We pretend to be a hire boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Monday, 06 June 2011 11:00

Like a hire boat, it is time for us to turn around; unlike hirers, we do not have a deadline. Lucky us! The K and A Trust's Kenavon Venture went before us.

Then it was our turn to use the BW services on the wharf

We turned around and saw the Council's idea of a narrowboat!

Unfortunately, someone from the K&A Trust had turned the water off - so we had to wait while they worked out which stop cock it was. Meanwhile Derwent6 went cruising by with a wave. Once clear of London Road Bridge, we passed the gardens of the London Road houses. Some of them had deteriorated since we were here. This one always made us smile - the boat name I mean, the garden is nice too! All you Beatles fans will understand ...

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

I learned some interesting history the other day about General Sir Hugh Stockwell, GCB, KBe, DSO and Bar, a distinguished soldier and a leading light in the Kennet and Avon Trust. Most well known for his command of forces at the Suez Crisis, he became Deputy Supreme Commander of Europe NATO in 1960.

This was once his home, some friends from the Trust moor their narrowboat on his landing

In his retirement he lived in this cottage near Horton Fields Chain Bridge and "commanded" the Trust (as Chairman)! 1971 is arguably known as the "darkest hours of the K and A Trust" as they battled to restore the canal. His most famous quote at this time is "I lost one canal Ma'am, but I'll be b***ered if I'll lose another". I wonder if the Queen smiled or raised an eyebrow!

There is a 23 minute video interview with the General here - dug out of ITV's archives for last years Centenary. it is worth watching if you are a canal enthusiast.

This narrowboat is a bit out of place - we last saw it at Camden Lock - at the Pirates Club. It looks sad and abandoned.

The rough moorings at Honey Street start well before the visitor moorings - where there was room to moor, for a change!

Rough moorings before Honey Street

The fields around Woodborough looked much more picturesque in the sunlight. A couple of narrowboats had chosen to moor here, including this one

What a lovely name and sign writing!

So we decided to have a go mooring too - it took a while to find a spot we could get into due to the shallow edges and a stiff wind - but we did it! Off I went to take zillions of photos across the fields!

Woodborough poppy fields

Moored in a really lovely place, despite the gang plank at the front

Kennet and Avon Canal. Devizes to Woodborough
3 hours 37 minutes, 9.15 miles, 0 locks