Onward.... Westward......

Onwards toward Bath.
Can't complain about the K&A canal as a lot do. Apart from one nearly impossible lock gate the rest have been no harder than any other canal. Sure the locks keep coming, although there is a fourteen mile stretch with none, but it's no more demanding than say the Grand Union to London. And boaters keep complaining about lack of water points. Well we've found them regular and havn'tt gone below a half tank without any need for rationing.
The sunny days have been repetitive and the bare feet on the rear deck have been getting a fare burning top and bottom...

Entered the Bruce tunnel..502 yds... NB Imagine follows...

A restored wooden crane at Burbage wharf....

Onto Wootton Rivers were we moored for the night....
A town with many timber framed thatched houses...

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited the pub on the right. Nice little pub and the only one in the village.
Lucky for them because the overweight woman serving was so sour, seems she sucked lemons full time, didn't smile and the act of serving patrons was a pain for her. A well dressed local overheard our discussing her manner as we left and walked down the road and he agreed but said unfortunately the locals had no other choice handy.
Anyway the beer was cold and tasty...

Next day we made a water stop so time for...

Some piklets, whipped cream, raspberry jam and an ice cream at the same time...

Passed a floral display....

 

Chelsea afloat....

From  the village of  Honeystreet  on the hills to the North is...

The White Horse cut into the hill in 1812...

Beside the canal is the Barge Inn pub...
Formerly a slaughterhouse, bakehouse, brewery and grocers...
It was very busy but we managed to get an outdoor table....

 

 

 This group of colourfull (people) asked if they could share the table. "sure can take a seat"...
Well what an entertaining time we had. They had been to a fair or something but ended up camping  in the woods somewhere and having a party,as you do, don't know if they looked worse for wear or normal.
The chick on the LR was French.. deep French accent.. The RH rear, coloured ropehead, lived in an ideallick forest setting up North...and the dude in the Hawhaiin shirt was a pro, guitarist in bands, punk bands etc.. I think he understated his talent a bit.. Didn't stop us sharing his hot chips when he got his meal though then we all had to have a taste out of ropeheads pint cos, she was trying the local green beer...
Peter, Jackie, Leonie and me had a good time there...


Then another, Hippie, pulled in in a NB...

 

Pete just returning from self helping himself to help the guy moor up...

 

Reluctently moved on.....

 

Looked up and saw a plane towing two gliders at once.. may be normal but new to me...

Moored at Devizes for a couple of nights...

Got the soap suds and ... Oh bought a new deck brush  on a handle so a roof scrub was in order...

Left Devizes and around the first bend....

The first of six locks that lead to the Caen Hill flight... sixteen locks... then seven more... 29 locks in less than two and a half miles...

I think I found it....

Could it be the Black Box from the missing Malaysian plane??...

Looking down...

 

From the top of the flight... lovely green countryside too....

Our traverse of the flight wasn't fast as we had several minor hold ups while we had to wait to empty our locks after NB,s coming up had moved....

 

Waiting in a lock with NB Imagine....

Because locks have water...





A water shot was in order......

Had time so...

 

 Stopped before exciting a lock two thirds down for a bite to eat...


And then exited the last of the flight locks....

 

 It's an impressive sight looking back up hill...

Had a team photo.. Leonie, Ray, Peter, Jackie and their friends who helped... Malcolm and Sara....

 

 

End of the day... Moored up at Sells Green and went to the pub.. Three Magpies.......

On the K & A.....

 

 

After fifty odd miles of interesting viewing and cruising the Thames it was time to head back to the canal.

The Kennet & Avon starts at Reading and heads West to  end at the Severn Estuary some 100 and three quarter miles away.

Were going as far as Bath which is 75 and a quarter miles with 95 locks to operate..

 

 

The turn off the Thames...

 

 





 

At Reading isn't very attractive ... Industrial with plenty of Graffiti...

Soon passing through the shopping centre....

 

 

Definitely easier on the eye....

 





 

we were soon past the shoppers and...

 



 

Starting on the frequent swing bridges... some electric and some manual operation...

The locks are all doubles...

 

 And with only 1 NB in require a centre rope to hold the boat steady...

Or the large volume of water flowing as you open the gate paddles can smash the NB around from one side to the other...

Moored up for the day. The next day we came across an Aussie couple from Canberra..
They had hired a boat from Aldermaston and unbelievably were  given no driving or locking tuition, told to watch a video which they had done while in Aussie, and now at their first lock which happens to be only about 300 metres from the hire yard they were really struggling to open the gates. Firstly the said lock has the Hardest / Heaviest gates on the canal and secondly they hadn't drained the lock enough. They had just come through a lift  bridge, only 200 metres from the hire base, no tuition, and when they got the bridge up it took them so long to negotiate getting the boat through and then lower the bridge  they had more traffic banked up than Lee Harvey Oswald caused at JFK,s shooting.
We offered to help and tutor them on locks and bridges and they were pretty grateful.
We travelled about another two miles then moored up. The next day they locked with us to Newbury by which time they were getting the Hang of the system...

