UK Canals - Journey reports

Home for the week

Walking the dogs early this morning it became apparent that a visitor mooring at Sawley Marina was free. So after a hurried breakfast we moved there and telephoned Mill’s to say thank you but we were now OK. Sawley costs about £6 per night and includes electricity. It is convenient for the railway station also. So once settled in, the boat was shut down except for the fridge freezer on the mains and we left for South East London.

Sawley

Our slot was 7:30 am at Dallow Lock. I estimated that it would take 45 minutes to transit from our mooring to the lock which turned out to be exactly right. It was engine in tickover all the way and with boats breasted up for the most part, with passing places admittedly, we were scraping the bottom on and off on the offside.
Passing the festival site, boats were moored on both sides and progress was even slower. It was interesting to see the effects of various mooring techniques used by the boats we passed. Some barely moved, others were crashing back and forth as we went by, in spite of our very slow progress. At Dallow lock we had to wait for another boat, but with little delay. Our biggest delay was at Stenson Lock, which was being operated by a BW crew. There was about 2 locks full of boats ahead of us, but opposite direction traffic also which slowed things down considerably. Stenson is a deepish double lock with gate (no baffles) as well as ground paddles. The ground paddles shoot water down the same side of the lock and the cill is so high that the gate paddles when fully opened jet a cube of water several feet into the lock. Great care is therefore necessary. Pat put the kettle on and offered the lockie a drink of coffee – he told us that it was only his second offer the whole week he had been there. Clearing Stenson we pressed on anxious to make Sawley that day if possible. The Trent was passable fortunately, with the indicator boards in the orange, so Sawley Flood Lock was in use, but with no difficulty at all. At Sawley we were told that there was no room at the inn, so as to speak. All the visitor moorings were full. Sadly, all the towpath moorings appeared to be 48 hours only, so to leave the boat for a week as we had planned was beginning to look a problem. I phoned around and Mills Boatyard, by Trent lock, offered us a place which we would take up in the morning.

IWA Festival – August 27 – 30th 2004

I must confess that having discovered that I had failed to register for the Festival until very late in the day it was no surprise that our allocated moorings were far from the festival site. Each visit thus required a walk of about a mile and a half each way from where we were moored near to Branston Lock. In fact the Bridge Pub (Marstons) was very much closer. I had the folding bike which was useful if going alone, or for shopping trips to Morrisons Supermarket near Branston. I even used it to go to the local Rover dealer looking for spare 12v bulbs for our internal boat lights which I found for a fraction of the price charged in the local chandlery. But we visited the Festival site several times on foot, sometimes in the evening for the beer tent and entertainment, but daytimes for the exhibitors. We found that having the dogs with us was a bit of a problem, nothing serious, but just that lingering was always problematical and I would have liked to attend some of the workshops. They were just interested in food – and with all the food outlets around that can be troublesome. We were unhappy about leaving them alone on the boat all day. We watched the Mayor arrive on the steam narrow boat PRESIDENT. By Sunday we had had enough and with time constraints over Mike’s need to be in London for the 2nd September we had booked out for early Monday morning. (Boats are booked out for departure in 15 minute slots so that the traffic is smoothed out at the nearby locks.)

