Baz Juniper wrote: > On 7 Sep 2009, at 18:05, Martin Phillips wrote: > >> Being unfamiliar with the waterway, can anybody suggest reasonable >> places to leave the boat for a week or so near Bradford on Avon and >> near >> Bath? I gather the latter is pretty busy with long-term >> overstayers. The >> canal down that end is actually a canal, rather than River Kennet (at >> least until it becomes Avon) - is it a bit easier than the eastern end >> for moorings? > > Ha! How long is your plank Martin?? > I don't do planks, more desperate leaps :-) However, our back end is deeper drafted than many boats (about 76 cm) and we often end up with it sticking out.
<snip about moorings> Thanks, that's really useful information. Last time I was at Bradford was around twelve years ago, before we'd thought of buying a boat. Current, possibly slightly optimistic, plan is to move to Gt Bedwyn on Friday, close to Devizes on Saturday, bottom of Caen Hill on Sunday and BoA on Monday. Hadn't spotted that there is a station at Avoncliffe, will have to check arrangements for stopping trains. Will then be moving to Bath the following weekend, or just possibly straight through to Bristol (must check tides on the Avon below Hanham). I'd like at least a week in Bristol before catching the tide up to Sharpness (it's feasible for me to commute to work by train from there and I know several nice young ladies living in the city, but don't tell the missus). > On the bright side, I reckon you've got the best of the K&A to come, > heading west from Newbury. Beyond Guyers Lock there are no more > pesky gate paddles in top gates and the countryside only improves. A > few paddles u/s when we passed that way last month, and a lot more > that still have those silly gearboxes on them, but not too many undue > hazards. Enjoy your trip. The locks so far to Newbury have been a weird and wonderful assortment. Aside from some bits of Reading and Thatcham, the canal is very pretty and interesting. Some locks seem positively dangerous (Towney comes to mind), a few have had paddles out of operation, the granny gear is a PITA. The eastern end is in desperate need of some selective vegetation clearance, if only to enable a few more moorings. Wassail! -- Martin Phillips [email protected]
