Pewsey Wharf

We, or rather John, arrived at Pewsey Wharf yesterday afternoon. When I finished work I drove to meet him.

Although the weather got quite cold towards the end of the afternoon he enjoyed his single handed cruise up here. He is getting quite a dab hand at the swing bridges on the Kennet and Avon canal between here and Devizes!

After our meal we popped into the Waterfront Bar and were first in! However we promised to draw customers in and so we did! It is great to see familiar faces again.



Epiphany moored at the Wharf with the Waterfront Bar and Bistro on the right

Today we had various jobs to do. John continued to convert the TV and satellite box into cruising mode. He also sorted out his box of bits and bobs in the saloon and disconnected the land line phones and cable. I did a bit of cleaning.



Looking back at Pewsey Bridge 114, the Marlborough to Pewsey road

Whilst John went off to the village to give blood I baked - a lemon drizzle cake, choc chip muffins and some bread. I was a little tired after all that! When he got back we filled up with water - the tap here is very fast!

The rain came and now it is pretty windy. I have to say it is great to feel the boat moving around. One of the changes now we are on the cut!

Beyond the Bar and Bistro are the moorings owned by the Waterfront, room for about 8 boats breasted up. The Bistro does an excellent Boaters Breakfast and both walkers and boaters return again and again.

Looking towards the slipway and moorings at the Wharf

Moving Day

Tomorrow is moving day! No, not off the boat but from the marina that we have been in since Epiphany was launched. Firstly on a leisure mooring and then since April last year when we moved aboard, on a residential mooring.

So where are we off to? We are staying on the Kennet and Avon canal whilst I continue to work, but fortunately the canal is never far away from my workplace or the community visiting I do.

We will be located in the Pewsey area. As regular readers know we enjoy moving around on the boat and although it has been convenient to be in the marina we prefer being on the "cut". In fact some of the residents in the marina accuse us of never being here!

So we will be losing our land line - this means no good broadband access! Maybe it will be good discipline as our mobile package currently gives us evenings and weekends for the internet! We are watching with interest the developments in mobile broadband and if anyone has experience - both good and bad, please do let us know.

So our blog will change slightly - smaller and less pictures possibly, due to the slow upload speed if 3G is not available! However as soon as we decide which is the best system and as mobile internet improves we will decide what to do. "Big John" would be "lost" without the internet! I if I am honest I would miss it too!

Thinking about other things we lose by moving out of the marina such as a convenient elsan point, diesel, water on tap - well almost, and electricity, we know we can manage without all that!

After all what is being on the cut all about? It is about being able to move around, be as self sufficient as possible and as relaxed as possible! Having a new garden on a regular basis and meeting other boaters.

I am sure you can add to this list and we know we are going to enjoy it. We can't wait!

Boaters and Birthdays

The thing I find wonderful about the canal community is that when you meet strangers there is always something in common. The conversation starts with boating and then often progresses to other things. Depending on how much liquid refreshment is available the conversation may degenerate to "human functions" or ascend to greater heights such as the philosophy of life!

Whatever, a gathering of 40 or so boaters is rare and is an experience not to be missed if invited. We felt privileged to be invited to a giant banter in honour of one of the Canal World Form members who celebrated a significant birthday at the weekend.

John is the active member so knew the alias of those present and identifying the real person behind the name was great. We had a really good evening. Our thanks must go to "Moley" for having the birthday and to him and his family for arranging and hosting the evening.

The entertainment was great, particularly the Tudor musician and to all those forum members we met and chatted to - thanks for coming and we really enjoyed meeting you.

Just a quick mention of our visit to the NEC for the Caravan and Boat Show. We were glad that we had free tickets as there was not much there for the narrowboater. Just a display of boats from 4 builders, the IWA stand and very limited chandlery exhibitors.

However we went for specific things and picked up some useful information. I marvelled at some of the motor caravans, both their size and the way they were packed in. As for the boats, some of the sea going vessels were impressive and exhibited imaginatively. However even if I was a millionaire I would not be buying one - I get sea sick!

Anyone Going to Birmingham?

We have tickets for the Caravan and Boat Show at the NEC, Birmingham. John entered the caravan channel draw and won free tickets for Friday!

We went a couple of years ago and gave a refundable deposit to Severn Valley for a build slot in 2007. We (fortunately - maybe, no - definitely, as Bath Narrowboats were much more impressive!) changed our mind. But it took a while to get the deposit back! However it is fair to say that we were impressed with the standard of the fit out of their display narrowboat (despite the "house style") and the owners were very pleased with their boat.

We also gleaned a few ideas for Epiphany and talked to reps on stands such as Alde (gas heating), Webasto (diesel heating), Channel Glaze and Worcester Marine (windows), also at some of the general chandlery stands there. The narrowboats were rather limited with only a few companies were represented but we still looked for ideas!

For fun we allowed ourselves to be drawn into the hard sell of a time-share company who were promoting their narrowboat time-share. We are wise to the hard sell techniques and found the whole experience amusing but frightening at the same time. Frightening, as it was all so convincing and the unwary could part with a lot of money for very limited and controlled access to the boat. It was a relief to know that we both knew more and understood the issues much better than the salesman! A bit naughty to string him along I suppose.

