Slowly heading home from Bristol

Bristol heading towards The River Thames

Where is the summer cruise time going too !! Its the end of June already.!! We have had every sort of weather possible. Had to light the fire because we were frozen up to yesterday when we had 38 degrees in the saloon and 41 degrees in the cratch.

Carly and Jake have been suffering with the heat, so glad we bought some cooling blankets last year.

The last blog found us leaving the Floating Harbour in Bristol. There are two ways out.

One. . . back the way we came or . . . out of the harbour lock on to the River Severn,

turning right and going up to Gloucester. To travel this way you have to have an experienced pilot to navigate the tidal river, and of course this being boating world it doesn't come free. I believe its fee is about £150ish depending on the guy you have.

Jenny is not to happy about riding rivers and so after a short discussion.

ie. I’m not going to do it !! . . Jenny . . . . . so we turned around and headed back the way we came.

It’s surprising how different a canal is just going the other way. We tended to notice things on the way back that we missed on the way down. We were heading into the current so a different style of skippering comes into force. A few extra revs on the engine and moving about a bit differently, having said that, the ‘driving’ of the boat is now coming second nature. As with driving a car, you don’t think ...I must change gear now...you just do it.

The boat is the same. Only time I have to really concentrate is when it’s windy.

She develops a mind of her own!! turning left or right as she feels she want too.

I have loved the Kennet and Avon canal. Its so different running from rivers and man made bits. The canal falling into disrepair in the 1950’s the last commercial barge ran in 1960’s carrying grain, but after years of neglect it became unnavigable until a group of enthusiasts got together and raised money to bring it back to life.

The Caen flight is a great example. The various locks in the flight are dedicated to the local people who helped ether with time or money for the project.

Going down the flight we were luck to have the company of Annie and Allan both experienced boaters. Coming back up we had the company of a holiday making family. Father and Mother .. daughter and a dork .. sorry her boyfriend.

Jenny took control of the lock crews and I was in control of the boats in the lock. Dad under supervision . . . but…it can be hard work when you have to cope with people who don’t know what to do andprefer to look around at the scenery. Ie dork boyfriend. .

I believe he was punching well above his weight. Sarah the young lady was a bit of a flirt.

We got on very well, lots of giggles and sly winks. She made an old man very happy.

Good job Jenny is used to me and trusts me…

Sharing Caen Locks

The biggest problems have been mooring. Not many ..also the lack of maintenance by CRT. . locks with bricks falling out, locks which have such leaking paddles it’s a job to empty them. The water is leaking out as quick as its going in from the other way.

Such a shame. If they don’t do some repair work and spend money on them it will soon not be a viable way of travelling. The ‘charity’ sadly thinks it is better spending money on re-branding, new signs and uniforms for the wonderful volunteers who help on the locks.

Two Million pounds to put a new logo out to the public. Not money well spent in my opinion.

Leaving out over the summit we started to experience very low water levels. We had to keep very much to the centre of the canal because to far to the bank we were running aground. Hard work when we meet a wide beam boat. ….we were both scraping the silt.

The canal rises some 185 meters and water is pumped from a pump house at the bottom of the flight.

The pumps carry water to the top lock at the rate of about a lock full every few minutes. But a week after we rose up, the canal was closed due to a pump failure.

On inspection the other pump, (there are two), was taken out of service forcing the closer of the canal for a while luckily we had passed this point so it didn't affect us.

The White Horse

The hills here are the bottom end of the Cotswold’s passing through the rural areas, look to the right and you look uphill, look to the left and your looking down hill. Some lovely views on a clear day.

On one of the hills we passed is the world famous white horse (well, one of a few I believe) some years ago the local wag's, on I believe April 1^st, they turned the white horse into a black and white Zebra.

Locals were quite shocked when they saw the sight. However the perpetrators of the deed had the sense to only use black bin bags so no permanent damage was done to the ancient land mark. Quick pick up of said coverings and all was back to normal. 

Slowing down to a 3 miles an hour life style is now getting the norm. I never realised how much great things in life we missed, when, as needs must, we had to rush about to make a living. We are so blessed. Our close neighbours, beautiful Swans, families of ducks. All with little ones in tow. . wait for me mum !! I’m sure this is what the chicks are sometimes saying when they squeak towards they mum.

Then suddenly one disappears under the waterline.. the pike has just found its supper. All part of natures food chain. I read, of all the eggs that hatch a very small percentage actuality make it through to adulthood. Ducks seem to be hatching later this year and there a lots of old chicks in with new hatched ones.

