Avebury and Silbury Hill

Map reference  SU 00448  61832

          

Distance 0 miles

Total 173 Locks 7 Tunnels

Running total mileage 179.2

Today was a day off from Narrow-boating for a trip to Avebury, and a fascinating trip it was. Unlike the more famous Stonehenge which seems to have been fully sanitised in that you walk around the boundary fence dutifully admiring the stones, at Avebury, a far bigger construction, you actually walk among the stones. This give a far greater feel for the size of them and the enormity of the task of constructing them into a circle given the limited tools that were available at the time (4,400 years ago). The full walk that we made encompassed the Avebury stone circle, Overton Hill barrows (not quite so impressive, West Kennet barrow (which WAS impressive and more than made up for the disappointment of Overton Hill) and finally Silbury Hill alongside the A4 road. This looks like one of the old coal mining slag  heaps but the work that would have gone into building it almost defies belief, again given the limited tools that were available. It seems amazing that during this period (over 4000 years ago) throughout the world different cultures were all apparently pointlessly moving massive stones around, Egypt with the pyramids, France with the standing stones at Carnac and here in the UK at Stonehenge and Avebury, what WAS going on!

 Also included in the walk, as a sort of by-product was a stroll along part of The Ridgeway National Trail (OK only about  1 mile of it out of the 87 available miles).  Hope to return later to complete the other 86 miles.

Tomorrow will be a chance to look around Devizes before moving on by Friday towards Seend taking in the impressive Caen Hill Flight.

Devizes Wharf

Map reference  SU 00448  61832

           

Distance 6.5 miles

Total 173 Locks 7 Tunnels

Running total mileage 179.2

Have now reached Devizes for a couple of days stopover to enable us to visit Avebury stone rings and Silbury Hill with perhaps a trip around the Wadworths Brewery thrown in! We are saving the joy (and effort) of the Caen Hill flight until Friday hoping that a couple of days rest will put us in fine fettle for it.

Today was a gentle trip through  a fairly overgrown stretch of canal with reed beds reducing the canal width to a single boat in places. Despite the reeds we still didn’t seem to get any problems with weed getting caught around the propeller. Final success of the day was to have located 3 geo-caches on the Devizes Canal.

All Cannings Bridge

Map reference  SU 07802  62206

            

Distance 8.8 miles

Total 173 Locks 7 Tunnels

Running total mileage 172.7

Tonight  finds us at All Cannings bridge about 5 miles from Devizes after a pleasant couple of days cruising through the ‘alternative’ culture surrounding Pewsey. Sunday lunch was taken at the ‘French Horn’ public house at Pewsey Wharf and was thoroughly enjoyed along with a couple of pints of ‘Farmer’s Glory’, an excellent Wadworths beer. From Pewsey we set off in the fog towards Honey Street where we stopped for lunch and finally had to replace the gas cylinder that had lasted for the 2 months since we set out on our voyage.

The intention today had been to reach Devizes but as time got on and we were travelling through such pleasant scenery overlooking the Alton Barnes white horse we decided to stop awhile at All Cannings bridge. Tomorrow we press on to Devizes where we hope to stay for a couple of days to allow visit to Avebury rings.

Bruce Tunnel but not quite Pewsey!

Map reference  SU 20606  63365

             

Distance 4 miles

Total 171 Locks 7 Tunnels

Running total mileage 163.9

OK didn’t quite make it to Pewsey but having found a pleasant mooring between Brimslade Lock and Heathey Close lock in time for lunch we were deterred from continuing since it began raining just after lunch, so stopped where we were. We will definitely reach Pewsey tomorrow since we need to do some shopping.

Today’s total included 8 locks and the Bruce Tunnel so it wasn’t too bad a day’s work. I still quite enjoy the tunnels although the instruction for this was not to enter until you have checked to see that the exit is clear (presumably because there are wide-beam boats on this canal and if you met one mid-way through the tunnel, one would have to reverse and it would probably be the narrow-boat, i.e. me). The problem with the Bruce tunnel approaching from the East is that you cannot see the other end until you are almost in the tunnel, fortunately it was clear anyway.

A particularly easy day tomorrow, only about 1 ½ hours cruising so it probably won’t even be enough to recharge the batteries, but never mind.

Crofton Pumping Station

Map reference  SU 26330  62361

              

Distance 6.5 miles

Total 163 Locks 6 Tunnels

Running total mileage 159.9

Two days included in this post since we are making pretty slow progress (the whole point of the exercise!). Last night we moored between Little Bedwyn and Great Bedwyn by a rather leaky lock, the significance of which became apparent the following morning when the pound between the locks had fallen by about 6 inches and we awoke to find ourselves aground and at a bit of an angle. Soon resolved with a bit of pushing and shoving, and judicious use of the engine.  Actually came across a bit of a rarity on the canals, a bit of an old grouch helming his boat. Whilst sorting out my grounding problem he came into the lock just downstream of me. Gave the usual ‘good morning’ greeting which was completely ignored and then tried to make conversation by remarking that the water level was a bit down, greeted by a grunt. As he passed through the lock he then shouted ‘ Try shifting the stuff on your roof to starboard’, since the stuff on our roof in total probably weighs less that I do, just with my bodyweight on the starboard side would have had the same effect. I just assume that the guy was having a bad day.

Moored for the night by Crofton Pumping station which pretty much defines the ‘summit’ of this canal, from here onwards we will be travelling down (towards Caen Hill at Devizes which is most definitely down!). The pumping station itself is a fascinating piece of engineering constructed to save the expense of building a 2.5mile tunnel through the hillside. An original Watt steam engine still operates during the season (now sadly ending as the station shuts from Sunday until March 2014). The water is however now pumped by electric motar.

Tomorrow on to Bruce Tunnel and hopefully to Pewsey.