The K&A newbury to reading is a river so you need bow stern and a spring ! i normally put spring upstream , to be honest its a waste of time as 90% of the time your in shallow water and grounded 3ft or more out from the bank and on angle !!! welcome to the K&A ,
most of the boats in the past going to fast were hire boats but as of late its 50 50 sadly
to calculate cruising times for the K&A add locks bridges and miles together divide by 3 that is cruising time really is a good guide
most sections are prone to level change so you cant have ropes to tight ,
be prepared if you are thinking of venturing our way