Swans with cygnets

Canal Geese (I think)

On our travels we met a horse drawn widebeam canal boat at a lock. The boat was taking people out for a day with lunch provided. We had to wait for the boat to be towed out by the horse before we could enter the lock. Later we moored up for the evening when the widebeam came back. The horse towed the boat on the tow path with the crew lifting the rope up to clear the moored boats. Lovely to see the old ways are still used in some places.

Horse drawn boat in lock

He was happy, grabbing a snack of grass on the move

Waiting for boat to be towed out by horse

Horse taking boat home, crew holding rope up to avoid moored boats.

Sitting at the end of a day watching the local flies assembling to do their duties, flying about annoying us before they settle on the water and wait to be devoured by the local fish. The ones that are left gain altitude and wait for the local bats.

Its a wonderful different life.

Our senses seem to have changed also. Our sense of smell. We often cruise sniffing the air. With out the atmosphere which is contaminated with the exhaust fumes of motor vehicle in towns and cities, we can smell a bakery making bread...biscuit factories ..McDonald's…. pig farms.. our two closest friends run a pig farm in Wisbech, we can sniff out a piggery from a mile away. Brings happy memories of good times there, with more to come we hope. Dairy farms have a different smell and of course hay making in the summer.

Wild garlic was the aroma of the day last week. Thank goodness for Google to confirm what it looked like. But the one that always makes my mouth salivate and it carries miles up the cut !!! Someone cooking bacon !!

Guaranteed to make me hungry no matter what time of day it is.

We, as I write have a bit of a poorly doggie at the moment. Our Jake is not feeling him self.

He’s been off colour for a few days, started with sickness and a loose bum. Not his usual playful self. Mind you its very hot at the moment. It was the hottest day yesterday.

At Woolhampton today, well for the weekend.

A couple of days off before we head back to the Thames, after a big service stop tomorrow we will pass through the locks on to the river. Heading past Reading on to Brentford before rejoining the Grand Union and heading north towards home.

Bye Bye for now.

(no film this time as on return journey not so many photos taken).

Bath to Bristol Harbour

Bath to Bristol Harbour

On leaving the Kennet and Avon canal, A sharp left turn, a quick stop at the water tap to top up the drinking water and prepare the Hanham lock to leave the waters run by the Canals and River Trust, the people we pay our river tax too.

The next lock will be the Netham lock and our entry into Bristol harbour authority. Mooring outside the lock keepers office after phoning ahead, the first thing was to check the height of our boat, its to make sure we can get under a swing bridge before we meet the floating harbour. There was plenty of room on the measure, but when we arrived and went under the swing bridge it was very close..about 2 inches clearance.

The £1000 we pay each year doesn’t cover some rivers. We had to pay to use the Thames, also have to pay Bristol Council to use the harbour. . . £168.00 for one week !! What do we get for that ? You may ask.

The permission to float on a mooring !! That's all.

Well that not quite true, we received a map of the harbour and a very nice book about the area.

Jenny was/is very apprehensive about the last part of our epic journey. She has an aversion to wide rivers and much prefers the narrow canals. Neither of us are strong swimmers and its quite possible to ‘walk’ to the bank when on a canal as they are not that deep. Rivers are a lot deeper.

We are quite used to being alongside large river boats and Dutch barges but, pulling along side sea going ships is another thing. It makes us feel so small.

The main reason I wanted to come to Bristol was to see the SS Great Britain as I was able to have a look around this wonderful unique vessel built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

I was able to have a look around it when it was first returned to the docks in the early 70’s. She was only a rusting heap of metal, a ship that had lain sunken in a cove on the Falkland Islands. A wreck which no one wanted until some one realised how special she was and brought her home. But more about her later.

The run into the floating harbour was very interesting, past old rejuvenated factories turned into expensive but lovely looking apartments. Alongside new architecture and modern places to live in, all fitting in well side by side. Just for a laugh I checked out the property available for sale. A one bed apartment £350.000 . . .a three bed ….up to and above one million. . , it must be lovely to be rich.

I’d heard about the ‘floating harbour’ but too be honest, I didn’t understand what it was.

In my ignorance presumed it was an area on floating pontoons so it rose and fell with the tide. . Nope !!

Many years ago when it was a tidal port the ships being unloaded would often be beached when the tide went out, leaving big ships at a very steep listing to the port or starboard sides making loading and unloading difficult.