Arrival at IWA Festival Site

Given the anticipated traffic down the Trent & Mersey Canal we set off early. Pat went to set the lock round the corner from the Coventry Canal before opening the swing bridge there, because moored boats at the junction might make hovering around a little difficult. As she walked back, a boat appeared out of the opposite lock and was obviously expecting to "take our water". So we decided to take water and fill our tank in preparation for the festival. This done we tried again, and found that a BW employee was now in charge of the lock, so no problem. As we continued down the canal, more boats were peeling off their moorings, so queues at the locks increased. At Alrewas we had a longish wait before coming to the lock guarding the River Trent section. Here the canal joins the River and the volume of flow joining the channel from the left was clearly vigorous. I concluded that there would be little time to linger in the lock exit before the flow would take the bow across to the right bank. I went out as slowly as I dared, but clearly my expectations were being realised so had to "go for it". at managed to get the dog on board, but missed the boat herself and set off to walk to the next lock. She says that Nuggler shot down this section like a bullet from a gun. Adhering to general advice I kept well over to the left to avoid the main weir on the right which is further down stream round the corner and had no problem. Exiting stuff. Reaching the next lock we again had a longish wait, as this time there were craft coming upstream, the first a hire boat. I wonder how they managed entering Alrewas lock with that strong cross flow and assuming the gate was open for them. Continuing on, queues got longer. At Barton Turns the top offside paddle gear jammed shut. That should slow things down a bit - and so it was. No real queue from then on. We found our allotted mooring on the upstream side of the Festival Site and indeed, about 1 1/2 miles away as expected. Once settled, we set about exploring the environment to find the supermarket (nearby Morrisons), the pub (The Bridge at Branston) where we renewed the aquaintance of Eric & Sally Naylor from Cherie, the boat we had rescued on the Thames earlier in the year, and the site itself - a good half hour walk away. Meanwhile, other boats continued to arrive.

Fradley Junction

The meal at the Dog & Doublet last night wasn't too good. We got there just after 8:30 and ordered the cottage pie, but the interior of the pie was not cooked. Got a replacement steak & ale pie, but this was marginally better.

This morning we dropped down one lock for water and chat with Ian & Linda (JP2). Pat set off once the job was done to set the next lock (about 1/4 mile down the cut) but with all the nattering another boat got in first. After that a steady cruise down to Fazeley Mill Marina for our ritual pump out prior to the IWA Festival and so onto the Coventry Canal towards Fradley Junction. The Coventry was very busy with streams of boats going the opposite way (well of course you never see how many boats are going your way do you!). Lunch was taken on the trot intermingled with screeching halts at bridge holes for opposite direction traffic. Just after Wittington we enjoyed a prolonged heavy shower, so arrived at Fradley rather wet. The good news was a nice mooring waiting for us.

I teased one boater going the other way asking why there were so many boats going his way. He laughed and said "wait till you see what's going on down there (pointing down stream) - it was chaos yesterday. Goodness knows what it will be like at the weekend". A committee decision was taken therefore to try and make our IWA mooring tomorrow and sit it out. They are quoting 300 plus boats attending this annual event, so we know it will be busy - and then there's the hire boat traffic as well.

Bodymoor Heath

It rained heavily overnight and we were still experiencing intermittent heavy rain this morning. As we are now a day ahead of schedule there was no rush to go anywhere, so we enjoyed the "full english breakfast" and messed around, even lighting the fire as it was "cold". The rain eased off at 10:00 and we decided to move on for an hour or two. I employed the full magical properties of my "Yachty" waterproof clothing. Put this on when its not raining and it won't rain. This we enjoyed two hours of dry weather clearing most of the Curdworth Locks down to the Dog & Doublet. By now it was warm, I had removed the redundant waterproofs and more rain was approaching. At lock who should be waiting but Derek of "Vingt-Deux" who had tales of long queues of boats at the Cropredy Festival (230,000 punters at £40 a head). Also many boats on the Trent & Mersey to the extent that he needed to cruise at night to avoid the hire boats. Maybe we need to get a move on? The weather is forecast to be unsettled with more heavy showers. Not looking particularly good for the weekend.

Minworth

Slight change of plan in as much as Gemma and Jordan, with us for the weekend were due to leave this Sunday to return to London, and to give Jordan (a waterway novice) a little taste of what it's about, we decided to do the Farmers Bridge flight this morning and position them to leave from Snow Hill station. We found out, bu the way what was going on under the arches by Snow Hill - it was Opera (would you believe). Sadly we missed it first hand, and by all accounts the experiment will not be repeated. Jordan under Gemma's tutilage soon got the hang of the locks and we were down in 1hour 15 minutes. After lunch they left and we needed to clear the conurbation to find a decent mooring for the night. So down the Aston Flight, much cleaned up since my previous visit last year, and on down the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal to Minworth where we stopped just short of the Wiggins Bridge by the Kingley Arms pub. (Can be a bit noisy on the pub side of the bridge.)

