KENNET AND AVON 3

THE DECENT INTO BATH

The sun shone and promised a lovely day as we said our good bye’s to Mr and Mrs of Melvin

Caen Hill Locks

It was a gentle twenty-two miles into Bath, easy down hill all the way. It was glorious day; sung to by birds and saluted by every flower along the way. The deep decent of Caen Hill Locks westwards out of Devizes is a flight of twenty-nine locks, a decent of two hundred and thirty feet, which would take a narrow boat six hours to go through.

Peter talked being under 18 inches of snow

Ten miles from Bath we pulled over for another canal side tearoom experience at Bradford-upon-Avon, a delight place.

Good coffee and a long natter with Peter, the owner of a lovingly restored boat The Grey Hare from Deepcut (on the Basingstoke canal) in Hampshire. He was moored along side. Peter was the lock keeper at Deepcut and took redundancy and invested every penny in The Grey Hare. The lovely boat is his place of residence. He talked of all weathers, being under 18 inches of snow and frozen in and life on the canal. (I subsequently found a picture of The Grey Hare in winter).

THE GREY HARE NARROW BOAT

BRADFORD ON AVON

Between Bradford and Bath the canal cross the railway and the River Avon via two splendid limestone aqueducts Avoncliff and Dundas, both restored to their former glory and looking down on the graceful river.

Now the path is busy with walkers and cyclists to and from Bath.

At lunchtime we pull off Route 4 and into the arms of Bath Spa railway station for our journey home. The traffic was quite a shock after the tranquil towpath; however we had enjoyed some great cycling through Berkshire and Wiltshire on one of the west of England’s loveliest waterways.

Lots of great detail on the canal is on wonderful Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal

KENNET AND AVON 2

KENNET AND AVON CYCLE RIDE Day 2 Kintbury to Devizes

We were expecting rain and it did, occasionally quite violently.

It was not until we had ridden 30 miles in the wet and was almost into Devizes that the sun shone over the Wiltshire downs and a skylark rose high above us to pipe us into the town.

Crofton Pumping Station Bit and Pieces lying around

Will it ever stop raining on my drawing     LITTLE BEDWIN

The mid ride drying off point was the warm café at the Crofton Mill Pumping station. The pumping station is a wonderful place of Victorian architecture and engineering; the boilers that drive the apparatus to lift the water from nearby lakes to the canal are still regularly fired up. There is a lovely four-minute film on this link http://bit.ly/1jKCcri

DEVIZES and the WILTSHIRE DOWNS

Mid afternoon we ‘shortened course’ to minimise the soaking and pulled over for a cup of tea in Pewsey Village, here the canal is almost at its highest point before dropping down into Bath and Bristol.

Devizes was the overnight stop and we we stayed at the Southdown B&B (http://www.whitehorsewalking.co.uk) in Roundway just outside the town and took a taxi in for an excellent meal at the Crown Inn http://www.crowndevizes.co.uk/home very close to the Wadworth Brewery.

CYCLING ALONG THE KENNET AND AVON

DAY 1 READING TO KINTBURY

The train pulled into Reading Station and we were off through the damp grey morning and pleased not to be in the town too long. We soon gained National Cycle Route 4, which was to be our companion for the seventy odd miles across three days, heading west.

FOBNEY LOCK  near READING

It was still trying to rain but once through Fobney Lock just outside Reading, at mid morning we were then shown sun, which continued, across our day.

We cycled past fields and hedgerows, over or under bridges that protected the sluices that feed or feed off the canal’s water supply. Sheep’s parsley as tall as trees and yellow flag irises were constant companions for this three-day pedal.

By lunchtime it was hot. A pint and a gigantic sausage baguette were served with a modest side order of fries and a warm smile at the Butt Inn at Aldermaston Quay. The word ‘quay’ testifies to the huge amount of commerce this canal carried.

A lovey afternoon in the saddle, our path running parallel with the Great Western Railway track; the train network that was to deprive the canal of all its business when the GWR opened in the mid 1800’s.

ALONG THE CANAL AT THE LOCK

Teatime was enjoyed in Newbury, at the canal side tearooms with a tempting array of cakes. http://on.fb.me/1ismcPY

TEA IN NEWBURY

We had a text from the Dundas Arms at Kintbury (our stop for the night) that their boiler was out of action and so they were too. The manager drove us to the Swan Inn at Inkpen Village. This was a welcoming but forlorn establishment. It was blessed with a Spanish girl (student?) who seemed to be in many places at once (bar, restaurant, kitchens) and brimming with courtesy.

Good food at The Swan and a comfortable evening. We discussed the onset of bad weather the next day. 

THE BUTT IN ALDERMARSTON AND THE SWAN AT INKPEN

THE WEDDING PARTY

We were moored alongside and friendly yet unprepossessing marina in Caversham, the darker side of Reading. Sian and I were crewing again for the MV Cantara of Dart.

11:45

The Bride and Groom and the rest of the Party presented themselves along side. We served the campaign and canapés.

13:00

A discussion with bride (Sarah) and groom (Sam) and we were off downstream our destination was Temple Marina twenty or so miles downstream just upstream from Marlow.

From Reading to Henley

Passing the entrance to the Kennet and Avon Canal and for a few moments were racing neck and neck with the Great Western train impatient for London.

High spirits on-board, grey skies and a chill breeze, and the wedding finery was soon swapped for warm pullovers and a trousers. Canoeists bobbed along like a flock of dockings.

14:00

Pretty pretty Sonning Lock and then further down stream through posh Wargrave, closer now to Henley-on-Thames.

15:00

From Henley to Temple Marina 

Through Marsh Lock and on the Henley, now well advanced with its preparations for The Regatta. We glide under the bridge. The Regatta course now clearly in place and a few crews at practise this afternoon. All the Stands are up ready for the throng.

15:40

Pretty Temple Island marks the beginning of the Regatta’s course. A lovely piece of neo classic nonsense stands on the island’s manicured lawn.

16:20

We pass through Hurley Lock, all darkness and moorhens and so then into Temple Marina. Sian and I hope off, the sun comes out for a moment, and the Party continue a little way further to moor up outside their favourite pub.

FIVE IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE THAMES: BETWEEN CAVERHSAM AND TEMPLE MARINA

1 1. There is a traditional post box embedded into one of the buttresses of Sonning Bridge. The Daily Mail reported ‘Even psychic Uri Geller, who lives in Sonning, admitted he was stumped by the mystery of the letterbox.
 
2.     Every August, the Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta is held over two days and has been since 1867.
 
3.    Henley Royal Regatta is one of the highlights of the English social season. Held over a           5 day period there are 200 races to watch.
 
4.     The Leander Club, close to Henley Bridge on the Berkshire side, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world.
 
5.     The wall paintings in the ornamental temple on Temple Island are thought to be the earliest surviving example of the Etruscan style in the country.