We set off towards Devizes as we promised a look at the Caen flight, having explained that it was not really a two day trip to go down and then up! However we had the three locks to the Black Horse to do. I did the locks, teaching Angela on the way! It was hot – plenty of Factor 30 for me. Mooring the pound before Prison Bridge – our usual stop, we walked down the flight. Our guest soon realised why we had decided not to do a down and up!
The flight was the busiest we have seen it. Foxhangers hire boats and Anglo Welsh hire boats, one or two private boats and Ownership boats. This boat has an interesting juxtaposition of two objects on its roof!
Something told me that they had children aboard! There was also the “Dawn and Dusk” Hotel boat. “Dawn” is the motor and “Dusk” is the butty. They were roped together until they got to lock 38!
This caused slight chaos with two boats passing them as they were going up.
I now know how lock gates get damaged. Just after I took this photo below “Dawn” rammed the gates HARD!
Unfortunately all three of us were perched on the gate and experienced a real jolt sending us up in the air and off the balance beam, hurting our backs in the process. They did apologise. I suppose some would say we shouldn’t have sat on the beam, but it is not good to ram them either!
We had a good walk, but looked for shade to sit and have a drink in the Top Lock café, before continuing back to Epiphany. She was listing quite badly as the pound goes up and down a lot – in fact when we tried to get off she was really stuck in the mid ships. We knew this was a problem and had deliberately moored with very loose lines! We did get off but John had to use the pole to its whole length!
We came back up the locks with a Foxhangers boat, calling in to “dump” at Devizes Marina! Then we carried on to The Bridge Inn for a meal and a rest. As before there a lot of boats moored on the towpath. We will say here the night and then go a bit further before turning round to get Angela back to her car for Friday morning.
Oh and by the way I still have more photos to share of the Bristol Harbour Festival - just a break whilst we cruise!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comment on the blog, not on Facebook. If you don't want your comment published add "please do not publish". We reserve the right not to publish comments and will not publish Anonymous Posts.