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K&A Trip planned


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46 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Oh and as to the 20 miles a year rule. That is a laugh! We are going to do 20 miles tomorrow!

There is no 20 mile a year rule!

First it isn't a rule and second the suggestion was that it was unlikely that a RANGE of less than 20 miles would be acceptable to CaRT.

Range is not the same as total distance covered. It's misinterpretations like this that really annoy me because they are used like propaganda by some.

Keith 

 

7 minutes ago, haggis said:

Nick, I think you need to pour a very large G & T , (whisky would have been better but you probably don't have any on board :-) ) , relax and think that you will be off the K & A in a few days.  I must admit that it is the least favourite of my canals  so we just don't go there any more.  each to his own. You can now say you have cruised the K & A end to end and add another north to your bedpost - or whatever.

Haggis

It can't be that hard, he seems to be able to type and steer at the same time.

Keith 

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3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Anyway, on a more positive note, we stopped for diesel yesterday at Hilperton, not at the boatyard, but at a coal yard just a few yards further east. Diesel 65p and pumpout £14 which I think is a bargain round these parts! And a very pleasant and helpful chap running it too.

Pay attention! The boatyard that you didn't stop at is ABC chandlers and hirebase, the coalyard that you stopped at is in fact the boatyard. Not only was it only 65p but it was fame free too! They also run a diesel boat and I believe they sell 4000 litres on every trip, thats a lot of diesel on a canal where the boats never move :D

...............Dave

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OK folks let's chuck this in to the mix -

Hubby and I live on the Kennet and Avon canal, cruising/continuously mooring from Devizes to Newbury, have done for the last 10 nearly 11 years. We both work, so need to stay in area but do not wish to have a permanent mooring. Our fat/widebeam boat was new when we moved on to it, still tidy and shiny and has items on the roof. How many of you have I lost so far?

We do not bridge hop rarely use visitor moorings and move every 14 days unless something really chucks a spanner in the works, we are not atypical of most of the other boaters here on the K and A, there are just a few who really don't move. There are spots with plenty of boats moored, likewise plenty of open clear stretches. The are also hire boats, weekend dumpers, GRPS,  marina boaters, canoeists and a great little steam boat who use the canal. 

We say hello to everybody, most respond, and the miserable ones who don't, well that's their problem not mine. There is a supportive and cohesive community of boaters here of all shades, willing to be friendly and helpful. 

If you take your time on the canal, there is superb scenery, wonderful market towns, historic monuments, great pubs and so on.

My point? The Kennet and Avon canal boasts an ecletic mix of society and does not deserve the prejudiced view that has come about from the actions of a few.

Nick, when you are passing say hello, maybe we can change your view just a little? 

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22 minutes ago, Meanderingviking said:

OK folks let's chuck this in to the mix -

Hubby and I live on the Kennet and Avon canal, cruising/continuously mooring from Devizes to Newbury, have done for the last 10 nearly 11 years. We both work, so need to stay in area but do not wish to have a permanent mooring. Our fat/widebeam boat was new when we moved on to it, still tidy and shiny and has items on the roof. How many of you have I lost so far?

We do not bridge hop rarely use visitor moorings and move every 14 days unless something really chucks a spanner in the works, we are not atypical of most of the other boaters here on the K and A, there are just a few who really don't move. There are spots with plenty of boats moored, likewise plenty of open clear stretches. The are also hire boats, weekend dumpers, GRPS,  marina boaters, canoeists and a great little steam boat who use the canal. 

We say hello to everybody, most respond, and the miserable ones who don't, well that's their problem not mine. There is a supportive and cohesive community of boaters here of all shades, willing to be friendly and helpful. 

If you take your time on the canal, there is superb scenery, wonderful market towns, historic monuments, great pubs and so on.

My point? The Kennet and Avon canal boasts an ecletic mix of society and does not deserve the prejudiced view that has come about from the actions of a few.

Nick, when you are passing say hello, maybe we can change your view just a little? 

Well we are passing along from Devizes towards Hungerford from Tuesday so will keep an eye out and wave hello! 

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11 minutes ago, Meanderingviking said:

OK folks let's chuck this in to the mix -

Hubby and I live on the Kennet and Avon canal, cruising/continuously mooring from Devizes to Newbury, have done for the last 10 nearly 11 years. We both work, so need to stay in area but do not wish to have a permanent mooring. Our fat/widebeam boat was new when we moved on to it, still tidy and shiny and has items on the roof. How many of you have I lost so far?