Birmingham

The usual early start saw us on the remainder of the long top pound through Solihull. Much of this, to my surprise, was through deep wooded and gloomy cuttings with occasional embankments but without any views as these were hidden by vegetation. There was little sign of the conurbation through which we were traveling. There was lots of organic rubbish in the canal too, and one underwater encounter with an unidentified object at Bridge 81. Intermittent shallows slowed progress, but there were also excellent sections and evidence that BW were trimming offside overhanging trees. Rushes obstructed 2/3rds of the width in a few places. Once reaching Birmingham we tackled the 6 narrow locks leading down to Bordesley junction and then continued on to the Digbeth Branch. After ascending the first 5 locks we came to Ashted Tunnel. This short tunnel including a towpath is rather wonky. The channel is very narrow and only by using the bow thruster and rudder to keep right up against the towpath could I prevent the handrail from grinding the tunnel roof. There was only a 2 –3 centimeter clearance. After the last lock we passed some decent looking deserted visitor moorings, then on to the Birmingham & Fazely Canal Farmers Bridge flight of locks. There was a bit of a wait at the bottom for other traffic, but then we followed a boat up. Under the vast railway arches below snow hill station it looked as if they were preparing for some kind of event. A rave maybe? Farmers Bridge Junction was reached at 13:30, the last lock by courtesy of two friendly and helpful BW staff, where we found a mooring free on Cambrian Wharf (our preferred 14 day mooring). We shall stay here for the weekend, leaving Monday for Shobnall Fields and the IWA Festival. Looking like a wet one folks!!!

Catherine de Barnes

From the early morning dog walk up to Hatton bottom lock it appeared that the locks were empty and in our favour. So after a swift breakfast we set off and as we ascended the 21 Hatton locks quickly settled down into a routine. Pat armed with the boat hook set off ahead opening one bottom gate and then taking the bow rope, while I ascended the ladder with the centre rope and made it fast before shutting the bottom gate and then opening one top paddle. Pat opened the other and then waited for the lock to fill before dropping her paddle and leaping across the gate straight ahead to the next lock while I cleared up. The dogs of course just observed, or got in the way. We cleared the flight in 3 hours to the water point at the top. We then continued on along the long cruise to Knowle locks, stopping at the deserted Tom o’ the Wood moorings for lunch. By the time we reached Knowle locks the wind had got up and made boat handling a little tricky in this rather exposed location. Attempting to cross with another boat in the short pound with the strong crosswind was not a time to dally, so I signaled my intention to go upwind to the left (which was a struggle), but the opposite direction boat was slow and spoilt the manoeuvre leaving me to have to reverse while he gave me room to get in the lock. No harm done, but a bit unsightly. We pressed on to Copt Heath for fuel. We took 86 litres for the last 66 engine hours. Catherine de Barnes was reached at 16:00 for the night’s mooring and pub meal at the nearby “Boat”. Good moorings and seemed quiet.

Warwick

A 7am departure again, this time with the intention of reaching Warwick. We find working on our own through the large double locks is just as quick as doubled up with another boat, Pat working ahead setting locks and seeing the boat in and guarding the opposite gate with yours truly working the lock single handed from then on. So having cleared the three Calcutt Locks in 25 minutes we met Malestrom emerging from Ventnor Farm Marina and continued down to Leamington with them. Roy & Ann with two children made a good team so we whistled down the Stockton Flight only to come to a dead stop at Bascote staircase pair where there seemed to be a concentration of traffic all of a sudden. A lengthy wait ensured with quite a queue building up behind as well because effectively boats have to clear two locks at a time and even the use of the single lock below needs to be synchronized to keep traffic moving smoothly. Our intention was to moor up in the Saltisford Arm at Warwick, however, on investigating we would have been breasted up with the possibility of being unable to leave early. We were advised to moor up near the Hatton Flight itself, or within the flight between the second to fourth locks. We stopped before.
Cruise time 9hrs:05mins, 14.5 miles 26 locks.

