London Calling - Week 12 - Hungerford to Newbury

Monday 19th August - Hungerford to Kintbury

This week is a short cruising week as we are only going as far as Newbury.  Here we have booked the boat into a marina and will be leaving it for a week whilst we visit family in Southampton and pay a flying visit to Worcester for a car MOT and to change summer clothes for autumn clothes.

We left Hungerford on a pleasant sunny morning and Toby and I walked all the way to Kintbury doing the locks as we went.  It was a very pleasant walk and Dave enjoyed having the boat to himself for a while!

Once we had moored we had lunch and set out for a walk out towards Titcomb.  Kintbury Church was a Saxon Minster, but most of the current building dates from the 12th century.

This delightful cottage has mullioned windows and shutters, no idea where it dates back to, but it looks as though it could do with some TLC.

Heading towards Titcomb across open countryside, it really was a delightful walk and Toby was really enjoying himself!

Tuesday 20th August - Kintbury

Today we are having a quiet day in Kintbury with another walk and the chance to enjoy the sunshine sitting on the towpath.

I took this photo from the side hatch of two visiting ducks.  I think it clearly shows the new plumage coming through on the male duck.  I learnt the other day that male ducks lose their colourful feathers after the breeding season and whilst they are looking after the ducklings.  As they also lose their flight feathers they are unable to fly and seek safe places until their feathers grow back.

Whilst we were reading on the towpath, we met Ray who makes candlestick holders out of horseshoes and other reclaimed iron.  All proceeds from his sales go to Cancer Research, so we couldn't refuse and bought a candle holder for the boat.

Yes this really does look as though the railway track is heading off up to the sky, but in fact these reclaimed tracks are holding the exterior bricks of the bridge together, giving much needed support.

Our walk today took us out towards Hamstead Marshall, we remember having a babysitter and visiting the White Hart Inn whilst we lived in Thatcham, it was a lovely pub with an Italian restaurant in those days.  This is taken from the top of Irish Hill looking down to the canal and the river.

The canal and the river are separated by a narrow strip with the towpath on, Toby loved swimming in the river where he could easily get in and out.

Wednesday 21st August - Kintbury to Newbury  

Early morning in Kintbury, with the mist rising off the canal and the sun rising in the distance, looks like another pleasant day for cruising.

Dave and I swapped locking duties, he walked some of the way and so did I, here Dave was able to get a shot of Ella cruising under the Newbury By-Pass, a huge concrete monstrosity.

 We were very fortunate again today to join forces with another boat going down the locks.  Nb Somerton is a share boat from a marina near Aldermaston.  Quite a stunning picture of both narrowboats!

We managed to moor up at West Mills, above Newbury Lock and opposite the weir.  A very pleasant mooring, peaceful apart from the swans squabbling amongst themselves.

We went for a walk through Newbury where Dave managed to get his hair cut, then we went to The Lock, Stock and Barrel for a drink.  Today is Toby's birthday, he is 5 years old and Dave had promised to get him some pork scratchings.  However they didn't have any, so the chef prepared Toby some carrot instead, bless him!

Thursday 22nd August - West Mills to Newbury Marina

Today we are moving Ella down through Newbury Lock to Newbury Marina where she will be moored for a week.  Ella is the narrowboat above the lock.  

Friday 23rd August - Sunday 25th August - Belasco BBQ

Friday we hired a car and drove down to Annie and Pete's for the weekend.  

 Toby is doing a grand job of looking after Alba whilst Annie and Pete take themselves out for an hour or so on their own.

Our two granddaughters together with Lizzie, 

Auntie Laura keeping Alba entertained during the BBQ. The BBQ was a great success, excellent cooking and organisation by Pete and Annie.  It was great to catch up with all our family and all Pete's family as well, and the weather was amazing!

Then we returned to Newbury on Sunday.  Next week we shall spend some of it in Worcester before continuing with our cruise. 

London Calling - Week 11 - Hungerford to Hungerford via Great Bedwyn

Monday 12th August - Hungerford

We have decided to stay another day here in Hungerford, a wander around the shops and some work on the boat.

Tuesday 13th August - Hungerford to Great Bedwyn

An early morning view over the lock, mist rising as the sun rises, almost like an autumnal morning.

The first lock of the day has the swing bridge in the middle, we used this bridge several times as we explored Freeman's Marsh with Toby.

 We buddied up with a 62ft boat called nb Wind Whisperer all the way to Great Bedwyn which was great as it makes the locks so much easier.

 The countryside is very attractive around here.  We are about 7 miles from Marlborough and the scenery is lovely.  We were very lucky to get the last available visitor mooring in Great Bedwyn, a slot just big enough for us, and we moored up for the next couple of days.

After lunch we went for a walk up to the Crofton Locks and the Crofton Beam Engines.  On the way we passed the first of the Crofton Locks as they were padlocking them up for the night.  They were pouring ash from the Crofton Pumping Station around the lock gates to block the leaks on the gates.  Very effective it was too!  The Crofton Locks are closed tomorrow and Friday in order to conserve water.