We do not bridge hop rarely use visitor moorings and move every 14 days unless something really chucks a spanner in the works, we are not atypical of most of the other boaters here on the K and A, there are just a few who really don't move. There are spots with plenty of boats moored, likewise plenty of open clear stretches. The are also hire boats, weekend dumpers, GRPS,  marina boaters, canoeists and a great little steam boat who use the canal. 

We say hello to everybody, most respond, and the miserable ones who don't, well that's their problem not mine. There is a supportive and cohesive community of boaters here of all shades, willing to be friendly and helpful. 

If you take your time on the canal, there is superb scenery, wonderful market towns, historic monuments, great pubs and so on.

My point? The Kennet and Avon canal boasts an ecletic mix of society and does not deserve the prejudiced view that has come about from the actions of a few.

Nick, when you are passing say hello, maybe we can change your view just a little? 

As you know, it takes us about 5 or 6 months each year to do the K&A end to end and back again, that feels about right, maybe a little slow. I would think 6 to 8 weeks would be the absolute minimum to cruise and appreciate the K&A. I suppose for Nick, and many other visitors, a much shorter visit has to be accommodated and I can see that if the objective is to cover 20 miles every day then the K&A might be a bit irritating.

Is Nick exaggerating or is it really that full at the moment????? Its never that busy in winter and just like us, a Lot of K&A boats go off exploring in summer, so  there must be an awful lot of visiting boats that just look like Cmers.

Its a little sad that Nick has not enjoyed it and has made some rather negative posts. For many boaters getting to the K&A is a big trip and they are easily deterred by bad publicity,  we meet so many who would never go because of what they have heard about it.  Still, it leaves more room for the K&A people.

.................Dave

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1 minute ago, dmr said:

As you know, it takes us about 5 or 6 months each year to do the K&A end to end and back again, that feels about right, maybe a little slow. I would think 6 to 8 weeks would be the absolute minimum to cruise and appreciate the K&A. I suppose for Nick, and many other visitors, a much shorter visit has to be accommodated and I can see that if the objective is to cover 20 miles every day then the K&A might be a bit irritating.

Is Nick exaggerating or is it really that full at the moment????? Its never that busy in winter and just like us, a Lot of K&A boats go off exploring in summer, so  there must be an awful lot of visiting boats that just look like Cmers.

Its a little sad that Nick has not enjoyed it and has made some rather negative posts. For many boaters getting to the K&A is a big trip and they are easily deterred by bad publicity,  we meet so many who would never go because of what they have heard about it.  Still, it leaves more room for the K&A people.

.................Dave

Hi Dave, looking forward to seeing you again.

Actually I think it has been a bit quieter, despite boats evidently coming up the flight to increase their range. I was working in Kintbury today, there were 3 boats on the VMS so loads of space. Cruised to Devizes marina a couple of weeks ago, plenty of mooring spaces, just a bit slow through Pewsey and All Cannings. 

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10 minutes ago, Dharl said:

Well we are passing along from Devizes towards Hungerford from Tuesday so will keep an eye out and wave hello! 

 

Excellent. 

Perhops you'll be kind enough to corroborate (the Devizes to Hungerford part of) Nick's assertion that he had to do the whole of Hungerford to Bath at tickover.

Or perhaps not. I have a sneaky feeling when you do it, about 20 miles of the end to end moored boats will have disappeared. 

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4 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Excellent. 

Perhops you'll be kind enough to corroborate (the Devizes to Hungerford part of) Nick's assertion that he had to do the whole of Hungerford to Bath at tickover.

Or perhaps not. I have a sneaky feeling when you do it, about 20 miles of the end to end moored boats will have disappeared. 

I hope they don't all move at once, we'll have a massive bow wave rolling along the cut! :P

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11 minutes ago, Meanderingviking said:

I hope they don't all move at once, we'll have a massive bow wave rolling along the cut! :P

 

What, like when the vollies 'brute-force' open the gates at church lock in Bedwyn?!

(One paddle is busted and some brickwork is now damaged too, so the lock makes a level 6" lower than the upper pound, according to the vollies.)

