Ufton to Dorchester

We stayed on the quiet meadows at Ufton for 3 days, leaving on Monday morning.  We have noticed numerous pill boxes alongside the Kennet and Avon and at Tyle Mill CRT have incorporated the building into the sanitary station. 

On the water point in front of the Tyle Mill pill box sanitary station

We continued along the pretty rural stretch of the River Kennet to Fobney on the outskirts of Reading where we stayed for a couple of days.   As it enters Reading the river narrows into a channel which took us through the Oracle shopping centre.  

The narrow channel twists and turns as we sailed through the Oracle shopping centre

I was surprised to find Reading Museum had a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry on display.  The 231 foot long tapestry is a faithful copy of the original which was completed in 1886 after one years stitching by 35 ladies of the Leek Embroidery Society.  The ladies embroidered their names on a strip underneath their work on the tapestry.

A section of the tapestry and the start of Patience E Gater's work. 

Whist in Reading we took the opportunity to stock up with groceries as supermarkets seem to be scarce on the next stage of our journey.  We left on Thursday and sailed off the Kennet onto the River Thames heading west.  We immediately noticed how busy the Thames had become since we left it in mid-May.  As we approached Pangbourne we started to look moorings and were lucky to slot in at the end of a line of boats.  

The next day we found we weren't the only early risers, on the Kennet and Avon we rarely saw boats moving before 9.30am.  On the way to Goring we spotted a spoof post box attached to a high river wall.  

The spoof post box on a river wall which supports a railway line

As we left Goring preparations were underway for the local regatta.  Several rowing boats were out and they thought nothing of cutting across our bow.  We sailed 6 miles and stopped at the small town of Wallingford.  From the river the unusual spire of St Peters Church caught my eye.  

St Peters unusual spire

  
In the town it was a shop that caught my eye; Village Fabrics had a huge range of materials and I came away with a length of colourful batik.  

On Sunday morning we arrived at Benson Lock to find the electrical controls were out of action.  For the first, and hopefully the last, time I had to use the manual wheel which is turned to open the sluices and lock gates.  It isn't hard work but it took a lot of turns to take us through the lock.  

We pulled over for the day on the meadows near Dorchester.  Wittenham Clumps, the site of a hill fort, overlooked the river and made a good viewing point, well worth the steep path up. 

The view from Wittenham Clumps showing the weir and lock entrance on the left.  Brent III can barely be seen in the centre of the photo by the herd of cows.

The cows wandered on and Bess and Brinny enjoyed sitting out.  That evening the cows returned and Brinny jumped straight back on board.  Bess however was determined to hold her ground and stared out a young bullock who was clearly puzzled.  When another bullock approached Bess realised she was outnumbered and quickly came back on board.  

This is my patch!  Bess holds her ground

Our journey from Ufton to Dorchester

Honey Street to Ufton

We left the Barge Inn at Honey Street on Saturday morning travelling along the stretch known as the Long Pound.  Water levels were so low CRT had announced the Caen Hill Flight would be shut for 24 hours to allow a recovery of the depth.  We moored up at Pewsey, just in time to miss a torrential downpour and we stayed over on Sunday to avoid more rain.  

On Monday we awoke to bright sunshine and made a move.  After stopping for water we found ourselves in a queue at Wootton Rivers Locks which took us up to the summit level and the short Bruce Tunnel.  In the middle of the tunnel our lights picked up something glittering on the wall; tinsel was hanging at the halfway mark.   Shortly after the tunnel we descended Crofton Top Lock and moored up in the sunshine.  

Moored in the sun between the Crofton Locks 

The Crofton pumping station houses 2 steam engines which are no longer in use but are in working order and are regularly fired up for visitor days. 

Crofton Pumping Station

After another night at Crofton we set off and as we passed a boater called out to tell us heavy rain was forecast.  We didn't have to wait long for the drizzle and shortly afterwards we got a soaking.  We had a little way to go before we could moor up at Great Bedwyn and dry out.