We crossed over the canal and under the railway to visit the Pumping Station.  There are two Cornish beam engines, dating from 1812 and 1845 and between them the two engines can lift two tons of water to the summit at every stroke. They are among the world's oldest working steam beam engines.

The first engine installed in the Engine House at Crofton was a second hand Boulton and Watt, purchased in 1802 from the West India Dock Company. This engine had a 90 cm (36 inch) diameter steam piston and a 2.5 m (8 foot) stroke. It had a wooden beam and worked a 66 cm (26 inch) diameter lift pump. It arrived at Crofton in 1807, and was at work by 1809.

The ash from the steam weekends are stored in hessian bags ready to use on the leaky lock gates.

On our way back we walked over the railway line and into the village of Great Bedwyn, the Post Office has some quirky decorations attached to the shop front.

Wednesday 14th August - Great Bedwyn

Today is another day of non-stop rain. so we have stayed put and watched those boats who have to move chugging through the rain.  

Thursday 15th August - Great Bedwyn to Froxfield

We woke to a dry morning, although a little windy and have decided that we have come as far as we wish to on the Kennet and Avon Canal.  So we shall turn round here and head back to the River Thames. 

We pulled away from our mooring and moved through the bridge in order to put on water.  Once that was done, Dave winded the boat in the 70ft winding hole and we began our slow journey back along the canal.

Now we are going down all these locks back towards the River Thames.  This lock looks as though it may have had a swing bridge across the centre like Hungerford Marsh Lock.

We moored up above Froxfield Middle Lock and went for a walk back towards Little Bedwyn.  This is The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, a Michelin Star restaurant, looked very smart, but not one we were able to visit this time.

A lovely walk through the Bedwyn Estate, Toby was a little confused, I climbed over the style and he waited to be lifted over despite the fact that he could get through the fence!

We crossed back over the canal at Froxfield Canal Bridge and called in at the Pelican on the A4 for a drink.  We met up with Di and Fraser from nb Ange de l'Eau, we originally met them in Paddington Basin and they had been to Bristol and were on their way back to Crick.  We returned to the boat and spent a quiet evening aboard.

Friday 16th August - Froxfield to Hungerford

Today we decided to accompany Di and Fraser through the locks as far as Hungerford where we were planning to stay for a couple of days.  The heavy rain is scheduled to start about midday and we figured that sharing locks would be quicker and we would be safely moored up before the major rain.

A good shot of the two boats in the lock together, they are both 57ft so it made using the locks very easy.

Cobblers Lock,  the rain had started and after this lock the wind began to rise and it made getting into Hungerford Marsh lock pretty difficult!  We moored up above Hungerford Lock and stayed put whilst the rain began in earnest!

Saturday 17th August - Hungerford

The worst of the weather has past today, the blackberries are looking exceptionally good this year!

Di and Fraser are from New Zealand and Australia and are currently living in Canada, hence the collection of pennants.  They fly back to Canada at the beginning of September and are planning to return to either New Zealand or Australia to live.  They continued on their way heading back to the Thames and ultimately Crick.

This is their little dog who flew over from Canada with them.  She travelled in the hold for the whole of the journey, but has enjoyed being on the narrowboat.  Toby and Tuk (apologises if spelling is wrong) got on really well, which was great to see.

Sunday 18th August - Hungerford

Today we treated ourselves to Sunday Lunch at the John O'Gaunt and as we were walking over the bridge, The Rose Of Hungerford returned from their trip out.  The boat is 55 ft long and has to turn around before it moors up to let its passengers off. 

The canal here is just wide enough to allow the boat to turn, with about 1 ft to spare.

A successful turn and coming in to moor up.  It was rather windy and gusty, but it was turned perfectly and the passengers safely disembarked.

 We also had a look inside the church.  The church was built with stone from Bath, this being the first commercial cargo to be transported on the newly opened Kennet and Avon Canal.

London Calling - Week 10 Woolhampton to Hungerford

Monday 5th August - Woolhampton to Newbury

We left Woolhampton in warm sunshine and collected the boat in front of us from the first swing bridge so that we could share the locks together.  This boat was called n/b Witchy and Foxy, and they were heading for Newbury where they were leaving the boat to fly back home to Finland.

  

We passed through Thatcham, along side the railway station.  We shall stop there on the way back.  We lived in Thatcham over 30 years ago so we are expecting a few changes.

This is Monkey Marsh Lock, the second of the turf sided locks.  It has a preservation order on it. It had timber walled chambers to 2 feet above the lock's level then turf sides which slope away at an angle of 45 degrees.  Huge amounts of water seep through these sides, but as there was copious amounts of water from the Kennet this was not seen as a problem.

This is Long Cut and is the longest straight stretch on the whole of the Kennet and Avon Canal.  We moored up in Newbury opposite Newbury Marina and went for a walk through the town.

This is Victoria Park Nursery School, where both Lizzie and Laura attended Nursery when they were little.  

The main street in Newbury used to have traffic up and down it all day, now it is pedestrianised until 5pm when cars are allowed to use it.

6.5 miles, 8 locks, 4 moveable bridges, 5 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 6th August - Newbury

 Victoria Park Bridge links the towpath with the town over the canal.  You can moor here opposite Newbury Wharf which was originally the terminal wharf for the Kennet Navigation.