Part of the harbour is controlled by locks. Placing locks above and below the harbour it trapped the flow of water within the floating harbour area. We didn’t go up and down at all when the tide came in. On the River Avon they close the locks until it goes out again. When we were leaving we had to wait until the lock gate was opened then we turned into a river flowing against us, but that was coming out ...

Entering into the city of Bristol we first noticed a large shark coming towards us at speed !! We were running at 3500 rpm 5 mph on our Sat Nav The shark was doing a bit more. , it was a ferry boat with big teeth on the front, used to move people around the area.

The next obstruction was a ferry boat taking people over the harbour mouth to the other side just backwards and forwards.

Then as we turned the corner she came into sight, the wonderful ship..SS Great Britain. .

Passing the ship and the small mini marina we saw our home for the next 7days.

Over looked by new flats on one side. On the other side old houses which missed the bombing of 1940 / 41. Going back from the edge of the water modern, new property and higher up the hill the older houses look over.

We passed an old sea going ship which looked familiar to me. The MV Balmoral.

As with all old things Google usually has the answer or can point you in the right direction.

It, after a bit of a search, gave up its life history. It started off life from the day of launching till 1968 it was the Isle of Wight ferry. As a child in about 1964 I went to a camping holiday on the Isle of wight and was a passenger on it.

The area outside of where we are is so busy !!…. kids in canoes, kids in sailing boats,

Looking out of the windows its not unusual to be eye to eye with a paddle boarder, struggling to stand up (if its wind or there's a few waves) I am naughty sometimes if the side hatch is open and they come past closely ..if its a young girl passing I stick my head out and say ‘HELLO’ rather loudly.

So funny to see them jump and then regain their balance. Nobody has fell in yet .. but I keep trying. I know . . I'm naughty.

The ferry boats run all day taking people to different place about the harbour. There are pleasure cruisers running up and down and in the evening they take out hen parties and stag parties with loud music. It is certainly a place which is lively.

I was not ready for a surprise I had while cooking for breakfast, a crispy bacon sandwich. Also doing a safety check at the same time.. . if you cook the bacon until the smoke alarm goes off.. the bacon is perfect and we know the alarm is OK. But I was shocked to see a dog swimming past about 3 foot from the boat ..I shouted to Jenny to get into the cratch try and get it to come in towards the boat. However, as we jumped to action stations we noticed a lady with a lead was walking up the jetty. . she was having a walk, her doggy was having a swim. Going at a bit of a pace also, panic over.

Its a thing we are always on the look out for. If a dog goes into the water on it own it often can be fatal as they can’t get out. We passed a body of a Jack Russell on the way down to here. So sad. Someone must have lost their pet.

When we are settled in on a mooring we have a routeen. Check out the area.

Provisions, Aldi or similar. Quite a walk but also needed a chemist. I’d run out of my drugs and was unsure if I could get a repeat prescription where we were. We could and now have enough supplies to get us home.

While at Aldi there was a BBC west local film crew doing a piece on a new mural. Guess who was interviewed on camera...yep yours truly.. I appeared on the local news two days later.

We were only a five minute walk from the SS Great Britain. As this is not an area that appeals to Jenny, we parted company for the day. . I wandered off and had a great day looking around a beautiful ship and really enjoyed it .. took me five hours and I still didn’t see it all. But with the ticket I can go back any day I want for free ..however its a long way from Northampton.

In its day it was a luxury liner taking people to Australia, then onto many other duties as a sailing ship (her engines were removed to get more cargo area) carrying coal until she was badly damaged in a storm off the Cape. She limped into the Falkland islands but so badly damaged she was classed as beyond economical repair. She ended her days as a wool and coal warehouse until she couldn’t even do this, when she was towed out of Port Stanley around the corner into a cove and unceremoniously scuttled. Punched holes in her hull so she wouldn't move. She was raised and brought back to her birth place on a floating barge in the early 70’s and restored. Well worth a visit.

Inside SS Great Britain

We did the usual tourist bit and had a tour bus trip.

Clifton suspension bridge over the River Avon

Enjoying the weather in Bristol near the Harbour

You get to see all the areas and find out things of interest. We had a drop off ticket and had a look around the area and stopped for lunch in a tourist area...a lovely Cornish pasty and a pint of cider ..it was very good (both).

After a walk around the corner we realised we were on the opposite bank to where we were moored ..so...we called it a day as I was running out of energy...jumped on the little ferry boat and walked back to Infinity.

