The Kennet & Avon Canal, Devizes to Bath
Pt 1. Devizes to Seend Cleeve
Wednesday 19th June and its Devises day!
I'm so excited I wake up at 5.30am and take Jack out for his walk. It's a beautiful day already, the suns shining but it's still a little
misty.
We spot a deer in the cemetery that stays still long enough for me to get a good look at it.
We walk through the garlic woods, the cow meadows and back to the boat.
Breakfast, and we leave our little spot at Devises. 7.15am and were raring to go!
Weaving our way to the top of the locks, people nudging their boats in where they can!
Its official, we're at the top, on our way down
We're on our own for the first part, obviously as its so early! The locks were mainly in our favour, full and waiting for us to go down.
Taking a breather in the 24hr moorings before the flight of 16 locks
We got to the bottom of the first 6, then we pulled over at 9.00am on one of the three spaces in the 24 hr moorings to wait for another boat to join us down the next lot.
We didn't have to wait long, one of the other spots was taken
by Oh La La, they were waiting for someone to come down to join them!
By 9.30am we were ready, fueled up for the long slog
down the locks.
Before we made our dash for it.....look at the view!
Lock after lock after lock I guided Happy Daze in and out of the locks, paired up with a guy who I never asked his name and Denise his wife who, along with Paul, pushed and shoved the big wooden gates, wound the handles up and down to let the water in and out, ran to the next lock to get that ready for us to cruise on into when wed left the last. The view from the top was amazing!
The first of many ......
Face to face with a wide beam.... and nowhere to go!
Concentration is what its all about!
.... we still can't see to the bottom
... but we've just done this many!
Stopping for a well earned break...
there was only one space left so we had to double up, not to Jack's agreement!
there was only one space left so we had to double up, not to Jack's agreement!
Yikes! We've just come down that!
12.45pm and we're ready to do the last 7 locks in the
massive Devises flight of 29. Our boat buddies for the day were ready too, so
we set off together. By the time we were half way through we all felt like we'd
had enough.
Leaving one of the last few locks .... another in the distance
A hotel boat waiting for customers.... see the collapsable roof terrace!
We were so ready to stop it seemed ages before we finally reached
the last lock.
We got through and pulled over opposite the new Caen Hill Marina, just around the corner from the only two 24 hr moorings at the bottom which, of course, were taken.
We made it, we survived the Caen Hill flight, or
Devises flight as it's called!
We sat outside and celebrated in the sunshine! It's really
quiet here, walks are great, there's a few boats pulled in up the canal, some
waiting in anticipation of what's ahead of them, some deciding to moor up and
walk it instead and some, like us, relieved its all over (until the return
journey at least).
Thursday and we wake up late. We walk Jack and decide
because the weather is wet today we would stay here and do some chores. Stuff
still has to be done, and it won't do itself!
So Paul clears out the front deck and cleans up there
and I scrub the fire down and give it its yearly paint up and make over. After
lunch we took Jack out for his walk, or should I say run! He ran and ran and
ran so much over the cow fields, had a brilliant time. At this point we never
realised Jack had a hitch hiker on board!
We had a couple of little families come and visit us
Back at the boat we washed him and dried him, he was actually
up to his belly in cow drink slush while we were out and he stunk! Making a
fuss of him when he was clean I discovered a small lump on his belly. It turned
out to be his very first ever tick. And mine too, I'd never dealt with anything
like that before. Never even seen one, except in pictures! I noticed the little
legs wiggling, the body waiting to be filled with Jacks blood. So there was
only one thing for it, tweezers out I managed to get it out whole, I think. Horrid,
horrid thing. Made me feel so sorry for Jack. he didn't seem bothered at all!
It's chilly now, the sun didnt shine, it's not been a pleasant
day today.
Paul's had the best fishing over two nights ever! He
caught loads of fish, he was very happy! He sat outside playing his mandolin until
it got dark.
We spotted a water and rubbish point at Sells Green
Bridge, so we took advantage and filled up and got rid of rubbish. There's some
great moorings here too, but as usual they're all full up. But we weren't ready
to stop yet. We went on to the first Swingbridge and then to the next. then the
first of the five Seend locks, all of which were against us.
All sorts of comotion was going on here, Paul goes to see what's going on
Only the day
before on this flight of locks a pair of Hotel Boats got wedged in one of the
locks which closed the flight for a day. The boats had to be winched out and
this caused a traffic jam.
There was still some boats waiting to go through so we were in a mini queue. When it was our turn we noticed boats all over the canal turning round, reversing, reving up..... so we waited for it all to settle down, and we were on our way.
There were some workers strimming and mowing and cutting, people were having to wait to go into the lock until they had finished. Crazy, crazy place!