The Corn Exchange Newbury opened for trade in 1861 but was soon being used as a community venue. In the 20th century as corn trading declined, the venue was used for public meetings, dances, discos, amateur dramatics and even as a roller skating rink.  Closed for four years, the Corn Exchange reopened in September 1993 after a £3.5 million refurbishment programme as a professional 400-seat theatre.

In 1827 a draper and clothier in Newbury’s Market Place  was opened by a Mr Burgess.  In 1890 Richard Beynon left his native Cheltenham and came to Newbury to take over the long established business; it is the Beynon name which has survived to this day in a plaque on the building overlooking the Market Place, though the shop closed in 1990.

Wednesday 7th August - Newbury to Kintbury

Town Bridge in Newbury crosses over the Canal, and as it was the terminus of the canal was built without a towpath, this called for ingenious solutions to get the boat through the bridge as the horses weren't allowed to haul across the main road.

Once through Newbury Lock you come to West Mills, a delightful area with many of the original buildings still standing although now converted to accommodation.

The massive concrete structure of the Newbury by-pass crosses the canal and has won an award from The Concrete Society!

This bench was sponsored by Prunella and Timothy West, they were part of the team of volunteers who helped to restore the Kennet and Avon Canal.  In 1962 a group of waterways enthusiasts formed The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust with the stated objective of restoring the canal to its former glories. 

This is the horse which pulls the horse drawn boat from below Kintbury Lock.   The horse-drawn barge is a wide-beam passenger trip boat, purpose built in 1976. She operates from Kintbury and is 20.4m (67ft) long by 3m (10ft) wide. Powered solely by the 1hp towing action of the horse, she carries a maximum of 53 to 64 passengers.

6.25 miles, 8 locks, 1 moveable bridge, 5 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Thursday 8th August - Kintbury

Today we had a lovely visit from Annie and Alba, she has grown so much, was absolutely adorable and slept soundly whilst we had our lunch!

Kintbury Mill is in the village near the station.  It is now converted in to flats.  In the early part of the 19th century it was a silk mill.

This is the Vicarage and Church in Kintbury.  Jane Austen wrote of several visits to Kintbury, describing how the village was "famous for its apples". She stayed both at the old vicarage and at Croft Cottage, the home of Mrs. Dexter, the vicar's daughter. Her last visit was in 1816, a year before she died. 

Friday 9th August - Kintbury to Hungerford

A much better day today, with rain promised for later on.  So we decided to make a short journey from Kintbury to Hungerford.  Beautiful skies with great cloud formations.

We were able to share the locks with nbLady Hilda. The narrow beam boat, Lady Hilda, is available for hire for local community groups such as Guides, Scouts or similar organisations.  The Bruce Branch of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust also provides specially-designed, purpose-built, wide-beam canal boats, for hire for self-catering, self-steer holidays by disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people along with their family, friends or carers.  

After stopping to fill up with water, we moored up at Hungerford Wharf, just in time as it began to rain soon after we arrived.

3 miles, 3 locks, 2 hrs 30 mins cruising time.

Saturday 10th August - Hungerford

Today we decided to go for a walk along the canal, then inland and back into Hungerford.  Hungerford Church is hidden away down by the Kennet & Avon Canal, some way behind the main town-centre. It is Regency Gothic Revival, only  built in 1814 probably in imitation of the real thing at Newbury. Its Bath stone was brought up the canal. The previous building had unfortunately collapsed after the tower had been rebuilt.

The next lock we came to is reminiscent of the lock at Fenny Stratford with the swing bridge in the centre of the lock.  You have to swing the bridge before filling the lock. The bridge was provided for the benefit of the commoners who enjoyed rights over Freeman's Marsh across which the canal journeys.

We also had to cross the railway which also crosses Freeman's Marsh along with the River Dun.  No trains coming so safe to cross.

Standen was a picturesque tiny village with a manor and a working farm.  

We continued into Hungerford and found Hungerford Arcade.  It hasn't changed much from the time we visited it 30 years ago when we lived in Thatcham.  We came here and bought a set of fire dogs and fireside tools to go on the open fireplace we had in our house.

Sunday 11th August - Hungerford above the lock

We have moved the boat through Hungerford Lock and on to the visitor moorings above the lock.  We need to stay another couple of days for Dave to collect medication from Boots and a parcel from the Post Office, we are also treating ourselves to Sunday Lunch at The John O'Gaunt pub in the town.

Hungerford Wharf was occupied for over 100 years by a building firm, the only remaining building is The Granary on the opposite side of the canal.  

“The Rose of Hungerford” is a purpose built 55 feet long wide-beamed passenger trip boat owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and has a maximum capacity of 50 passengers.  It is operated by volunteers of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust.

“The Rose of Hungerford” was launched into the canal in 1982 and the official commissioning took place at Hungerford Wharf on the 6th of March 1983. It was not until August 1990 that the complete navigable length of the canal was officially reopened with HM The Queen on board “The Rose of Hungerford” at Caen Hill on 8 August 1990.

The River Dun flows alongside the canal in Hungerford, it is an incredibly clear river and very pretty.