Napton Junction

Crew Pat, Mike, (Canines: Bella, Cassie)
Given the objective of reaching Birmingham by Friday, where Gemma is due to join us for the weekend, our general plan is to do as much of the cruise as possible early in the schedule. So today we were up at 6am with a 7am departure. Banbury was quiet, but before very long we met a stream of boats going south. They has all been at the Cropredy Music Festival. The locks were with us!… However, by around 10am other boats were stirring and we were amused by the seeming near panic amongst some moored boats ahead of us who were obviously about to leave, but on seeing us started running, throwing mooring ropes all over the place and hurredly getting their boats into the channel ahead of us. So then at the next lock, of course , we had a long wait for our turn. Cropredy was a mass of residual moored boats from the festival. Goodness knows what it must have been like at its peak. Just before the lock there is an old bridge narrow and an overhanging willow tree. Half of the canal is thus obscured from view behind this tree and the remains of the bridge. Moored boats in the short section up to the lock further narrowed the channel causing an opposite direction boat to appear from behind this tree. He went into reverse upon which his boat slewed across the cut resulting in our boats touching. Once in the summit pound we had the long ride over to the Napton Locks and down again. Bridge 135 looked dangerously unstable to my untrained eye. The parapet was cracked and bulging and the supporting wall of the bridge seemed to have broken away from the brick arch on one side and also was bulging proud of the arch. I reported this to BW. It could of course have been like this for years, nonetheless, should this not be the case an accident might have been prevented. The Oxford canal is shallow in many places and is consequently very slow, however by 7pm we had passed the Folly Inn and had almost reached Napton Junction. Here we found a suitable quiet mooring for the night. Cruise time 11hrs:55min, 21.5 miles, 22 locks.

Aynho

Started up at 8:15 hoping to get water but two boats had beaten us to it. Got water instead at Lower Heyford. Lots of boats on the move, mostly opposite direction and after a fairly uneventful even leisurely journey we reached Aynho at 15:15. Tom was dispatched off to the pub to check the food situation and was told it was bookings only. He managed to get the last openeing, a table for 2 for 8:15. Bit of boat cleaning and brass polishing about to take place! Good news too. Pat will join me at Banbury. This means that the route may be revised. Watch this space.

Thrupp

Alone once more, I am expecting Tom (an ex colleague & friend) to join the crew for the weekend, especially to help deal with the many lifting bridges on the Oxford Canal south of Banbury. Due to arrive after 11:00 am this gave me a little time to get in some alcoholic beverages - and for this I extricated the fold-up bike and rode to the Coop supermarket down the Botley Road, about a mile away. The cycle lanes are very well laid out which made this quite a pleasant ride. On the way I found a launderette, so having got the beer I assembled some laundry and shot round there, again on the bike. Fortunate because I had not brought enough 20p pieces, and had to return for more. Moral: If you go to a lauderette, take as much loose change as you can muster! Tom arrived on time and after a pub snack we set off for Thrupp. I planned the trip based on the fact that he was with me for the weekend and needed a good railhead to return to London and that we would hit the pubs as far as possible for meals. Hence Thrupp the first night, Aynho and then a short run to Banbury on Sunday. We were fortunate to get the last visitor mooring in Thrupp - especially as we were to find out on Saturday that the fall back mooring at Enslow had a pub with no food. It would have been quicker to shoot up the Thames from Osney Bridge and take the Dukes Cut to get to the Oxford Canal. Instead I chose the slower route via Wolvercote Lock, although technically shorter, not having been this way before. So many in line moored boats and shallow water. However, most of the lifting bridges shown in my old Nicholsons have been removed. A couple of beers and a reasonable meal were enjoyed at the Boat Inn.

