Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS II YEARS

A SOUTHERN CRUISE : SUMMER 1994

Part 2 : Week-ending on the Kennet & Avon

We resume the story with the boat at Thatcham.

Neither of us was working on the Friday, so we travelled up from home (a bit later than expected) then got away pretty well at once (12:03) in warm, sunny weather. We had an uneventful run to Greenham boatyard, where we stopped for a pump-out, then stopped again opposite Newbury wharf for some minor shopping.

From here on we were on the Kennet & Avon Canal proper. At Guyer's lock we met a group walking from London to Stonehenge with their camping gear in a couple of supermarket trolleys they'd found en route. We gave them a lift and one of them, Matt, worked the locks with us. One of them did a bunk after a while, and the others later discovered (when another friend joined at Kintbury) that he'd nicked £40 from my wallet inside the cabin. The rest were very embarrassed by this. Some months later, £15 was sent back to me by post.

We moored for the night above Kintbury lock at 19:12. I went to the Dundas Arms : still a very good Morland's pub, as I remembered it had been 30 years before. It looked as though the food here would be worth trying at some future date.

Next morning Wendy went to buy a paper before breakfast, finding Kintbury an attractive village with several shops, including a butcher & 2 off-licences. We set off at 08:12, after breakfast, in bright, sunny weather again and stopped at Hungerford sani station for elsan & rubbish disposal. After that we were locking with Endeavour, a time-share boat from Alvecote.

At Cobbler's lock we developed an engine problem: a lot of smoke and loss of oil pressure. From where the smoke seemed to be coming from, it looked like the rocker-box gasket (if there is such a thing). We carried on under tow (breasted) with Endeavour, while I used the mobile phone to arrange for an engineer from Newbury Boat Co. to meet us at Little Bedwyn. We arrived there at 13:12, at just about the same moment as not one but two engineers from Newbury Boat Co. (Brian Lightbody in charge). They were a bit sceptical about the gasket theory (but nevertheless fitted a new one). They did find that the pressure line to the oil gauge had broken at the same point as once before. They said it would be possible to fit an electric gauge instead, so eliminating the possibility of any repetition of the problem, so I asked them to give us an estimate. They hoped the work would be done by the end of the week.

We had a meal and a rest then 20 minutes walk to Bedwyn station for the train home.

A single day

As so often happens, we set out from home a lot later than hoped. and stopped in Newbury, where Wendy paid Brian's bill and collected the boat keys. Brian had replaced the oil-pressure gauge tube with a plastic one, in the hope of avoiding any repeat of the trouble. It was pleasant sunny day and we arrived at Little Bedwyn lock in time to be under way by 13:29 with a feeling of relief, running single with a good road. We crossed a couple of broad-beam community boats, Hannah & Rachel from the Bruce Trust. Locks on this canal have to be left empty, slowing us down quite a lot.

At Crofton we stopped for something to eat on the landing stage that was put in below lock 60 for the Crofton Unlocked celebrations all those years ago. We thought this would be a good place to barbecue when we have the family with us in a few weeks' time, if time permits. After lunch, from lock 61 we shared locks with Vanguard, from Shipston on the Oxford Canal.

The banks are very overgrown around here, but we eventually found quite a good mooring spot right opposite the old Burbage Wharf (On our return we discovered that this is in fact a winding-hole and we'd inconvenienced a trip boat.). We rang for a taxi to Bedwyn to catch the 20:24 train (by the skin of our teeth). Bedwyn has a surprisingly good railway service (except weekends), as it's the terminus for the commuter service.

An out-and-back weekend

It took a long time to get to the boat, because trains to Bedwyn are not frequent on Saturdays. While between trains in Reading, we went to the Hobgoblin, but saw no sign of Sam. We moved off at 13:53 . We found very poor lock landings below the Wooton Rivers locks, but otherwise the locks themselves were in good condition. After Wooton Rivers we found that the Long Pound was quite shallow in places. We came across a lot of anglers, generally fairly friendly. At Pewsey wharf anglers were very much in the way at the moorings. We stopped for water and a look at the K&A Trust shop : not very exciting.

There was a lot of weed around Honey Street. Somebody had left Allington Swing Bridge half-way. We managed to get past & promised ourselves we'd set it to rights on our way back. We winded at the winding hole a little way past this. When we got back to the bridge, I managed to climb on it from the front of the boat, but weed on the blade stopped Wendy from getting the forward way off the boat in time to prevent a bump with the bridge that damaged one of our side doors.

Possible mooring places are very few and far between in this area. But we found one at The Barge, Honey Street at 20:21. This was now an Ushers house : the first we'd found since a management buy-out brought back the beer on which I'd learnt to drink about 30 years previously. The Best Bitter is more like their old Ordinary, but the Founders is good, not unlike their original Best Bitter. The menu looked good, although we didn't try it.