On Friday we sailed into Hungerford and stopped at the top moorings.  On our way into town we spotted a better mooring so returned to Brent III to move her down.  Kev turned the key but the engine didn't start.  Kev tried the 'tap it with a hammer' technique which I'm told is more technical than it sounds but the engine still didn't start.  Time to call out River and Canal Rescue.  Their engineer also took his hammer to the starter motor but it still didn't work.  He then started checking the electrics and suddenly the engine burst into life.  She consistently started after that so the engineer left, concluding we'd had a dodgy contact but as nothing was actually repaired only time will tell.  

We stayed another day in Hungerford and picked up some more books and DVDs in the charity shops, our bookcase now has an overflow issue.  

On Sunday we continued east stopping opposite an impressive victorian vicarage at Kintbury. 

The victorian vicarage at Kintbury

The next day we continued towards Newbury and the canal section of the waterway gave way to the River Kennet with it's dark waters and strong currents.  On the way we saw a boat with a grass roof.

A grass roof on a green boat

We sailed through the West Mills area of Newbury with it's quirky little cottages. 

Quirky cottages at West Mills

We were pleased to see free moorings at Victoria Park in the centre of Newbury and stopped for a couple of days;  our pace has definitely slowed down.  

Whilst at Newbury our Wi-Fi stopped working but we didn't think too much of it as there are occasional interruptions to the signal.  But the next day at Thatcham it still wasn't working so obviously there was a problem but it would have to wait until we were near an O2 shop.  

We continued our journey through the many swing bridges, locks and the tricky Woolhampton Lock/swing bridge combination.  As boats come out of the lock they sail into a strong current which sweeps down to the nearby swing bridge and it's narrow channel.  The bridge has to be opened before the boat leaves the lock but, as it's round a bend, the helmsman cannot see the bridge from the lock.  Luckily we had a hand from another boater who stood below the lock to watch me open the bridge and then went back to open the lock gates to let Kev out.  

From there we had an easy run to Ufton where we moored up at the side of quiet meadows with a herd of cows and flock of greylag geese for company.  

On the meadow moorings at Ufton

We found out our paperwork for the Wi-Fi box the O2 and in the instruction booklet Kev found a reset procedure.  This cured the problem connecting us back to the internet.


Our journey from Honey Street to Ufton

Bath to Honey Street

After turning in the winding hole at Bath we returned along the Kennet and Avon to Bradford-on-Avon.  This quirky little town of honey coloured Bath stone is perched on a steep sided valley.  I walked up the narrow streets and through a series of steep passages up the hillside to the hermit chapel of St Mary.

Steep passages led me up the hillside

 The grounds of the little church gave me good views across the town.

The view across the town

Back down the hill I came across the Saxon church of St Lawrence, a narrow but tall building with a simple interior.

The simple interior of St Lawrence

From Bradford-on-Avon we sailed back to Seend Locks and after a couple of nights back to Sells Green.  Ahead of us were 29 locks into Devizes including the 16 locks of the Caen Hill Flight but we had a plan.  On Sunday we went up the first 7 locks and stopped at the bottom of the flight.  At 8pm the locks are closed and drained down for the night.  The next morning when they were opened we would have 16 locks in our favour, we just needed to push the lock gates open.  At 7.50am the lock keeper arrived on his quad bike to unlock the gates and we were straight in.  The only drawback was torrential rain but undeterred we made our way up the 16 locks in 105 minutes which we thought was pretty good going.  A volunteer lock keeper braved the weather to set the remaining 6 locks spread along the route into Devizes.  

On Tuesday we enjoyed a tour of the Wadworth Brewery which was very interesting.  The brewery has retained some traditions and along with the brewing methods we saw the sign writing department where all the signage for their chain of pubs is still painted by hand and pub signs are painted by an artist.  We also saw the shire horses who make the deliveries in Devizes using a dray.   The tour ended with a generous tasting session of 6 ales and a stout after which we staggered back to the boat.