It was also interesting to look at some of the caravan equipment as it was either similar or could be used in boats too.

So this time we are going to look - admire and also do a bit of research on technical progress on such things as TV reception.

So let us know if you are going on Friday - we could meet up for a bevy!

All Quiet On Epiphany

Yes, we are still here!
A visit to Cornwall at the weekend means that I haven't blogged for a few days. Cornwall was cold but not as cold as here, "up country" as the Cornish say. The minimum temperature was about 4 degrees where as in Wiltshire it has been -5 to -8 degrees most nights.

The milder climate in Cornwall means that all the daffodils are out and so too are the camellias. The roadsides around Truro and the Roseland Peninsula have banks full of daffs, it really makes you think spring is on the way! We even saw a cherry tree in bloom!

The only problem with daffs out at this time is that they can be over for Mothering Sunday. However as Easter is early this year so are all the other "special" dates and the daffs and primroses will be around for picking for the children to give to their mothers at Church!

Although I took the camera I didn't take any photos, partly as we were busy and partly because it was rather grey and overcast. We were glad to come back to the blue skies of Wiltshire and I never tire of the wide open spaces, which despite the lack of sea can give us a view to the horizon.

John managed to do some paint touching up on Epiphany today once it warmed up today so we have some fresh looking rubbing stakes and stern gunnels on the starboard side - time to turn her around to do the other side! But I think the weather is changing - the barometer is dropping and the humidity has gone up!

Watch Our Cruise On the Kennet and Avon Canal

I was glad to get home from work today. There is definitely something special about living on a narrowboat. Just the sight of Epiphany waiting for me has a de stressing effect!

I am lucky as we have an agreement that John cooks when I am working, so I come in and put my feet up and relax, catch up with how our day has gone, check if there is anything interesting on the TV (less and less now a days!) and enjoy my meal.

Like many areas of the country we have been having cold clear nights, icy mornings and really sunny days. The light on the hills and canal has been fantastic and I even braved the cold one evening to watch the space station "fly" by.

The real purpose of this brief blog is to say that there is now a video of parts of our short cruise on the Kennet and Avon Canal last Saturday here.

I filmed from the stern and so the video is accompanied by the sound of our engine. It sounds a bit different from the "real thing" but that is down to the quality of the equipment I think!

Anyway for canal addicts like us it is worth a look! It was interesting to see how our winding manoeuvre came out!

Enjoy!

A visit to Stafford Boat Club

John travelled to the Staffs and Worcs canal on Sunday. A 2 - 3 hour trip by car. Weeks by canal. Guess which mode of transport he took. We wish it was the slow one! Particularly as the weather was beautiful.

He was attending a Save Our Waterways meeting with lots of other delegates from waterways user groups. It was a good meeting to share views and look at possible action regarding all the various changes on our waterways. There is so much to concern us all, less maintenance, higher licences, diesel price hikes, mooring tenders and now reductions in restoration grants. The canal forums are full of comment, blogs too. As we have said in the past it is important to make the boaters' voice heard. Watch this space!

Anyway to return to the Staffs and Worcs. John called in at Gailey Wharf on his way to Stafford Boat Club where the meeting was being held. Regular readers will know that this is where JD Boat Services are located. They are the builders and management company for a number of share boats including our previous boat Twelfth Night.



By the lock is a round house. It was built around 1800 and used to be the Lock Keeper's home. It is now an excellent gift shop.

JD Boats manage a Viking Afloat hire fleet. Many of which were out of the water for painting and maintenance.



We are familiar with the view of Stafford Boat Club from the canal. This is from another point of view.

A Wonderful Day, A Short Cruise

What an absolutely glorious day! John had someone coming to look at the Renault Clio we are selling (anyone interested? - late 53 plate, 24,400 miles, in v. good condition, FSH!) and then we decided to make the most of the weather and take an afternoon cruise. John also wanted to test his new gadget - a GPS to map our route on Waterexplorer.

So about 1 pm we set out towards Horton and All Cannings. The sun was shining and the temperature on the weather sensor showed 18 degrees (it went up to 20 as we cruised).




I took the opportunity to snap our flowers on the roof. Can you spot the narcissi about to come out! The planters have violas, narcissi and moscarii in them.

The planter by the stern hatch with its extras!



Our large planter mid roof



Dipper with cyclamen and moscarii



A basking cat planter at the bows, these bulbs are not so far on




John split his time between the tiller and playing with the GPS and I carried on with camera, relieving him at the tiller when necessary!



I also took some video and will work on creating something to watch in the next day or so. For those who enjoy listening to the engine sound and imagining themselves on the boat - as we used to - keep an eye on our blog for the link!

Because of the weather there were a few boats out and we opened Bishop's Cannings Swing Bridge for "Mollie May". Following them all the way to Allington Swing Bridge where we winded to return.

A fabulous afternoon and we feel quite refreshed now.

Cruise To The Dentist?

Now tell me. Is our canal obsession catching up with us?

