The Kennet and Avon Canal
Terrific thunderstorms during the night. It started about 4 o’clock, really hard rain, loud thunder and lightening. But by the morning it had stopped and the sky was mostly grey, but with some blue. 10 locks and 9.5 miles today. Yesterday we shared all the locks, today we shared none. In fact we saw very
Hot, hot, hot today. It’s still 26 C at five o’clock! Shortly after setting off this morning we caught up with narrowboat ‘Amy’ at Woolhampton swing bridge. They let us through and we then spent the rest of the day with them sharing the next ten locks, and several swing bridges. We worked together well
10.5 miles and 11 locks today. We set off at 7:05. It was warmish then, but has got much hotter, peaking at 27 °C at around 4:30. Last time we came this way we got exhausted on this stretch as we tried to do too much. Today we have taken it easier. The river through
Not moved today. Actually that’s not quite correct. We pulled forward into the space vacated by the boat infront in order to move a little further from the busy road. The day was spent wandering arounf Reading and going for an 8+ mile bike ride upstream for a while, then down to Sonning lock and
Our original intention was to stop at Wallingford last night, which is more like half way between Oxford and Reading. But in the past we have found it difficult to get a mooring at Wallingford, hence the decision yesterday to stay a Abingdon. However that made for a longer day today as our Thames licence
Autumn is coming. The mornings are cold and misty. The evenings are chilly and it’s dark by eight. Some of the trees are turning colour and the vegetation is looking tired. The waterside hedgerows are laden down with fruit, blackberries, elderberries, hip, haws and crab apples. Thirteen miles and fourteen locks today. We are moored
When I. K. Brunel built the Great Western Railaway line from London to Bristol, for much of the way from Reading onwards, he followed the line of the Kennet & Avon canal. This gave him two advantages. Firstly Rennie had already surveyed a fairly level route and overcome some of the geographic obstacles, and secondly
13 miles, 22 locks Another early start. The sky looked promising as we got up, but it gradually deteriorated throughout the day, getting more grey and overcast which turned to rain at about 2:30. The locks on the Kennet side of the summit are hard work. We found this a fortnight or so ago as
Sunrise at the bottom of the locks We left early to work through the first four locks up to No. 29. There were already three boats waiting. The flight was unlocked early and two made a start up before eight. We followed at 8:10 with NB ‘Rosewood’. We made a good team and, even though
After a good night’s sleep we breakfasted and were on our way by 8:30. We had arranged to meet my sister San and brother-in-law John at Avoncliff aqueduct at around 10 o’clock. They were waiting for us as we arrived. They hopped on board and we took them for a little trip to Bradford on