We used the rest of our jump on ..jump off ticket the next day. Just as we jumped on the open top bus . . the heavens opened and it poured with rain. Guess who hadn’t taken any wet gear with them ?? yep ...us.

We had two lots of visitors while we were here..Great to meet up with Adrian and Lesley over here from the South of France...they live in Carcassonne, then the next day our friends Gregg and Jane called in they were our next door neighbours at Yelvertoft.

Now living in South Wales...always a warm welcome aboard Infinity guaranteed… do a good lunch as well.

Well after a weeks holiday we are now on our way back to the Thames and heading home.

More old age travels next time as we check out the K and A going the other way.

TTFN for now.

Bradford on Avon to Bath

Bradford on Avon to Bath

Well !! what a week we are having !! since leaving Bradford On Avon.

I’ve come to the conclusion the Kennet and Avon is a fabulous canal ..it’s got so many different aspects. Some parts are boring standard canal, narrow and uninspiring, just a water supply from one place to the other to float boats on. Then suddenly it breaks into a beautiful wide or wider river with lovely trees and other things to see and admire.

We have a game we play ‘I wonder what that was’??

So many unusual buildings.

Barns might... have been?? A kiln ?? ...great looking but unusual housing now.

Big factories sympathetically altered into flats or canal-side apartments.

When we were down in London we commented on the amount of wide beam live aboard vessels. Our floating home is 62’ x 7’. Some of the bigger floating homes we are encountering are dwarfing us. The biggest so far 60’ x 12’ the trouble was..

it was on a narrow bridge on a tight 90 degree turn in the waterway over an aqueduct!!,

also there was another one behind. A quick emergency stop and reverse into a quayside on the right hand side. What a great start to a weeks cruising. Friendly people on board, the usual funny quip and quick chat, before we continued on our way to the planned overnight mooring place.

The vessels we are seeing are ranging from 24ft Shetland cruisers up to, well, sea going ships, they are not narrowboats or broadbeams. Dutch barges, are quite popular. some are excellent looking vessels quite capable of going to sea I would think.

Homelessness in the UK is a problem (for our readers in Australia, Canada, USA and Israel) the down and out population are turning to floating homes and the state of some of these is pity-full, but, they are causing lots of problems on the cut.

Some have jobs and need to commute to work, so have stay with in a close area. We call them bridge hoppers. They moor very close to a road bridge and have a car parked nearby. Not a problem most of the time, but not the ones who set up home on the visitor moorings who are a pain!!

Visitor moorings are for a max 48 hours, but some boats haven't moved for a long time by the look of it. We try to get into a place by 2pm. . nothing worse than seeing a holiday boat looking for a night stop at 7pm when you know there ain't any.

We moored at a place called Claverton with a lovely pub and as we had few bob left out of the food budget for the month we had a cheap and cheerful Chef and Brewer meal. Also used some Tesco vouchers which we had accumulated over the last few months. Glad we hadn’t paid in full because.. we weren't impressed the steak was chewy.

Just as we were leaving the next morning there was a woman's voice in the distance.

I thought it was coming from a block of flats. It was a mouthful of profanities. Get off you F***ker...What you doing you ****...sounded as if she was being attacked but it was getting louder. Very confusing. All of a sudden a beaten up old cabin cruiser came around the corner, flat out with a young woman at the controls. She hadn’t a clue where she was (presumably) literally bouncing off the banks and other moored boats. It was as if she was on drugs of some sort. We had a chat with some other people and they were going to inform the authorities, not just for her safety but the safety of others.

We don’t ‘arf’ see life don’t we?? 

We are on our way to Bath and then on to Bristol. We were under the impression we needed extra insurance to navigate the river into Bristol but after checking with other boaters on ‘The Narrow boat Users group’ on Facebook we double checked with our insurance and they/we had got it wrong. (or were trying it on for an extra premium payment)

Thursday evening 23 May found us in the beautiful city of Bath. After a rest we wandered off for a quick look about and a taste of the local ale of course. Making plans we returned to Infinity for a meal, glass if wine and an early night. We were at the city moorings just few minutes walk in the centre. It appears to be the favourite meeting place for the local youngsters on terraced concrete gardens. It was lovely watching them trying to impress the date they had. Some girls were dancing and moving it was quite good I love people watching.

It took me back to when I was a youngster on the street corners of Northampton. Mind you I know its the 21 century but, sorry, in my opinion, its still not right young guys holding hands and kissing each other in public .

Also it not acceptable to practise writing and singing rap songs at 1.30 am out side our boat window. !! . . . .it was rap with a capitol C….CRAP !!

