Phew - hard work on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Sunday, 12 June 2011 10:00

I am not sure I will ever get back to being used to long hard days! However, we have had a few on the Kennet and Avon this trip.

Our first lock was right ahead of our mooring, Benham Lock

Fortunately for us, again we had another narrowboat to share some of the work ....

In Benham Lock

The boat was called Dawn Dancer and they were on their way to Newbury. We were in very congenial company with a lovely well-behaved golden retriever too. At times the sky looked really threatening and I wondered if it was going to be another day of coat on, coat off and coat on again!

Leaving Guyer's Lock

The fluffy clouds over West Mills swing bridge were deceptive

West Mills swing bridge

As we arrived at Newbury Lock, just below the swing bridge the rain started - at one point it was actually hailing.

Rain at Newbury Lock

I must pause and spend a little time writing about this lock - for your edification, you understand! Once the lock was filled using "Jack Cloughs": manual levers that are lifted to open the sluices. Although still in situ they are not used now but were very unusual on the south and midland canals. We came across working ones in a number of places on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 2009- Bank Newton, Newlay and Gargrave's Higherland Lock.

Jack Clough

There are a number of other features to look at here too. A memorial plaque to John Gould who operated a pair of working boats in the area. In the 1950s the managers of the canal (Docks and Inland Waterways Executive) closed some of the locks as they could not afford the upkeep. John Gould served an injunction for loss of earnings and won £5,000; he used the money to help form the campaign, later to become the K and A Trust, to keep the canal open.

John Gould memorial plaque. We certainly echo the sentiment expressed

The K and A branch of the IWA also erected an attractive plaque in tribute to John Rennie, the canal engineer. It is a summary of the salient facts about the building of the canal, but the plaque is in need of a little TLC to bring it back to its former glory.

John Rennie tribute

The Ebb and Flow millennium sculpture beside the lock by Peter Randall-Page is the first in the Newbury Town Art Trail. It reflects the movement of water through the town.

Ebb and Flow granite sculpture

The flow from the River Kennet below Newbury Lock can be troublesome, but John managed to pick me up from the first lock landing without any trouble (as did Dawn Dancer) and we headed under the town bridge.

Newbury Northbrook Street Bridge

Passing the wharf and Victoria Park we looked, in vain hope, to see if my stolen pot had miraculously appeared. Not a sign, but we were not stopping today!

Victoria Park and moorings

Newbury Wharf

Greenham Island and its many moorings slowed us down as we ticked past all the boats until we came to Greenham Lock.

Greenham Island, more threatening clouds!

Here we found the two narrowboats that had steamed past us at about 6am, waiting on the lock landing. Now we were really slowed down as they both took their time to get into and through the lock  - the story of our afternoon and we still had some way to go ......