Osney Bridge - Oxford

Another early start and a chance to work another Thames Lock single handed. (The kids were still in bed). By the time we reached Shifford Lock this time the lock keeper was on duty (just). An Anglo-Welsh hire boat from Eynsham appeared. The first time the hirer had been in a lock with another boat. But we left them behind and saw no more. In fact we had a good road (as they say) with single boats emerging from locks as we approached so we made excellent time and arrived at Osney Bridge to find a space on the line waiting for us. As I will be retracing steps to the Oxford Canal tomorrow I thought I would wind before mooring so did the equivalent of a hand brake turn using the current to the weir above Osney Lock and the branch to the ?marina. It worked find but it was certainly not a turn to dally over; the current was quite strong.

Its a pity that the supermarkets are so far away. I need a good supply of beer for the next leg to Banbury.

Inglesham and back again

Well, Chloe and Robert arrived last night. The train was 6 hours late which I find hard to understand. So after a late night an early morning, because we needed to get to Lechlade today and a little bit back if they are to make a train from Oxford on Thursday. So at 7:30 I shot through the 13th Century bridge at Newbridge (you'd think by now they could have brought themselves to call it Oldbridge) and got to Shifford Lock at about 8:30. What a dream to self operate the old Thames locks. No winding handles like on the hydraulic locks, just solid gates which move with a gentle push and counterbalanced paddles which are easy to operate. The lock keeper arrived at 8:45 with his dog and set off on his rounds and I exited at 9:00 for the water point. Another Environment Agency plus - Fire hoses for the water points which fill a tank in to time flat. Then on to the tortuous windy river section to St John's Lock. Passing Kelmscot we stopped for a quick lunch and to give the dogs a swim. We continued on past Lechlade to the end of Navigation at Inglesham where I hope one day to be able to join the Thames and Severn Canal to Gloucester. On this short final section of river we nearly ran over a dog which had been induced to swim across the river by its owners. What they do not realise is that 16 tons of boat does not stop very quickly and indeed there is a blind spot in front of the boat so that it is difficult to take evasive action. Winding at the end we nearly got stuck due to over optimistic positioning on my part, but we made it and returned to Lechlade for a breather. I had planned to spend the night here but with the need to get the kids back to Oxford there was no alternative to try and make some distance today to shorten the leg tomorrow. We chanced upon an excellent bankside mooring on the dog leg bends just upstream of Rushey Lock after having to abort twice before at Radcot. Chloe cooked a great supper.

Newbridge

Thames locks are manned from 9 am until 7 pm in the summer. However, they can be self operated out of these hours, although there is a penalty in that the hydraulic pumps (in the case of the electro-hydraulic locks) have to be driven by hand by winding a handle. So in leaving Osney Bridge in heavy rain I faced operating the first lock myself. In heavy rain I have a yachty suit which being made of gortex is impervious but breathable. In summer, though once only needs the jacket because bare legs and minimal footwear are cooler and dry rapidly. I suppose it looks to the casual observer as if I am wearing a skirt! Anyway, the two labradors and myself cleared the first lock at 9:01 and the next lock would be manned as usual. Here there was a bit of drama as Cassie fell off the back of the boat due to the wetness and the vigour of her barking at the lock-keeper. Fortunately there are steps, so it was easy to pull her out. She was quiet after that, and her coat went all curly. Newbridge was reached at 13:30 and a pleasant mooring found by a grassy field near to the pub. Chloe is not having much luck, however. Her journey from Derby has stalled due to "signal failure". No telling when she will arrive.

