Dodging Weirs and Running a Helter Skelter Through Newbury

Sorry another internet cold zone so I have been unable to publish for a few days.

Setting off from Kintbury, our next stop would be Newbury. The Kennet and Avon was starting to show signs of why it has its name as a combination of canal and river. We were entering a different stage on our journey where parts of the river that were navigable were used with canal stretches put in either to shorten the route or to avoid the less navigable parts. Signs like this would herald a junction of the original river with the added canal sections. In this one the river falls away to the left and we enter canal waters.

As we neared Newbury the tranquility of the canal was blighted by overhead traffic. Our first sign of 'civilisation' for many days. I was not looking forward to reaching Newbury as it has never been one of my favourite towns but I was to make a discovery that I hope will be true for the journey on the canals generally

This chap reminded me of one of my cats, not happy unless she was on top of a door or high place generally.

Entering Newbury........ not so bad after all.

We moored up in the outskirts of town known as West Mills, which still showed signs of the village it must have been many years ago.

Fun and games mooring though as I hit a steep part of the learning curve in helmsmanship (or should it be helmsmanship!) Mooring in a river current requires different skills to mooring in the quiet waters of a canal. I think I ended up almost diagonally across the channel, stern out, before I managed to get things under control. Then having overshot the mooring, reversing upstream is fun!! Took me a while to realise why I was not going anywhere!

But it was a lovely mooring and in a part of Newbury I would never have found on a visit to the town. Hopefully I shall be seeing a very different side to places in general on this journey.

Soon after we moored up another boat arrived to moor up behind us.He did exactly the same as I did only got the boat firmly wedged across the flow to a point where he could not recover without some assistance form John and me on the end of stern and centre ropes. 

Just as an aside, we would have appreciated a word of thanks from the crew of Me'nder but received none. (Named and shamed!)

We had heard horror stories about the route through Newbury which goes directly through the centre of town. So John and I explored that evening to do a recce of the forthcoming day's challenge.

Leaving our mooring outside these lovely old houses in West Mills we were to open an electrically operated swing bridge

and enter the pound just before the lock, keeping to the left to avoid the very strong currents of the weir* to the right. 

 


.....passing these delightful old town houses

Town Bridge. Built 1770

Very soon after leaving the lock, strong currents from the right, coming from the above weir* will push the boat sideways into this bridge so we would have to be ready and take the appropriate action. As  this part of the channel narrows to go under the bridge, the current become very strong so an accurate line under the bridge is essential.

Just beyond the bridge this swan was having serious difficulty swimming upstream demonstrating the power of the current. Was John studying his technique I wonder?

And further down beyond the next bridge, which needed a very tight turn to negotiate, this photo shows you the force of the water through a weir downstream.

  So with all our strategies in place , I went
                                                                                          back to my boat for a stiff drink !!


The next morning John left the lock first, I went through with another boat afterwards

John deep in concentration

Leaving the lock

.......and safely through.

The weir that was causing all the problems

A notice at the side of the lock.

This part of the canal was built as the terminus of the original Kennet Navigation and therefore had no towpath. This presented problems for horse drawn barges as it was forbidden for horses to haul across the main road. They must have had serious traffic problems even in those days!!

The solution was, once the craft was through the lock and the horse tethered, to attach the tow rope to a special float and allow it to drift under the bridge. The boat would be carried downstream by the natural flow at that point. All to be reunited beyond the bridge.

Last photo from the lock.........

......and then it was a bit like setting off on a helter skelter. It seemed to be all over in a flash but certainly great fun. There was a point going under the bridge where there was a sense of lack of control, but rather exciting. I felt as though I would like to go back upstream and have another go!

We both arrived safely at the bottom and moored up by Victoria Park,

              opposite the old wharf with this restored crane. They seem rather popular on the K&A

We stayed in Newbury to explore and the next day I rang for the sunday service at St. Nicholas.