Another hold up! As we came out of the lock a wide beam had come off its moorings and we had to get the barge pole out and punt it back
across the canal, helped by some keen cyclists. So another obstacle overcome! Finally
the commotion was over we were at the bottom of the locks.
We spotted a lovely
little place to stop by Seend Swingbridge no. 155. Opposite the bridge mooring
was the perfect spot.
Moored up at our little spot beside Seend Swing Bridge
We had
internet connection, we had phone signal and a telly signal. There was a
spiders web of dog walks across some amazing meadows. And there were loads of
fish to catch! We were also only 15 mins from the Tesco in Bowerhill and 15
mins by bike to the maggot shop. It was also very sunny and we had full time
entertainment from all the hire boats as they tackled the swingbridge. So
bloomin' great I say!
The weather is supposed to be rough over the weekend
so the plan is to stay here till Monday. Its perfect!
But what made it more perfect was the visit from my
great buddies Lyndsey and Anna! They texted to let us know they were arriving
on Saturday evening, they were calling in to us on their way back from their
holiday in Newquay!
My god I'm so excited!
Saturday was windy, really windy. Paul cycled to
Tescos and got wine and bread and puddings and I stayed in and made butternut
squash soup and rock cakes (which burned but we still ate them!)
We had some brilliant walks today, hay fields, river
banks, cow fields, woods and more meadows and fields. Jack willingly goes in
the water now to cool off, think he may be learning that its fun! He swims to get
sticks, happy as ever.
Lyndz and Anna arrived about 8pm, getting a bit lost
on the way. But they got here!
Jack went absolutely bonkers when he saw them,
my god, he was happy! But so were we! It was great to see them, we chatted all
night, ate lots and drunk lots, so cool to see my buddies!
The broken bottom lock at Seend.... no ones going anywhere for a while
We talked to every one who passed and heard that late in the evening on Saturday one of the hire boats had gone up through the first lock and had lifted the top gate off it's hinges as the front got caught on the front of their boat. Needless to say, the lock was then closed to boats!
We watched the hire
boats entertain us as they went through the bridge, all hire boats out today, no one else
would be daft enough to cruise in this weather. Some, like this one, tried to turn their boats around but didn't manage it, they found the canal wasn't as wide as they thought!
In the morning on Sunday after a late night we all
grumbled out of bed and after a while took Jack out.
Back at the boat we ate
breakfast and chatted loads more and watched as more hire boaters turned up to
the flight of locks but could not continue on their holiday, some were wanting
to get their boats back to the hire companies and they were due to go out again
on hire to new punters.
The queue below the broken lock... all but one boat is a hire boat!
But all had to pull their boats into the bank and stay
there until the lock was mended.
The time soon came for my buddies to finish off their
journey and get back to Woodford. Probably about another 4 hours drive not
pleasant! So at 1.30pm we said our goodbyes, lots of hugs, and Paul and I
walked Jack.
We had a quiet rest of the day. We love it here so we've
decided that we're going to stay a few days longer and start the painting on
the roof, only the front half as the back end is under sap laden trees, and that's
just plain stupid to paint under trees!
On Wednesday we did the second coat.
Thursday was a
hardening day, and by Friday we were ready enough to leave, carry on our
travels.
We've had lots of fun here, on Monday the hire boats
were all being shifted around, marina people were reversing and turning boats
round most of the morning. By lunch time it had quietened down again, BW were
at the lock helping people through, clearing the backlog. It was mended and
cemented by Tuesday afternoon, all systems go again!
We were settling down on Tuesday evening when more commotion,
in the hay meadow opposite this time.
Jack playing in the hay meadows
The cows and their calfs and a huge black
bull had somehow got out of their field and were running in the meadow like a
load of wild animals let loose! They settled down after a while and the next
day the farmer rounded them up and got them back in their own field!
On Wednesday just as I was about to paint the second coat
on the roof the nice lads with the strimmers and mowers came to strim and mow
and super blow around the boat!
Argh! Not now! And they didn't! They soon left and
left our bit of grass too! They did come back tho but only for their tea break!
The next day we tidied and cleaned and washed the sap
off the boat. Paul went and did a bit of shopping we got ready for our move
tomorrow.
Friday 28th June we leave our little spot by Seend
Cleeve Park Swingbridge.... our journey continues West, onwards to Bath for our
hot steamy bath..... were aiming to get there for Pauls birthday, 5th July,
he'll be 50!
But you never know what's around the next corner.....
omg.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Paul.......hope you have an amazing bath in bath....we are very envious.....and thank you both soooooo much for your hospitality, it was amazing staying with you guys, a real treat and a perfect end to our timeout trip to newquay....it feels so magickal coming to find you in the midst of the hills and canals, can't wait to come and spend more times with you guyz and that lovely lil jack jack........miss you sooo much xxxxxxxxxxxxxx biggest love to you all
ReplyDelete