We both had to visit the emergency dentist recently and as I have to have a crown they gave us the details of a dentist that was taking new patients and charging NHS rates. Guess where it is? In a marina! Staverton marina (aka Hilperton marina) in Trowbridge to be precise.



Not on a narrowboat though. Now that is an idea! A mobile dentist on the canals, cruising the system from appointment to appointment! They would be in demand I think.

I digress - slightly! The dentist is not actually in the marina but in the new development alongside. Those of you who have travelled the Kennet and Avon canal below the Caen Hill flight cannot fail to see the Alvechurch (sorry, ABC) hire base at Trowbridge.
Unfortunately we didn't cruise to the dentist - stoppages and time would be a problem!
Opposite is a new marina and tucked away behind the building above in Meadow Court to the left of the moorings is an Indian restaurant and the dental practice.





Entering
Through the bridge







The moorings to the left










A pleasant area to the right





Despite the charges being NHS rates it was an expensive morning and I have 2 more appointments and John has 3 as he has to have a filling!

The River Avon In Flood

John has been gadding again! Oh the joys of retirement and the sorrows of being tied to a job:-)

Yesterday he went to Bristol on family business and also met up with his brother who lives there. It was a brilliant sunny day and of course the river attracted them - John's bro is also a boater when he can at holiday times. In fact he was with us on our first canal trip (before we got married) on the Grand Union from Cosgrove and then again on our first Anglo Welsh hire boat on the Stratford and Avon the next year. When was that? Erm.....? Autumn 1973 and March 74 (a cold early Easter with snow) when we were young and foolish!

The River Avon is in flood so there are no boat movements, apart from I suppose, the floating harbour. As you can see from this photo taken on St Philip's Bridge development along the river into Bristol continues.


John and Pete had lunch at the Old Lock and Weir Ale House at Hanham, opposite Hanham lock. This is the river from the garden.

There are, as they say in advertisements, other pubs at the location too! The Chequers Inn, above.

A walk after lunch produced some photos.


If you look closely above you can just see Hanham lock bottom gates, the lock and the top gates open. In other words - who needs a lock when the river is in flood! I think it might be closed!


So where has the weir gone? The lock is to the right bottom in the photo above.

Hardy boaters moor their boats in the weir stream

Caen Hill Update

For various reasons we did not get to the "Public Hanging" at Caen Hill Locks. If you would like to see action pictures follow this link.

I am not sure we missed a lot! Apparently one of the BW engineers said they had hung one particular gate 4 times already.

It will be good when they finally open the flight - scheduled for early March. Hopefully this work will improve the experience!

Alrewas

As I suspected on John's visit to Alrewas he couldn't resist a walk on the towpath! Of course he had a camera with him and took some photos too. The batteries ran out - another frequent occurrence at times and the set of photos were completed on his mobile phone!

However they are good photos as you can see from this selection. At least he has seen some snow on the canals this year!

The Mill Stream at Alrewas is maintained by Alrewas Civic Society



Looking towards Lock 12, Alrewas lock


Alrewas lock, going down this eventually leads to Burton on Trent



The weir onto the River Trent below the lock



As we always say when visiting other areas of the country are on the canal system "one day we will bring Epiphany here". This particularly applies to this area as the Trent and Mersey canal along with the Staffs and Worcs and Shroppie was part of our "boating ground" with Twelfth Night.

New Narrowboats In Build

Despite the doom and gloom of the weather forecast today it is sunny and bright. It was cold overnight though and we were well frosted over at 8 am.

Yesterday we drove down to Sells Green to have a look at the boats that Bath Narrowboats have in build. They have 3 in the workshop. One is nearly complete and due to be launched in a few weeks. It's owner "signed up" at Crick last year and is from Cornwall. The plan is to cruise the system, so look out for nb Global Spirit.


The boat, on a Colecraft shell, (above is Epiphany in the workshop) is of Bath Narrowboats usual high standard of fit out and has been built to the owners specification. Once again delivering "the dream" as they did for us.

They are also in process of fitting out a wide beam liveaboard. The interior is of a very distinctive style in painted tongue and groove as specified by the owner. There is nothing "built in" apart from the galley and the bed. All the other furniture will be loose and bought by the owner.

Finally they have another narrow shell that has just been delivered and the fit out will begin soon. They have also offered a "haven" for one of the refugees from the Severn Valley fall out. It is so difficult to know what to do when a well known builder goes down, but it is reassuring to know that a company like Bath Narrowboats deal very fairly with their customers. We only were expected to pay after the work was done to our satisfaction and had "title" to Epiphany at each completed stage.

After a few drinks at The Three Magpies with the lads we came home to find the electricity out in the marina. Fortunately we had juice in the batteries and were able to carry on regardless! Apparently one of the boats had dropped their hook up lead into the water earlier in the day and after the marina staff had gone managed to short out the whole marina.

John left early this morning to travel to Alrewas (Trent and Mersey Canal). Below is Bagnall Lock 13, leaving Alrewas, travelling down towards Fradley Junction.

He is attending a SOW (Save Our Waterways) meeting so I took the opportunity to do some cleaning - "coal" dust gets everywhere! I was going to the "Public Hanging", but left it too late - maybe tomorrow.