On 7 Sep 2009, at 18:05, Martin Phillips wrote: > Being unfamiliar with the waterway, can anybody suggest reasonable > places to leave the boat for a week or so near Bradford on Avon and > near > Bath? I gather the latter is pretty busy with long-term > overstayers. The > canal down that end is actually a canal, rather than River Kennet (at > least until it becomes Avon) - is it a bit easier than the eastern end > for moorings?
Ha! How long is your plank Martin?? In BoA if you can find a space amongst the CMs you could either pull up just before Bridge 171 or go down Bradford Lock and go just beyond the time-restricted moorings between the lock and the Tithe Barn. That's reasonably handy for BoA station. More reliably, go on towards Avoncliff aqueduct and stop before the long term moorings wherever you can find a space. Here is deep water and a concrete capped bank and it is thus very popular with over-stayers. It's a short walk to Avoncliff station [request stop]. The moorings to the west of the aqueduct are hopeless - solid underwater obstructions prevent anything but shallow drafted boats from getting close to the bank. Freshford station isn't easy to access from the canal at all. Failing that, there are unrestricted moorings either side of Folly Footbridge [185] in Bath but it's a long walk to the station and spaces are at a premium. I can suggest moorings near Hungerford, Kintbury & Bedwyn stations if that would help. On the bright side, I reckon you've got the best of the K&A to come, heading west from Newbury. Beyond Guyers Lock there are no more pesky gate paddles in top gates and the countryside only improves. A few paddles u/s when we passed that way last month, and a lot more that still have those silly gearboxes on them, but not too many undue hazards. Enjoy your trip. Baz