The artist at work on a pub sign

On Thursday we left Devizes sailing on the narrow, shallow section of canal to the Barge Inn at Honey Street.

The narrow section of the canal, luckily we didn't meet anyone coming the other way 

We'd arranged to meet up with Geoff and Chris who sailed with us from Goole in February.  Although this canal is busy we've noticed the hire boaters move on after 10am leaving the visitor moorings free and by arriving mid-morning we were able to moor up near each other.  The Barge Inn made an ideal location to enjoying catching up and we stayed for a couple of days.

The Barge Inn and yes that is Bess staring intently at the door

Our journey from Bath to Honey Street

Sells Green to Bath

After our descent of the Caen Hill locks we were reluctant to move on Monday morning.   Sells Green was a nice area but we had to use the plank to get on and off and Bess and Brinny were a bit reluctant.  We sailed less than a mile and stopped opposite the Barge Inn at Seend Cleeve.  

Opposite the Barge Inn.  During the spell of hot dry weather we left the wheelhouse down overnight.

As we sailed towards Semington the canal gave us good views across open countryside and we stopped near another pub, The Somerset Arms, where we enjoyed a meal and Kev sampled a pint of cloudy cider.  

The next day the canal took us through woods on the approach to Bradford-on-Avon.   We stopped on a pleasant mooring just outside the town and enjoyed the sunny weather. 

On Friday we sailed down through Bradford Lock and the character of the canal changed again, here it followed the course of the River Avon in its steep-side valley.  At Avoncliff we turned at right angles to cross the Avon on the first of a pair of aqueducts.  We continued along the valley and through the trees saw glimpses of the houses perched on the opposite side.   We moored up for the weekend just before Dundas Aqueduct which crossed back over the river.  During the day we saw several hire boats carrying groups of men on their way to Bath and some more passed on Saturday morning.  Obviously it was going to be rowdy in Bath over the weekend.  

Dundas Aqueduct which was busy with boaters and walkers

The architecture of Dundas aqueduct is better appreciated from the river bank.  

After watching streams of boats passing us all day on Sunday we were beginning to wonder if there were any moorings left at Bath.  We set off on Monday morning, crossing the aqueduct and the county boundary into Somerset.  On the Somerset side we passed the entrance to the Somerset Coal Canal, only half a mile remains navigable and it now serves as a marina.

The entrance to the Somerset Canal is narrow because this was once the site of a lock

The Kennet and Avon continued to follow the course of the river winding it's way to Bathampton where we intended to stop and luckily we spotted a good mooring behind Jen and Bern on Daydream. Jen enjoys patchwork and applique so we compared our current projects.

On Tuesday I took a bus trip into Bath.  It was a wet morning but Bath council had anticipated this and covered over one of their streets with colourful umbrellas.

Umbrellas in Bath

I joined the queue at the Roman Baths and was given a handset for the audio tour which was excellent. The tour took us through various displays giving a good account of the history of the baths and how they were used.

The Great Bath at the Roman Baths 

The overflow from the hot spring, essentially a Roman drain.  The photo shows steam rising off the water and vivid orange iron deposits.  

The tour ended with a taste of the spring water, it wasn't pleasant but not as bad as the sulphuric  Harrogate waters.

I enjoyed a walk around the town with its tall Georgian town houses all constructed in Bath Stone as were the public buildings and Abbey.  At The Circus three impressive arcs of these tall terraced house formed a ring around a central green but I thought the Royal Crescent was a bit disappointing.

An arc of Georgian houses at The Circus

We had decided, in common with several other boaters, not to venture any further down the Kennet and Avon.  However the next winding hole was in Bath so we had to carry on to turn around.  To avoid delays on this busy stretch of canal we were up early and heading for Bath.  On the way we sailed though Sydney Gardens, a park through which the canal flowed hidden from the residents of the suburb.  We entered the park through a tunnel and left it through another.

One of the wrought iron bridges in Sydney Gardens with the tunnel entrance behind it.  The building on the tunnel is Cleveland House and was originally built for the canal company.

