Hanham Lock Wed 7 May 2014

First the rain fall report for yesterday, overnight we had 4.2 mm It was fine when we went to bed but it rained heavily early morning.

We were moored stern to flow so the rudder kept banging, even though I had wound the mooring rope round the swan neck, so bit of a restless night, also the pontoon was creaking on its guides. There are rub marks to within 2 foot of the white cap which shows how high the pontoons went in the floods. This was probably one of the fastest flowing bits of the river we have encountered and if it had been like this up at Bath I probably wouldn’t have come down.  As we approached Keynsham lock there are loads of moored boats on the riverbank beside these old  works. What has surprised me is with this number of live aboards there are no pump out facilities between Bath and Bristol. As you can see by the sky in this photograph we had a day of mixed weather. We stopped on the 48 hr moorings at Keynsham and I walked round to Portavon Marina to see if they did pumpouts, I walked round via the road and couldn’t even get in to the marina, all gates high boarded and locked. I managed to catch a van unlocking to go in and was told the nearest pump out was Bristol, I still didn’t manage to get in side the gate before it was closed and locked again.

Keynsham lock is also in need of some TLC before it also has a collapse, I wonder how long this fix has been in place. From the lock you can see the old Fry’s/Cadbury’s chocolate factory standing on the river side, now disused and about to be redeveloped into 700 homes, shops and sports facilities. 

The next section of river down to Hanham lock was a bit sad with two sunken boats, the cruiser looked as if it had a hole in the bottom so may have come down on the scaffolding.

Just round the corner was a blast from the past with an old British Waterways Narrowboat still in the Waterscape paint work. I wonder if they ever get asked for information!

We only did just over two and a half hours today some four and a quarter miles. Today’s Map

Ferris Railway Bridge , Tue 6 May 2014

First the rain fall report, it rained most of last night and by 10 am this morning we had had 6.5mm fall, so far today has been mainly fine with a few brief showers.

This morning we were away at 9-30am and winded, I still can’t work out why they put mooring rings across a winding hole. It would be much easier to turn without them there.

So now we were heading back to Bath, its the forth time we have done this bit. We stopped for water at the top of the locks and while I set the first lock and worked down Diana set the second, here she met the Tuesday team of volunteers who helped us on our way. Last night I emailed CaRT to tell them that a paddle on lock 11 was out of action, when we arrived it had been covered in a black bag and taped up, also the mattress that we had managed to haul onto the lock side had been removed, so they do take action when you report problems. One of the lock gates has a bird nesting box mounted on it, for some reason the Wagtails like nesting on the back of the gates .

Once clear of the flight and it is a very slow flight as I well know by now you are out onto the wide river Avon, the flow seemed very gentle as we set off downstream.
There are some fine old flour mills along the river bank that have been converted to flats and appartments.  We stopped for lunch just above Victoria Bridge on some private, but free 24 hour moorings, I suspect its part of developers Amenity area that is included in all developments these days. There has been quite a campaign running in the town to get the bridge restored, it was closed back in 2011 even to navigation for a time. They have built a new temporary foot bridge above it and are using that to support the he removal of the old bridge, all the suspension chains have gone and there is only a small section of decking left to remove. This is what the old bridge looked like thanks to a photograph by Jim Linwood BBC News. In his photo the bridge has already had a scaffolding division run along its length.

After lunch we pushed on to Weston Lock where we found a dredger busily working on the lock approach, we didn’t have to wait long for him to pull his mud flat to one side for us to pass.

Unfortunately by the time we reached the lock a push tug and full flat was about to descend, I am sure there would have been room for us as well but they were away. We met them a little later bringing the empty one back. 
We stopped briefly at bath Marina and Caravan Park for a pump out, they have a nice service floating pontoon and I did a lovely 180° turn to come alongside heading back upstream only to find the pump was out of order, Things are getting a bit close now with the tank and the top, but I expect it will be Bristol before we can decant it.

About 2 miles downstream of Weston Lock they were unloading the mud flats and spreading it out on the adjoining land. They had three flats, one with the dredger being filled, one being emptied and the third in transit.The first lock we came to with an unprotected weir was Kelston Lock.As you can see also the leading edge of the lock approach has taken bit of a hammering. These locks all look as if they have been extended at some time in the past.   Another feature of these locks is that they have stairs cut into the sides of them, not nice edged ones like on the Thames but rough old stone ones covered in mud. Also they don’t all go to the bottom of the lock.

