Well, I’m back, briefly, as we’ll be back in the land of limited connections again tomorrow; it’ll be Friday before we’re back at Hungerford and reliable signals. We’ve made it to Pewsey, and have decided to turn back here, since all reports on the towpath are of merry chaos at Devizes, where folk are waiting for the Caen Hill flight to reopen on Saturday.
We had a great time with Elanor last weekend, and met her new dog, a Doberman cross bitch called Tia, though the one thing Elanor doesn’t love about her is the name, and may well change it once she’s settled down.
As a result of her visit, I’ve got several new toys to play with, including an O2 PAYG dongle (but no signal for it yet) and a new phone from Vodafone on a very good deal. It includes casual data use at 50p for a day, up to 25 Mb, so easily enough to check email, although not much scope for web browsing. This means that I now have three choices for internet access.
We’ve had a good Voda signal up to today; here at Pewsey we can get voice OK, but no data.
One other good thing to report; we had a visit from Rob Buckland of the Wiltshire Fire Service, who checked out the boat and fitted a free smoke alarm. An excellent service, and they’ve had the sense to use an experienced boater, who was a really nice guy to boot.
We won’t be coming back to the K&A. I can quite see why it appeals to some, but those 56, broad, not well maintained locks between here and the Thames are just too much; this pound is beautiful, sure, but we know of lots of others, just as beautiful or even more so, that don’t involve the blood sweat and tears of getting here. Even now we're here, the pleasure is spoilt by the thought of having to slog back.
Good points about the K&A: the scenery, the people, the villages, um...
Bad points: the locks, the lack of places to moor, the railway line alongside for so much of it, the locks, the depth, the grotty state of it, the locks, the smell at Crofton (Wilton Water was covered in thick, rotting algae).
The real problem, as you'll have gathered, is the locks; at more than one per mile between the Thames and Wootton Rivers, there’s simply never a break from them. It’s not just that they are so badly maintained, it’s that so many of them are poorly designed, and some are only just 70 feet long, so that going back down is going to be real fun as well.
Then there’s the water flows across and around and through them, especially between Newbury and Reading. Rennie was a brilliant architect, but rubbish at engineering a canal.
We’ve coped with plenty of heavy lock flights in our time; the Cheshire Locks we quite enjoy, and Hatton and Tardebigge hold no terrors for us, but those are over in one or two days. These just go on, and on, and on.
Don’t let me put you off; if you don’t mind some very hard work, every day for a week, can put up with a railway line within 100 metres at every mooring, and enjoy the challenge of boating a canal that’s been minimally maintained for the twenty years since it reopened, the K&A will suit you down to the ground.
Or, like us, you may need to visit for yourself just to find out what it’s like, but like one of my regular readers, it will be the trip of a lifetime, as you won’t want to come back.
It will be interesting to hear how the new trial management arrangements work out, with the K&A Canal Trust taking an active part; they could certainly do more, in the way that SUCS has on the Shroppie and Llangollen, installing visitor moorings with adequate depth and generally adding amenities to the canal.
That's enough for now; next proper post will probably be on Friday, and in the meantime I’ll use Twitter to add comments to the sidebar on the right.
6 comments:
The K & A is a strange waterway - while you've been on it I've felt prompted to defend the nicer bits. But having cruised it four times (the fourth time with extremem reluctance!) I'd be in no hurry to go back!
Sue, Indigo Dream
Tsk. You've done all the hard work and now you're turning your back on the best scenery [Pewsey to Horton Bridge] and another 10 miles of lock-free cruising. OK, I know you have a Beale Park time constraint, but you'll probably find the locks easier going downhill [except picking up crew below Fobney!].
You're not alone in your perspective - many visitors we've encountered over the years profess to find the K&A hard work. However, this all cheers us up. We've been based at Bradford-on-Avon since 1998 and I suppose we've sort of got used to the canal. Admittedly life is easier, navigationally, in our little 40' boat, but it gives us hope that, when we have the time to get to the rest of the network on an extended basis, it'll all seem a breeze.
Baz
Baz: the problem is, the boating is now spoilt by anxiety about finding moorings, as the canal is well congested from here to Devizes.
Locking down will be a bit easier, judging by our experience this morning, but not much, because of the restricted length. I think we're probably going to have to lift the bow fender, so that there's one less thing to worry about, ie it getting caught in the bottom gates whilst I try to keep the stern gear off the cill.
Don't totally regret coming here, but it's not been an enjoyable experience, quite frankly, and we see no reason to keep hitting ourselves on the head!
Cheers
Bruce
Fair comment, Bruce, and perhaps the K&A isn't the friendliest place to bring a shiny new 70 footer. You may have sussed potential moorings on your way west but, in the spirit of helpfulness, these are our favourites east of Pewsey [other than ones you've already used]:
Above Heathey Close Lock [52];
Around Wolfhall Bridge [103] - train noise limited by the bank but you might need the plank;
Above Froxfield Middle Lock [69] - a rare opportunity on the K&A to use piling hooks;
Above Hungerford Lock [74];
Near the weirs between Hamstead [81] & Benham Locks;
On the river section between Ufton Bridge and Tyle Mill Lock [99] - before you get to the permit only ones beyond the winding hole;
Near the Cunning Man at Burghfield - we'd not normally overnight any closer to Reading.
HTH
Baz
Hi Bruce - the K&A - Aldermaston to Newbury was our first ever experience of narrow boating - in November with the Kennet in flood - boy were we green! - and good job too otherwise we would never have gone anywhere. Watching husband and boat white water rafting out of Woolhampton lock into the raging torrent that was the Kennet that day and through the swing bridge whilst I stood there helpless with my finger on the *** button will live with me forever. (and he managed to moor up on the last mooring bollard below the bridge - all by himself - clearly born to boat!)
Strangely it didn't put us off and today (only 2 years later, although it seems like years ago) we are proud owners of our own boat - but our travels since have taught us that the K&A is a very hard canal to cruise.
People have told us that it is better further along, and I really have always wanted to see the Devises to Bristol bit, but hey ho - maybe not.
have a good trip back
sue
My wife and I cruised the K&A to Bristol and back last summer. I agree with much of what you have said but it is a pity time proved a problem because the western end is better than the eastern end both with respect to lock operation and mooring; though when we were there the western end was busier with hire boats.
Allan
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