We turned round at the winding hole at Bathwick and started our return journey along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Crofton to Sells Green

The quiet moorings at Crofton made an ideal place to stay over the Bank Holiday weekend.  On Tuesday morning we set off up the small flight of 6 locks which took us to the summit level and Bruce Tunnel.

The entrance to Bruce Tunnel with a spot of light marking the exit

The summit level pound was 2 miles long and then we descended through 4 locks into the Vale of Pewsey and the character of the canal changed again.  A boater from Doncaster described the Kennet & Avon as a ditch, a very apt description for this section which is narrow and shallow.  We stopped at the small town of Pewsey where I found 'Miss Lemon's Wool Shop' which had a large tempting stock of colourful wools.  I did resist buying more wool but did succumb to some patchwork fabric.  

On Thursday we continued through woods and out into open countryside although the canal was flanked by hedgerows which sadly blocked our view.  It was slow going due to the shallow water and we had to slow down for the long lines of moored boats which are infamous on this canal.  Bess enjoyed looking out from the comfort of her bed on the roof.  

Bess sat up when something caught her attention

As we approached All Cannings we spotted a white horse carved in the chalk hill, one of several in the Downs.

The white horse near All Cannings

We stopped overnight at All Cannings which is a picturesque village with thatched cottages  and a row of 'Best Kept Village' awards on the village hall.  It was interesting to see some sedge warblers hopping amongst the reeds on the opposite side of the canal. 

A thatched cottage at All Cannings

On Friday we sailed into the small market town of Devizes, the home of Wadworth Brewery and a good pie shop.

Wadworth Brewery in Devizes

 While on the moorings we met Jen and Bern on their narrowboat Daydream and arranged to travel together down the next section of 29 locks which we were going to do in a day.

On Sunday their daughters arrived to give a hand with the locks and the sun was already hot when we set off through the first lock at 9.45am.  We quickly settled into a routine and worked well as a team, 2 women on the lock taking the boat down and 2 preparing the next lock while the men were at the helm.   After the first 6 locks we started our descent of the Caen Hill Flight, a spectacular flight of 16 locks which dropped the canal down 130 feet.   The locks were busy with other boats travelling in each direction and plenty of people on the towpath watching us work.

The Caen Hill Flight, I took this photo the evening before our descent and after the locks had been shut for the day. 

After the flight we continued down the last 7 locks to complete the 29 locks in 5 hours.  We were pleased to shut the last lock gate, it was hard work but satisfying to finish in a relatively quick time thanks to the extra help.  We then sailed a little further on to Sells Green for a mooring where we enjoyed a well-earned beer.    

Our journey from Crofton to Sells Green 

Frouds Bridge Marina to Crofton

Our stay at Frouds Bridge Marina was extended by another day to avoid travelling in heavy rain.  Moorhens are very good nest builders and will use any location to their advantage, in the marina one cheeky bird had made it's nest on someones back deck.  

Feeding chicks in the nest on a boat

On Thursday we set off for Newbury.  The Kennet and Avon Canal is a connected series of rivers and after the heavy rain the River Kennet was fast flowing especially at the bottom of the locks where weir streams reconnect with the navigation.  We made good progress but after 8 miles, 10 locks and 5 swing bridges we were pleased to see empty moorings in Newbury.  

Newbury was a pleasant place to stop so we stayed over the weekend, shopping in the good selection of shops and enjoying breakfast in the Toby Carvery.  We haven't seen a charity shop for a while so we took the opportunity to donate some books and buy some more.  On Sunday we had a stroll around the monthly artisan market.  

Newbury's clock tower

On Monday we sailed through Newbury Lock and out of town.

Looking under the town centre bridge to Newbury Lock 

The canal quickly took us back into a rural setting and through some more locks.  As we waited at one lock a deer kept an eye on us; it had a fawn nearby, hidden in the long grass.

