Bath to Avoncliffe

The remainder of the day was rather a 'baptism of fire' into cruising the system. It was a saturday in May on a fine but rather windy day. We were also close to several companies hiring out narrowboats and that seemed to be the only traffic we encountered on 'the cut'. All the sensible people with boats I think were lying low, finding solace watching all the mayhem passing them by.

So progress was slow and as the wind picked up to several knots with some very lively gusts, life became entertaining on the canal.
 With oncoming traffic travelling as slow as it does, it can take several minutes just to move off from a mooring. A wide beam tour boat was attempting to turn in front of me in a winding hole in Bathwick which took several minutes to complete. This I then had to follow for a considerable time but it did help me through 2 swing bridges which I am not sure I could have operated on my own. As you open the bridge you have to stay on it as it swings across to the other side .......... the opposite bank to where you would have moored the boat.
Answers to the conundrum on a postcard please !

We started to look for somewhere to moor for the night. I stopped but the bank was so soft that moorings were easily torn out by passing traffic. Especially widebeam tour boats!
Then we entered quite a long stretch of canal that had been lined and was too shallow to actually get within a foot of the bank to moor up. Between Dundas Bridge and Limpley Stoke Bridge you are advised not to moor due to the risk from falling trees. There was much evidence of previous falls!!

Just after one bend an oncoming holiday boater was not concentrating and their boat collided with mine forcing me firmly onto the shallows where I became stuck fast. The wind was particularly strong at that point and scuppered my efforts to become unstuck for about half an hour.

But just around the next bend was Avoncliffe Aquaduct and the welcome sight of John on the bank saying that he had found a safe mooring just beyond the Aquaduct. Relief! And some lovely walks for Tara who had been so patient all day, a very long day for  a puppy.

Avoncliffe Aquaduct .... and the local hostelry at  night time