We had a full day in the fabulous city. Acted like tourists apart from one thing. .

we (I hope) weren't rude and pushy like the Chinese and Japanese. Checked out..the Roman ruins, Bath house, Abbey, Shopping….Sausage roll. The Roman ruins are quite interesting using the hand held commentary kit. . it took me a few attempts to sort out how it worked because I’m not good with the technology. Then to end the day the obligatory tour bus with commentary I got that right straight away.

Just pushed the ear pieces in my head and plugged the other end into the hole in the bus bulkhead !!….Hee Hee. 

Opposite where we are moored is a, well what I presume is an old corn store. This is because of the overhead part jutting out made of wood. But they have been restored and turned into flats. Where the lifts were, to unload barges, they have been turned into windows so you can look out over the river / canal.

Just down stream there was a similar building but it has been demolished apart from a great looking archway made of stone. It has a preservation order on it, Jenny, while walking the dogs down by the park, she spoke to a local who was not happy about the redevelopment. It was a beautiful building and according to him the new plans, although modern, he would have preferred the old one(s) being left and converted.

Well we are on the last leg of our run into Bristol leaving Bath we have seen some quite attractive new blocks of flats. Spaces to tie up are a bit on the short side, where we had planned to stay we were very annoyed because when we arrived there was a big boat which was covered in rubbish moored on the visitor mooring right in the middle !!

At the side two ‘undesirables’ standing...sneering as we had slowed down, then revved up to go past. There are a lot of old boats here and how some are still afloat its a wonder.

We started to have a problem...Oh NO !!! ….Infinity has been behaving fantastically since we started. Starting first time, running at right temp and good oil pressure. Using a bit of oil but she is old technology.

But!! all of a sudden, as we joined the last bit of river to go to our last place for the weekend, her engine wouldn’t rev faster than 2000 rpm . ,Oh NO !!

We were in the middle of nowhere, no tow path, in the middle of the river.

If we had to call the canal version of the AA or RAC..RCR..he'd have a long way to walk.

We were running low on drinking water also needed a bog emptying facility so, slowly chugged onto the jetty on the next service area and filled up.

I switched the engine off and we did the jobs. Because of the type of jetty the dogs couldn’t get off the boat, it was a wire walkway with big gaps and their little legs would go though. I made an executive decision ( Jenny does let me make them occasionally).

We would struggle on for a few more mins and try to find a better place so the crew can have a squat and a leg lift.. when I started her up.. guess what !! She ran perfectly. Revving up to 3500 if needed. (only needed in an emergency stop . .full reverse !!) She has taken us to our weekend mooring here at Hanham lock, the last few hours before we arrive at Bristol harbour.

All moored up, good TV signal so I can see the hi-lights of the F1 Grand Prix. When suddenly a boat breaks down outside. What is it ?? a beaten up old cabin cruiser with ….. rather dubious looking skipper.

Ok nodded in greeting.. I try to give everyone a chance. . don’t judge a book by the cover..we will just see what happens.

A few minutes later another narrowboat pulls up in front of us. 6 youngsters 3 girls and 3 lads on board. Bottle of beer or a drink of some sort, all happy and enjoying themselves.

As they moored I quipped. . ‘Are you planning a late night party??. . . with half naked girls running about later!!….too which he answered. . ‘Possibility’

I laughed and said …Wwooooo …...I'll look forward too that !!

We both had a laugh. He thought for a minute I was being serious, then realised I was messing about.

Sadly an hour or so later it turned nasty.

The dubious character, for what reason I don’t know suddenly attacked the young lad who was driving the boat and knocked him down. There is not a lot of room for fighting on a metal jetty over a river.

A load of what looked like ‘new age travellers’ who were in a car park above all came and joined in but...calmed the situation down. Someone wanted to call the police but the skipper, who was by this time throwing his girlfriend off the boat doubting her faithfulness.

Quote. . ‘Don’t call the police, I don’t want to end up inside again’.

If I'd not had an afternoon kip I could perhaps told you why. She (the girl friend) wandered past and off with the travellers..

A bit later the narrow boat moved off to find another mooring. Chatting to the lad who I'd spoken to as they arrived, it was his first day as a narrowboat owner. What a sad start to a wonderful way of life. However the rest of the day passed with no other problems. A very quiet night was enjoyed by all..

Don’t we see life ?? You don’t get this in a care home. Next blog will be from Bristol harbour .. over to Jenny for pictures and Video TTFN