We passed under a fine tree of Mistletoe hanging well over the river.

You could see from some of the debris on Saltford Railway bridge support the sort of thing that has been carried down the river. You wouldn’t want one of these boys coming into the bows of your nice GRP cruiser.

Just below Saltford Lock looking across the weir stream is Kelston Mill an old Brass Mill and the photograph shows the foundry chimney

By now the river was much livelier , it wasn’t until after we had moored for the night at the 24 hr Ferris Bridge moorings that i discovered that CaRT are recommending that boats don’t pass Saltford lock in present conditions, O well we are here now so we will have to continue.

Down at Swineford lock the gates are in need of some attention as can bee seen by the number of wooden wedges driven into the holes in the bottom gate to try to make them hold water. 

Mind you Saltford lock leaked so badly on the top gates that with both bottom paddles up it still took two of us to get a gate open.

I think this is a fish pass in the centre of Saltford weir, I am not sure if the wood has drifted there is is part of the construction. 

Finally today’s map

Bathampton Monday 5 May 2014

Yesterday was again without rain but today it started about 6pm and is still raining. Last night we ate at Hon Fusion the Chinese restaurant in Widcombe, We spotted it the other night and its always a good sign if some of the customers are also Chinese.

We left our mooring at 9 30 this morning, 4 of the boats that were there when we arrived were still there but we only saw a person onboard one of them when we arrived 2 days ago, other than that they had just been left using up valuable visitor moorings. We waited for a boat to come down in the next lock up and they left  the gates open for us in the lock above, however while we were locking up the volunteer lock keepers kindly closed them. We found these locks quite slow and a faulty paddle didn’t help matters. The day was quite warm and it was a pleasant but slow cruise to Bathampton. On arrival we winded, the winding hole is only suitable for 60 foot boats because they have put mooring rings opposite which reduces it width. We then dropped back to top up with water,

Our reason for coming to Bathampton was that my son was meeting us with the grandchildren and he turned up about ten minutes after us.

Once fully loaded it was back down to Bath, there was some interesting boat handling going on at Bath Narrowboats and I never did work out what he was trying to do, nether did the guy who was just hoping to get a pump out. We decided to carry on down the locks, this included Bath Deep Lock which the kids enjoyed, this time we were assisted by the volunteers and go up the Avon to the weir and then return to the canal to stop for lunch. However at the railings below the weir all the no mooring signs had been covered up. A chap on a bike said it was fine to moor there and even asked if I needed a hand. I mentioned the no mooring to which he replied its complicated and that he was happy to give me permission to moor and then cycled off. After mooring to the railings we all trooped into the Italian restaurant near by where the service left quite a bit to be desired with over an hours wait for starters. Eventually after lunch we were off again and headed back up the locks. We had a problem at lock 11 as the gates didn’t close tight, I eventually managed to pull a single mattress up from the bed of the canal that was between the gates. I think we would have struggled to get it out of the water if my son had not been there. Passing Bath Narrowboats there was again one of their boats doing strange thing, but this time he had a good excuse, the boat was permanently in reverse gear and went hard aground backwards right across the canal. It took two of us pulling from the towpath and the steerer pushing with a pole to get  it free. We then continued back to The George at Bathampton where we had dinner before saying goodbye to the family. I must say their service was much better.

Today’s route times three

Bath Saturday 3 May 2014

Yesterdays rain fall, nil, zero, no rain all day. and today looks as if it will be the same.

Last night an engine started about half nine and was still running after we went to bed at 11 30. It wasn’t to loud and didn’t keep me awake so I didn’t go out to find out who it was. They were back round the bend and I have a good idea who it was.

This morning we woke to sunshine and it just got better. A couple of hire boats had gone by before we set off at 9 30 and we knew moorings were tight in Bath. All was not lost, one was filling with water the other side of the aqueduct and another had stopped for breakfast. The view from the aqueduct this morning was what its all about.

It wasn’t long before we had clear blue sky and it was staring to warm up, it was almost like this vapour trail was a sign.

There were a few vacant moorings at Claverton Pumping Station, we had considered mooring here last night but were happy where we were, so stayed put.