The deer kept a watchful eye on us 

On Tuesday we arrived in Hungerford, a small town with some quaint buildings and for its size, a lot of antique shops.  We stayed for a couple of nights on the quiet moorings.  

On the moorings at Hungerford next to the Kennet & Avon Trust trip boat, Rose of Hungerford.

Hungerford Lock took us up onto the River Dun, a quiet river which is much calmer than the Kennet.  It took us onto the gently rolling hills of the Wessex Downs and as we climbed up through the locks the river water turned a cloudy grey with chalk deposits.  We made a spur of the moment decision to stop in the tranquil setting at Potters Lock.  

On Friday we travelled a short distance to Crofton and moored up near the Crofton Beam Engine House.  

On Saturday morning a man walked down the towpath with a stepladder which he stood up on the grass in front of the lock.  When he started setting up a camera we realised he must be a train spotter, in an ideal position for the rail track opposite.  Over the next hour a group of train spotters gathered.

Train spotters in position

 Brent III's roof gave us a good view as The Flying Scotsman steamed passed on its way to Salisbury. 

 

The Flying Scotsman

Our journey from Frouds Bridge Marina to Crofton

Marlow to Frouds Bridge Marina

The rain hammered down while we were moored at Marlow and it was damp and misty as we set off on Wednesday morning.  We've seen some grand properties on the banks of the Thames but Medmenham Abbey stands out; it's up for sale, 10 bedrooms for £10 million.  

Medmenham Abbey

The rain started again so we pulled up on a farmer's moorings.  Curious lambs watched us as did a red kite.  

A damp red kite watched us 

The next day we sailed through Henley-on-Thames where preparations for the famous regatta were underway.  

Sailing into Henley-on-Thames, the posts in the river mark out the rowing course for the regatta

Rowing clubs and boat houses line the banks along with various hostelries. 

This interesting building caught my eye

After Henley Lock we found a rural mooring opposite a small island which was unfortunately inhabited by raucous geese who periodically emerged onto the river squawking noisily.  We took a walk upstream and saw the Grand Design house which caused some controversy with the neighbours at Lower Shiplake.  

The modern design which wasn't popular

On Friday we set off but were pushing against strong currents after the recent heavy rain so we stopped at the next lock, Shiplake.

At Shiplake with strong currents from the weir on the other side of the mooring.

We were moored opposite a tiny island and during the day we could see a roe deer peeping out from the undergrowth.  That evening it made it's escape, swimming across to the lock island and climbing out in front of the lock.  It then swam across the width of the Thames through the fast flowing weir currents which were carrying it down-stream.  We watched anxiously until it reached the far side and climbed out on the steps up to a property.  The home-owner came running out after the deer crossed in front of his house and he checked it had made its way safely into the fields.  

The deer on the bottom step which was underwater after the heavy rain

After Shiplake Lock we had one more lock on the Thames before Reading and the entrance to the Kennet and Avon Canal.  The canal starts with the River Kennet which has strong currents through a narrow stretch of bridges and bends in Reading.  As there's only room for boats to travel in one direction there's a traffic light system in place; similar to a pedestrian crossing, you press a button and wait for a green light before proceeding.   That night we stopped on the outskirts of Reading and on Sunday we were soon sailing through open countryside.  

We came across some unusual locks, Garston Lock is a 'turf-lined' lock, one of two surviving examples of this method of lock construction on the river.  The lock chamber is partially open with vegetation growing at the sides and pilings which define the shape of the lock.  

The turf-lined lock, the water level rises to the top iron bar when the lock is filled flooding over the vegetation.  

Sheffield Lock is a scheduled ancient monument and has unusual scalloped walls which look new because the lock was repaired and renovated during this year's winter stoppages.  

Scalloped edges on Sheffield Lock's chamber

During the next couple of days we didn't travel very far.  A quiet riverbank mooring enticed us to stop on Monday and on Tuesday we pulled into Frouds Bridge Marina for diesel and decided to stop overnight.  

Our journey from Marlow to Frouds Bridge Marina