Aldermaston - down and under on the K and A Canal

Friday, 17 June 2011 13:30

Once through Woolhampton on Monday, we passed under the unusually named Wickham Knight Footbridge. (There's so much I have to write - will I ever catch up with ourselves?)

Wickham Knight Bridge

We were really enjoying this tranquil, green river section ......

We made a note of the potential mooring at Wickham Knight Bridge, although I do not know if you can get anywhere from the bridge, apart from the towpath and surrounding woods. I had a look on Google maps but cannot see a railway crossing or a path to the A4 which is running almost parallel to the River Kennet.

The River Kennet goes off to the right towards a weir before Frouds Bridge - and to Frouds Bridge Marina - the entry is a few yards on the left down the weir stream. Like many places where the river either enters or leaves the navigation, a winding hole is marked. However, I would think that turning when the river is running fast could be problematical.

Frouds Bridge

Frouds Bridge is a rather unimaginative replacement for the swing bridge that was once here. It carries the road linking the A4 with the Basingstoke Road, the A340. Beyond is a lovely avenue of trees lining the bank - a popular place for mooring for those long term moorers that the K and A is apparently prone to! This narrowboat was here when we were last month!

Avenue of trees and mooring spot

Aldermaston is heralded by long term moorings, managed by the boat yard below the lift bridge at Aldermaston or Padworth Wharf. This large wide beam is definitely not the tardis ....

The Time Machine

Aldermaston Lock is one of the scalloped locks that were built on the scalloped foundations of the original turf lock. Follow this link for some before and after restoration photos,

In Aldermaston Lock

The top gates are extremely leaky and as I waited for it to fill I pondered as to whether the bottom gates would be hard to open against the flow. Yes, they were heavy, but more difficult to close than open!

Leaky top gates

Below the lock is the old Aldermaston; on a now truncated arm, that once served the railway at Aldermaston, are the BW boat services, elsan, water and rubbish. John said that the elsan point was the worst design he had used - just a trough with a central drain. There were 7 workmen at the bridge. We were expecting this, as we knew that Newbury Council were closing the bridge for repairs for 4 days and then again for 4 days next week. (Monday 12 or 1pm to Thursday 6pm - to allow West Berkshire council who own the bridge, to carry out repairs to the Main Bearing Pins to be carried out).

Aldermaston lift bridge

Closure was due at 12.00 (BW) or 13.00 (Newbury Council) and we had aimed to be through by then! I had checked as I crossed if this was still the situation - it was.

Aldermaston Lift Bridge opening

The BW workman working on the brickwork at the lock had no knowledge of the closure and we were surprised that there were no notices posted at the lock before (or after) to warn boaters of the stoppage. BW assumes that every boater has access to the Internet? We met three narrowboats subsequently who did not know and had planned to go through. Apparently there is a handwritten sign at the first lock on the K&A, that's all!

Five workmen and Fi chatting!

We called in at the boatyard beyond - once Reading Marine, now a hire base for ABC, or UK Boathire, (I can't keep up with all these changes!), to see what price their diesel was. 102/152 pence/litre and we could self declare. But it was a "no thanks" as we knew we could get it cheaper elsewhere. Their hirers would have little choice about what direction to go in unless they put some of their hire boats in the basin between the lock and bridge.

A look back at the hire boats at Aldermaston

Padworth Lock is almost immediately past the end of more long term moorings. Then there is a short break before the next lock - another interesting one .....