126 and I saw a small gap in the reeds and we got the boat in snuggled into the
reeds with a lovely bit of bank to get on and off.
It's quiet here, the bridge
is a footpath bridge, one side of us is a massive riding stables/school and
horses in fields and on the other side is meadows where we walk Jack, and he
loves it!
Our view from the side hatch, still looking at the chalk horse in the hillside
He bounces high in the long grass, chasing make believe smells! A few
people walk their dogs but no one else goes by. We met a guy called Ding, lived on
wide beam he was doing up, lovely man. He was moored just around the corner, in
the reeds, that's what you have to do on this canal! it was cold today, we went
back to the boat and lit a fire, cosy now.
We managed to get a telly signal
here until a huge gust of wind took it flying. Crash! On to the roof it went, but
not too much damage, and we were soon back watching telly.
Tuesday we walked Jack round the horse meadows and
manage to clean him up using the horse water hose! He was caked in stinky mud
and the hose was there! So we used it!
The area we've found out is called White Horse Hills,
obvious really! There's another horse dug out of the grass in another hill near
us too, there's horses all around and children going out on riding lessons over
the bridge near us. we just see their hats bopping up and down as the bridge
walls are to high to see them!
The brightness of the sun setting glows red on the bricks of the bridge
The sunset's this evening was amazing, stunning. I took a load of pictures and couldn't decide which ones to include, so I've got it down to these lot, you'll see why I had a problem choosing them!
The sunset is just starting to make everything around have a warm glow about it
In the morning we leave the remote but beautiful spot in Wiltshire
for somewhere new, Devises is our destination, and its only 6.5 miles away, no
locks (they're to come!). 2 hours we reckon. Should be there by 11am and get a
spot to moor for the night. Moorings are few and far between, but we really
have to be able to stop here! We need shopping, cupboards are bare, and to give
us a whole day to do the 29 locks at Devises.
Reeded up canal in places makes meeting a boat a challenge!
Remote and isolated.... until the low boom... boom... boom ....boom of the army guns go off in the distance
We also hear so many different bird songs, we see so many different wild fowl on the
canal, theres boats shoved in the reeds all about, some on their own and some
in long rows lining the banks.
We spot a boat tucked in with a deisel sign at the
front and pull over after sounding the horn. two people come out and we cat and
get diesel, discuss the chance of him signwriting the boat when it's all
painted as he's also a signwriter! Quote... £300! Um, bit steep i think! Maybe
£200? We take his name and email etc and tell him well call him if we need him.
We may still use him but bid him lower!
Diesel came to £50 as that's all we had, it gave us 52
ltrs so alls good on Happy Daze.
We spot another White Horse on another hill, think
they must be breeding round these parts!
Arriving into Devises town was lovely. Slopey gardens lined the canal, all once very beautiful. Now a little forgotten.
It was 12 noon (that took us a good hour longer than it should have been) when we went under the two bridges of
Devises to where the 72 hr mooring is.
So spaces are rare
here, you're lucky to get somewhere and as we scanned the mooring we saw there
was nowhere. But within minutes a boat was moving off and we snuggley fitted
in the space they had left.
Just managed to squeeze in.....
We snuggley fitted in to the last spot in Devises
We felt relieved we'd got somewhere to stop, didnt have
to start the flight of 29 locks today. We also felt hungry, so we walked to
town and got some chips and Paul got his longed for maggots!
Beautiful rolling hills were here for the taking... and we took with vengeance!
Afterwards we walked Jack over some amazing meadows
and through the best smelling woods yet, garlic everywhere, so much wild garlic
you just had to get a whiff of that aroma and you were hooked! Carpets and
carpets of garlic! Amazing! I wish I could have bottled that smell and shared
it out with everyone.
The carpet of wild garlic gave out the most amazing smell
We go back to the boat and then go shopping, we found a
Tescos and Sainsburys earlier on and we stock up on essentials and chocolate! Paul's
fishing, I'm relaxing and Jacks zonked out in his chair.
We sit outside till it gets chilly, quiet place, no
problems. Several boats have to nudge their way in as they too, don't want to
tackle any more today!
It's Wednesday 19th June and we prepare ourselves for D-day
.... that's Devises locks day!
No comments:
Post a Comment