Oxford

The weather having deteriorated yesterday, there were showers in the night and in the morning more heavy rain. However, buy the time we were ready to leave it had improved to light drizzle. The journey to Oxford was quite straightforward and much as the day before, traffic was light. We were the only boat in the locks all the way to Osney Bridge, where a convenient mooring was luckily available. Pia and Thomas left the boat and made for the station just after midday to return to London. I left for the shops, because telephone calls on the way from Chloe told me that she wished to join the boat for a couple of days and this means proper catering! There is no really convenient supermarket from the river. One has to either go into town, or towards Botley. In either case the weight of shopping is limited to what one can carry for 3/4 mile or so. The intention was to move on once shopping was complete, but then the rain set in and since I was on a good mooring it seemed best to stay there. It was agreed that the only suitable place for Chloe to join me is at Newbridge, but there are only two pubs there and no village. Taxi looks like the only option. So the plan is for Wednesday to get to Lechlade early and then start a return journey with the intention of getting her back to Oxford on Thursday.

Abingdon

Arrived at Abingdon after a swift run. There seemed to be very little traffic about and we had all the locks to ourselves. Found a good spot to moor for the night right by the bridge. I hope it is not too noisy tonight.

Child-Beale Wildlife Trust

Up at 6:30 for a short dog walk. But the problem – how to retrieve the bowl at the bottom of the river. It could be seen there quite plainly. Just when it seemed that a diver needed to be sent down I had the idea of wiring Pat’s large sieve to the boat hook to make a rigid net. This worked a treat. We needed water and diesel, so after setting off there was a stop at Cleeve Lock for water and at SwanCraft in Benson for fuel. Only 62 litres were needed, but that’s better than being caught out with an empty tank on the river. Amazingly, at Shillingford there was a mooring outside the hotel on the piled wharf. However having tied up we discovered that the grass was not dog friendly (notices about leads etc), so we decided to move along to the rougher end under the trees. We realized that this afforded us shade, an excellent move on this very hot day with little breeze. After lunch, a trip to the hotel bar was enjoyed, where a wedding reception was about to begin, the bride & groom arriving by boat.

From past experience on the Thames it definitely seems a good move to try and moor up for the night before 2 pm, in order to get the best moorings. Since the dogs, or one in particular, have a serious problem negotiating large gaps we do need to be snug against the bank, so we do have to be a bit fussy. Here as well we could get the chairs out and "set up camp" as Pia put it, on the grass in the shade. Thomas even went for a swim.

Reading

Last evening there was a serious storm with torrential rain for about an hour or more. A quiet night followed and this morning the level in the Fobney cut was up by about an inch. Having decided with PLUTO to leave at 7 am and have breakfast in Reading to avoid bandits at Fobney and beyond, June walked on to the lock to set it ready for our descent. The timing was perfect for our arrival at the lock and as we descended we were concerned with the huge amount of leakage from the top gates. Opening the lower gates was a 2 person job. The flow in the river below was definitely stronger than usual and we made very good time down through County Lock and into the Prison Loop at Reading. PLUTO hosted an excellent breakfast, it being too early for Wetherspoons. The moorings were quite busy, so we moored abreast under the bridge before later separating as one boat left. This brought Nuggler out into the hot sunshine and as it was subsequently decided that we would make a foray to Wetherspoons for lunch, we decided to move the boats back into the shade for the sake of the dogs. After lunch, PLUTO left to go down river.

Pia and Thomas arrived at Reading a little late, but we were soon underway round to Tescos for shopping. Again the moorings were taken, but a friendly dutch barge allowed us to moor alongside for the duration. On again to try and reach the moorings at the Child-Beale Wildlife Trust before nightfall, as this would provide a good staging post to get Pia into Oxford in time to get a train back to London on Monday. This meant working the last lock by hand, but with a good team this doesn’t take long, so in fact we reached excellent moorings on the grass bank by 8 p.m. Pia did a wonderful curry supper and then dropped one of Pat’s china bowls in the water! Good walkies for the dogs.