Next morning there was no point in starting early, as we wanted to stop at the nearby Old Builders' Wharf for a pump-out. We arrived there at 09:56. we had a long wait until somebody came on duty to give us the pump-out we wanted. Nice bloke & dogs, I think he was the son of the proprietor.

Our next stop was at Pewsey wharf to use their elsan & rubbish points. The whole wharf was still cluttered with anglers. At Wooton Rivers we passed a trip-boat moored at the bottom lock, whose crew told us quite pleasantly that where we moored for the week was a winding hole. Oops! There were lots of anglers on the summit : hence very slow going. Crofton locks were in very good nick. We met Mike & Sue Stimpson half-way down the flight, Mike judging the competition for the best-kept length, so we put in our two-penn'orth of opinion.

We planned to moor at Great Bedwyn for the sake of the railway station, and got there at 19:44. There was no room at the wharf or anywhere that side of the bridge (largely because of unhelpful mooring of other boats: there would have been room for a couple of 30 ft boats but no gap was big enough for us). So we ended up some way past the bridge and a full boarding-plank's length away from solid bank. There was a very good sunset and lots of birdsong. We stayed on the boat overnight and went home on the 07:05 train.

A day with the family

Wendy & I came up from home by a (fairly) early train (the second of the day) & were joined by my brother Derek & his family who were over from the USA and staying with my father at Marlborough, a few miles away. We were ready to depart at 10:41, reversed as far as the winding hole, then winded. The eldest two kids, Samara & Joshua, (& occasionally Derek) helped with the locks. The younger kids walked quite a bit. From lock 60 we were sharing with Kenavoncliff, a small Springer from Horton: 3-handed and very experienced.

Before Cadley lock we stopped for lunch. As usual on this cut, it was a boarding-plank job. Our lock-partners from this morning came along just as we were thinking about moving on, so we shared with them again. Josh had his first lesson steering the boat, and Samara had a go to see how well she remembered if from last year: she picked up the feel of it straight away.

Our planned mooring was at Pewsey Wharf, which we reached at 17:32. There were no feasible moorings available anywhere near the wharf, so we ended up some way off, and again at a good boarding-plank's length out. Josh was very athletic in helping get the mooring plank into place. Derek & I went to the French Horn ( a haunt of our youth) to ring for a cab for the car-shuffle. The taxi firm was fully booked, but we met the people we had been locking with all day and they offered a lift. Then the family went off to my Dad's place in Marlborough. Wendy & I slept on board. Derek picked us up next morning to spend the day in Marlborough and go home from there .

Last weekend before the main cruise

For once we actually managed to travel from home on Friday evening! The level seemed down a bit since we left the boat here. Dinner at the French Horn (excellent), after we had met John & Ann Robbins (John was at Primary school with me & I'd known him pretty well until we were both about 18, but hardly seen him since then) who were involved in a barbecue at Pewsey Wharf. The fridge was very reluctant to light, but eventually co-operated.

Saturday was very hot and sunny and we set off at 08:04, pausing at the wharf to deal with rubbish and elsan. At Old Builder's Wharf, Honey Street, we stopped again for pump-out, diesel, gas and a long natter with George Gibson, the proprietor, who had returned from holiday since we were here a few weeks ago. Allington swing bridge was OK this time, but the next one stuck, and Wendy was helped by a passer-by who told her how to cope with its idiosyncrasies. We found a lot of shallow sections, including the last run into Devizes, where we were also slowed by the broad-beam trip boat Kenavon Venture with some wire on its blade

Not surprisingly, the wharf moorings at Devizes were pretty full with boats planning to lock down the flight next day, but we found a mooring outside Basford from Leek (owners Michael & Ann, with younger generation Tim & Catherine and younger-still generation Megan). Our first shopping forays weren't very productive (a dreadful Tesco) until, quite late on, Wendy found a good Safeway beyond the Town centre (bear slightly to the right).

Sunday was devoted to Devizes locks. Wendy went to buy a paper before breakfast at the wharf. Then we set off down the locks at 08:50, arriving at Foxhangers wharf below the bottom lock at 13:07. It was very hot & sweaty working down the flight. We and Basford were the first locking, followed by Maelstrom from Alrewas (owners Geoff & Maureen, who we were to meet again on the BCN Explorer Cruise in 1996 and several times subsequently) running solo, then two other boats. They paired a long boat with a shorter boat on this flight since quite a few of the bottom gates hold out a certain amount. The bottom lock (no.22) had to be worked single, as the brickwork had a bulge, so they had a mobile pump back-pumping. (They've since rebuilt that lock.) The scenery was excellent.

We stopped at the water point (about 2 ft from the bank : the level here must be down as well), took on water and 'phoned then met John Oliver, of Nelcris Marine, who we booked to do a few jobs on the boat while we were away in the week, either himself or via a colleague. Later we winded in the marina entrance and re-moored on the towpath side, the right way round for John (or whoever) to replace the hinge we busted on Allington swing bridge.