Leonie opens a swing bridge and the Aussies go through.... Hire boaters always think one has "Good Manners" when you let them go first, especially into shared locks, but no it's just that one doesn't want his Freak'n boat Smashed into everytime...

This lock is one of two...

 

 

 Turf sided locks... the water rises nearly to the side walk ways flooding all the vegetation on the lock walls... then you have to leave them empty.. Is there a "good theory" behind the construction?...

 

The lock filling....

Then it was time to press on and leave...

Paul and Cheryl... from Canberra...

At Newbury we caught up with Keith and Brony, NB Kotuku, from Christchurch NZ.
They have lent Kotuku to their visiting NZ friends and were visiting them here.

Keith and Brony, ashore, and Graham and his missus as we push off to continue after a couple of hours yakking...


Another swing bridge...

Leaving Newbury...

 

 Then we were soon...

Out where narrow boating is best... the quite and beauty and solitude  of the countryside...


Moored the next night at Kintbury....

The view out the side hatch....
We also met Dot and Gordon, although he was busy slaving over the stove, of NB Ewn Ha Cul.
Always follow their blog and are envious of their escapades when they meet with the other "Stone Rangers"... notably Paul, Elaine, Ray and Diane....

All this meeting and talking to fellow Nbers, I'm starting to feel like I've taken over from the now retired "Socialite of the Cut" Elly from NB Parisien Star...

Dot asked us to stand on the stern of their good ship for a photo... we did...

Next day we were topping up the water at Hungerford when another NB pulled up to use the facilities. It was NB Imagine with Peter  and Jackie, live in Devon with a luxurious sea view, like the sea 30 metres away, and spend the summer on the cut.
A suggestion to "Tag Team" the forth coming locks was accepted so we...

 

Sort of fitted in here just above the Hungerford Town bridge  until they caught up..

 

 Out of town and onto the locking...

 

 

 At Hungerford Marsh lock there is a swing bridge that  traverses the lock so has to be swung away to use the lock...

The weather was hot and the locks kept coming ....

But with Leonies and Jackies enthusiasm and an energy level showing no bounds the miles were getting slashed...

In a lock side by side....

Skippers... Peter and Ray... the dude on the side had just enquired " is one of you two Gay?"..
We ignored his Stupidity.... I mean why would he ask that anyway...


So he  ventured to the lock beam....

"Which one do you think Jackie?"...

Onto Crofton and moored by the...

Croften pumping station.. in use by 1812 and the original steam boiler and Beams pumps, the oldest still operational in the world,  can still be used although electric pumps now control the flow of water to the lock flight...

The Tall brick chimney is...

Bound with Iron rings to help hold it together...

Inside one of two...

 

Boulton and Watt boilers.. 1812.. this one still operational...

 

After a Hard Hot day.... of watching and offering constructive advice on the use of Windlass's....

A relaxing drink and nibbles on the towpath was in order...

 

The next morning....

 

 8.30 am Peter dared to enter the Cauldron to watch the AB,s V England live....
We survived, he survived and a good time with Great company continues.....

Oooohhh..... Aaahhhhhhh...

Carrying on up the Thames and getting a "Geeko" at how the other half live...

There was one large house we passed similar to the many below but you could easily see it was in need of major renovations, unlike the ones pictured, and it had a for sale sign on the waters edge. We happened to see it in a real estate office window later that day as we cruised a village and the asking price was... 2.95 million quid... So put a figure on the rest...

 

 

 

NB Pukeko with Jim & Dawn, NZ, pulled over for the day but we carried on....

 

 Who ever designed and builds these river cruiser must have made a "small fortune" because they are parked at very regular intervals along the "well Heeled" sections of the river...

 

At Marlow there was a rowing regatta on and it was slow going for about 1.5 miles in a narrow outside lane...

The snow freeze boat was looking for punters...

 

 

 

 

 

At Hambleden lock the canoeists were shooting the rapids on the weir....

On past the international rowing course at Henley...

Past Henley boathouses....

Through Henley Bridge..

 

 

 

 

 

 Past the pubs riverside...

 

 

 

 

Featured on Grand Designs this modern home, just past Henley, caused a real uproar with the Poncy Old Fashioned  neighbours  when built. They were "Spewing" when interviewed that someone would build such an outrageous monstrosity here.. I think it's very complimentary to the surroundings...