We passed an Offshore Rig/Platform Lifeboat, we are seeing more and more of these on the canals, I cant see how they make the best craft for canal use with few windows etc, but each to their own. A little later we were to see a modern ships lifeboat, they have nice white hulls but in my opinion are not as pretty as some of the conversions I have seen of wooden or even aluminium boats. CaRT have opened several new visitor moorings with rings along this stretch of canal all 24 or 48hr duration. there are some 72 hr moorings but they are due to change to 48 hr this month.

We stopped briefly at the 24 hr Bathampton moorings but decided to go on to Bath its self, coming back to these if there was no room in Bath. Coming into Bath by water is quite spectacular, first you see it in the distance hanging on the hillside. Then as you get close you pass under short tunnels with buildings on top of them. The visitor moorings below Pulteney Weir are closed so CaRT have put temporary 48 hr moorings between locks 10 and 11. They request boaters to breast up when things are busy, but we were able to take the last bank side spot, the strange thing is that several of the boats moored here are just moored up and left with no one onboard. There use to be two pumping stations on this flight, one on the river Avon and one half half way up. They went out of use some years back, but the chimney still remains of the one mid flight,

Another interesting building on the flight is this building. It is the Bath Human Society Station and on the far end is a notice offering a reward for information about anyone interfering with the life saving equipment kept there. From the number of life rings we have seen thrown about some things never change. 

Once moored we walked down to the river, We were hoping to go to Bristol but the river is closed due to high flows, I must say it didn’t look to bad when we went to look, and going by the number of hire boats going down who probably don’t know about stoppages I do wonder if it is actually closed. I don’t expect I will get any new information before Tuesday. After that we did the tourist thing and took two opened top bus trips which are a good way to get your bearings on the City.

There will be no blog tomorrow as we plan to spend another day here. Today’s Map

Dundas Aqueduct Friday 2 May 2014

Two rainfall reports of the past 24 hours taken at 10am in the morning Yesterday 1.5mm even though it rained on and off most of the day, the day before it was just over 2.7mm.

Yesterday we walked into town and visited the museum above the Library and did a bit of shopping in the market. For lunch we went to the Lock Inn cafe, and interesting establishment that was once a pub and still has a couple of hand pumps on the bar as its still licensed. It reminded me of the tea rooms at Pigeon's lock on the Oxford.

This morning it was quite a bit cooler than of late, we set off at 10 stopping for water just above the lock, while we were there the two volunteer lock keepers came on duty so once we were watered up we received a bit of help down the lock.

This stretch or the canal all the way to Avoncliff Aqueduct was slow going as its almost continuous moored boats. Again at Avoncliff people have removed the mooring information so you can’t be sure where the long term moorings end and the visitor moorings start. It was the same on the far side of the aqueduct as well.

On our way we passed a Heron with very fine plumage on it’s chest.

At the aqueduct Diana hopped off the boat to take a few photographs, I will try and stop on the way back for a look now I know where the moorings are. These structures always look so much better from below than from the canal.

It was shortly after this that we met a widebeam approaching a bridge hole so I held well back for him. The poor chap was having a terrible time trying to steer with the wheel steering winding it first one way and then the other. He hit the edge of the stoplock coming out of the bridge with a tremendous wallop, I am sure he must have dented his bow.  The wild garlic is well out now and when it gets damaged the smell is quite strong. Someone has decided that the tree stumps could really do with a bit of humour and has added clock hands to a lot of them. I think its the Shroppie where someone has been round putting faces on them.

It wasn’t long before we reached Dundas Aqueduct and were pleased to see the visitor moorings well signed and two vacant spots before the aqueduct. The other side of the aqueduct there are 72 hour moorings, but following the CaRT consultation and new mooring policy for the area these will be changing to to 48 hr.Again this aqueduct looks far more impressive from below than it does from above and after mooring we walked down to have a look. I am not quite sure why they put the commemorative plaque over the river as its so high its impossible to read from the ground.  Just over the aqueduct the Somerset coal canal goes off to the left, this is a narrow canal and the short arm is now used for moorings and at the terminus is a cafe, bike and canoe hire base as well as a pair of hire boats and some day boats. After lunch we walked to Claverton Pumping station, unfortunately it was not open and from the web site will be closed all year.Water for the pump comes from above Warleigh weir. I was surprised that the CaRT sign does not ban swimming but gives advise about it. 

  Today’s map