A surge runs up to the bridge and moves my bote, just as though a ghost bote is passing :D 

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Ok so today we've come up Caen Hill and decided to cruise quite late, just tied up at Honeystreet on the last available VM. Well OK, it does seem much better going this way. I recall a continuous line of boats starting shortly after Horton and finishing beyond Honeystreet. Either I am misrembering or they have all moved somewhere else. All Cannings was "full", Honeystreet is "full" but in between, yes we spent a lot of time NOT at tickover. It really wasn't too bad. No-one shouted, no-one blanked us, several people exchanged pleasantries. I think they must have put something in the water!

It just goes to show that meeting a few obnoxious people can really colour ones judgement. 

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52 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yup the entire long pound is just one endless line of moored boats to be passed at tickover. And here's the evidence:

IMG_3143.JPG.2ed6f099fff413a12b61367a962ce899.JPG

 

IMG_3146.JPG.9bb6157a337cff902a990239d83de54f.JPG

Ahh yes that is what I am looking forward to seeing.      The BoA to Bath section is equally beautiful however jammed full of moored boats.     

 

Anyway bags rags are packed, early lunch then off to Hilperton to join the boat! 

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20 minutes ago, Dharl said:

Ahh yes that is what I am looking forward to seeing.      The BoA to Bath section is equally beautiful however jammed full of moored boats.     

 

Anyway bags rags are packed, early lunch then off to Hilperton to join the boat! 

It's pretty horrid here. I'd suggest a week in Blackpool instead.

IMG_3148.JPG.f99679d75475d0f18fe81e5d63dc074d.JPG

An the locals have stooped to cloning other's boats - haggis can expect overstay notices in the post I think:

IMG_3147.JPG.58314c73a694a65506724e97fb292efd.JPG

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2 hours ago, nicknorman said:

 

 

An the locals have stooped to cloning other's boats - haggis can expect overstay notices in the post I think:

IMG_3147.JPG.58314c73a694a65506724e97fb292efd.JPG

Close but subtle differences like about 6 feet longer, it has a big number 3 on it and last but not least, we got rid of the non descript bird logo on the side and our gamebird is adorned with the nice grouse from Grouse whisky (with their permission, I may add).  Much more appropriate :-) 

Although our Gamebird was once owned by the chap who used to own Gamebird 3. 

Haggis

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5 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Yup the entire long pound is just one endless line of moored boats to be passed at tickover. And here's the evidence:

IMG_3143.JPG.2ed6f099fff413a12b61367a962ce899.JPG

 

IMG_3146.JPG.9bb6157a337cff902a990239d83de54f.JPG

Glad to see you are "getting" the long pound on the way back. Maybe you do have a soul after all.

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4 hours ago, billS said:

Glad to see you are "getting" the long pound on the way back. Maybe you do have a soul after all.

No, I sold it a long time ago. Anyway, made it to Great Bedwyn, but disappointed we haven't seen even any small arabs, let alone large ones. Not even a camel. I think it must be Ramadan as both pubs are closed, one for the last couple of years and the other for holidays until Tuesday. Huh! The pub in Eastenders never closes for holidays.

Edited by nicknorman
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2 hours ago, nicknorman said:

No, I sold it a long time ago. Anyway, made it to Great Bedwyn, but disappointed we haven't seen even any small arabs, let alone large ones. Not even a camel. I think it must be Ramadan as both pubs are closed, one for the last couple of years and the other for holidays until Tuesday. Huh! The pub in Eastenders never closes for holidays.

Good to see you and Jeff this morning and have a chat, hope you enjoy the rest of your trip :D

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Well moored up at Semington, however have to say no water!! Just walked up to the Barge at Seend for dinner, pounds all very low, especially up by the pub!    Got back to boat to find her nearly on her beam ends! Could be a short fortnight! 

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5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

We can recommend the Blue Ball in Kintbury. Enjoyed the Otter beer, and really nice burgers. Pity we were virtually the only customers,  but then it's a rainy Sunday night.

Will definitely check it out next time we're there thanks.

Keith 

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11 hours ago, nicknorman said:

We can recommend the Blue Ball in Kintbury. Enjoyed the Otter beer, and really nice burgers. Pity we were virtually the only customers,  but then it's a rainy Sunday night.

It's a few years since I patronised there, but it was always good. Do they still make their own pizzas?

The rather splendid vicarage by the bridge at the west end of the VMs in Kintbury used to belong to the author Robert Harris and boasted the type of floating duck house made famous by the Commons expenses scandal.  It possibly still does. 

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