Fobney Lock

This morning Pat & Grannie left on the 8:34 from Midgham. That just leaves me, Bella & Cassie. Fortunately PLUTO is going our way so that I can pass the numerous obstacles in the most expeditious manner. These consist mostly of movable bridges. The first at Woolhampton is just after the lock, but after the river Kennet joins the canal. There is always a strong flow through the narrow bridge opening and the road which it serves is quite busy in the morning. It is necessary to have the bridge ready before leaving the lock and if one is single handed means leaving the boat, walking the 200 yards or so to the bridge, opening it, walking back, mobilising the boat, whizzing through the opening and then trusting that you can catch a bollard on the other side to stop the boat to return to the bridge to let the road users through. Much easier if there are two of you. The next bridge at Aldermaston is a huge lifting bridge on an A road. Huge queues of traffic can build up if it is not operated expeditiously and indeed, the mechanism is locked out during rush hour and has a refractory period after use, so that repeated transits are not possible. The remaining swing bridges are not such a problem. Anyway, in company it is much easier, so I was grateful for the help. We have stopped for the night in the middle of nowhere, although a short distance from Fobney Lock. This is bandit country in summer as kids from the local housing estates use it as a swimming pool and the centre of Reading can also be a problem with hooligans. So our plan is an early start and breakfast at Wetherspoons! (FYI Wetherspoons is a chain of popular, low priced pubs known for real ale and good food. They serve breakfast from 10 am.)

Woolhampton

Chloe returned home this morning. Set off with Pluto at 9.15 and had a good run down to Woolhampton. We passed Liberty Bell moored on the park below the New Bridge in Newbury. We all ended up in the Rowbarge for a few pints in view of the warm weather. Pat and Grannie will return home tomorrow morning.

Kintbury

Arrival at kintbury. At dun mill lock we were advised that a boat had just taken the lock gate off of the next lock and that BW had been called. By the time we got there they had fixed it and were just seeing the backlog through. Pretty good i thought. Poor mobile signal here.

Newbury

Today we reached Newbury and found a mooring on the short stretch between the swing bridge and the town lock. Nicely aground though so that passing boats do not disturb us. Guess what! Pluto has just arrived. . . . Now we've got their mooring sorted I'll continue. I do not understand BW canal water management. The pound at Kintbury was low, the pound below lower still and the one before Copse Lock even lower. Copse Lock, just before the river enters, is one of these leave empty jobs, so the lock at the end of the line is taking double the water if there is a random sequence of odd boats going up and down. How is it that a river navigation which had weirs overflowing higher up before Bedwyn has no water lower down? A stifling day, very humid and a thunderstorm about to hit.

Hungerford

Just checking in for todays blog at Hungerford, a glorious sunny warm evening with peals of church bells in by ear from the nearby Parish Church. There was no signal on the mobile phone at Bedwyn, where we moored last night. We did the short journey from Crofton in just under 2 hours and enjoyed the new facilities at the wharf (since we were here two years ago) for a pump aout and water. For those unfamiliar with the scene, our toilet is a macerating electric version which pumps the waste to a large 450 litre holding tank. This needs emptying periodically. There is a large pipe and an automated pumping machine. Fit it all together, put a card in the slot and there you go. The wharf at Bewdyn has one disadvantage however. It is surfaced with ballast finished off with fine grit and dust. The grit gets everywhere and ruins the paint and polished floors. Anyway, after the servicing, we got a good mooring and waited for Grannie, Gemma and Chloe to arrive for the weekend (in Gemma's case). The travel arrangements worked perfectly for them and a lazy afternoon spent in the warm sunshine. Pluto arrived to join us and the dogs were able to socialise as well as ourselves. Terry and June joined us at the Cross Keys in the evening for an excellent meal and we returned after dusk.

Today, Gemma did not want to feel pressured in having to arrive at Hungerford to catch a train, so we stayed put and after Gemma had left we moved down to Hungerford. 9 locks, 2 swing bridges. Strangely there had been very few boats about in the morning, but we passed one or two for each locking we made, going west. They are going to find nowhere to moor at Great Bedwyn methinks. Now the bells have stopped and it seems very quiet suddenly.