K&A Trip planned

[magpie patrick]

5 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Summit is now open 10am to 3pm. We came through today, plenty of water. One thing we noted is that several locks on the Crofton side gave to be left empty. What a waste of water, due to poor maintenance of the lock walls.

Water that goes down Crofton, or at least the top six locks, isn't really wasted as it gets pumped back up again. That's why the top six are comparatively shallow, to reduce the tendency for crofton pumps to just be recirculating the same stuff.

The four at Wootton Rivers each have the same fall as the top lock (and I think all subsequent ones) at Devizes to ensure enough water went that way. The four at Wootton have the same aggregate fall as the six above the pumps at Crofton: the original intention was a gravity feed and a long tunnel from Crofton to Wootton 

[nicknorman]

Interesting points about the locks and bywashes thanks. If the point of leaving the Crofton top few locks empty is in case of too much water, it seems silly to still insist on this water wasting when there is a shortage of water! Yes I know there is back-pumping but this costs money. And the reason why the summit area was closed and now only open 10-4 was that the back pumping couldn't keep up with usage.

I have to say we are not really enjoying the K&A. It is not a canal well suited to navigation. Endless lines of boats moored on the long pound, a sense that moving boats are resented. And whilst we normally enjoy locks, between Reading and Crofton the endless sequence of 1/4-1/2 mile then lock - slow, awkward lock - is tedious. Railway permanently alongside. Limited views and very "samey" waterscape. Difficulty mooring. What's to like? There have been a few pleasant bits but interspersed with a lot of monotony.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Interesting points about the locks and bywashes thanks. If the point of leaving the Crofton top few locks empty is in case of too much water, it seems silly to still insist on this water wasting when there is a shortage of water! Yes I know there is back-pumping but this costs money. And the reason why the summit area was closed and now only open 10-4 was that the back pumping couldn't keep up with usage.

I have to say we are not really enjoying the K&A. It is not a canal well suited to navigation. Endless lines of boats moored on the long pound, a sense that moving boats are resented. And whilst we normally enjoy locks, between Reading and Crofton the endless sequence of 1/4-1/2 mile then lock - slow, awkward lock - is tedious. Railway permanently alongside. Limited views and very "samey" waterscape. Difficulty mooring. What's to like? There have been a few pleasant bits but interspersed with a lot of monotony.

Ah but you're just approaching the good bit. Spectacular views over Pewsey Vale and the Vale of the White Hoss next, along with some seriously good pubs selling seriously good beer.

The Waterside at Pewsey.
The Kings Arms in All Cannings
The Golden Swan at Wilcot
The Barge at Honey Street
The Black Swan in Devizes

[nicknorman]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Ah but you're just approaching the good bit. Spectacular views over Pewsey Vale and the Vale of the White Hoss next, along with some seriously good pubs selling seriously good beer.

The Waterside at Pewsey.
The Kings Arms in All Cannings
The Golden Swan at Wilcot
The Barge at Honey Street
The Black Swan in Devizes

Well we've done most of that. Yes some nice countryside around Pewsey/white horse vale but somehow the views seem limited much of the way, a combination of the canal banks being quite high, lots of vegetation and hedges/trees. I suppose it was not helped by a very dull unsunny afternoon and a grumpy shouty guy who is going to shit on our boat because we passed his not-really-moored non-canal-boat too fast. Allegedly, even though we were following a fat boat going REALLY slow and I spent the time alternating between tick over and neutral. I mean 1mph.

Saw your boat at Bedwyn I think? What are those things it was moored to?

[dmr]

23 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

 

I have to say we are not really enjoying the K&A. It is not a canal well suited to navigation. Endless lines of boats moored on the long pound, a sense that moving boats are resented. And whilst we normally enjoy locks, between Reading and Crofton the endless sequence of 1/4-1/2 mile then lock - slow, awkward lock - is tedious. Railway permanently alongside. Limited views and very "samey" waterscape. Difficulty mooring. What's to like? There have been a few pleasant bits but interspersed with a lot of monotony.

Compared to the Shropshire union the K&A is almost empty, never seen so many moored boats! And at least some of the K&A boats are a bit unusual.

K&A certainly has a lot of big locks. A few of the K&A residents do have some odd ideas about moving boats and boat speed, even though we have huge mooring pins (K&A specials) they were pulled out twice by speeding boats on the Shroppie.

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

[Bunny]

As the K and A is down about a foot it will be difficult to moor in the countryside. Yes there are stretchs that are nearly impossible to moor anyway ..Ask a few local boaters if there is a spot they could recommend.... Or ask on here or facebook ..

[nicknorman]

37 minutes ago, Bunny said:

As the K and A is down about a foot it will be difficult to moor in the countryside. Yes there are stretchs that are nearly impossible to moor anyway ..Ask a few local boaters if there is a spot they could recommend.... Or ask on here or facebook ..

Which bit of the KandA is down a foot? Certainly haven't found that pound yet. All the ones so far have been pretty full and in fact the summit pound was one of the best. When I say difficult to moor, I don't mean impossible. Just more difficult than on much of the rest of the system. So last night for instance we are "in the wilds" bow into the back, stern a Few feet out. But on pins of course. Compare to mooring in the Midlands where we can always moor against piling and use goat chains, normally always getting the boat fully in to the side. So much easier and more secure.

[magpie patrick]

12 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Interesting points about the locks and bywashes thanks. If the point of leaving the Crofton top few locks empty is in case of too much water, it seems silly to still insist on this water wasting when there is a shortage of water! Yes I know there is back-pumping but this costs money. And the reason why the summit area was closed and now only open 10-4 was that the back pumping couldn't keep up with usage.

I have to say we are not really enjoying the K&A. It is not a canal well suited to navigation. Endless lines of boats moored on the long pound, a sense that moving boats are resented. And whilst we normally enjoy locks, between Reading and Crofton the endless sequence of 1/4-1/2 mile then lock - slow, awkward lock - is tedious. Railway permanently alongside. Limited views and very "samey" waterscape. Difficulty mooring. What's to like? There have been a few pleasant bits but interspersed with a lot of monotony.

 

12 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Ah but you're just approaching the good bit.

SHUT UP MIKE! It's working, Nick is going to tell the whole world how dreadful the K&A is and then we can have it to ourselves!

Lutine is at Aldermaston, and I'm looking forward to the next bit. Sara seemed to enjoy a lock every ten minutes or so, although I wouldn't want all my cruising to be like that I will admit I find long runs with no locks a bit tedious, although the Thames having been in the pouring rain didn't help.

Last year I enjoyed the Oxford far more than I expected to, and found the detail of it's heritage fascinating. The Kennet has so far taken on the mantle, the remnants of the old turf sided locks, the varied rise and fall typical of an ancient river navigation, and the stub end of the branch at Aldermaston which once served local industry and then the railway sidings - fascinating stuff!

[MtB]

15 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 

SHUT UP MIKE! It's working, Nick is going to tell the whole world how dreadful the K&A is and then we can have it to ourselves!

Lutine is at Aldermaston, and I'm looking forward to the next bit. Sara seemed to enjoy a lock every ten minutes or so, although I wouldn't want all my cruising to be like that I will admit I find long runs with no locks a bit tedious, although the Thames having been in the pouring rain didn't help.

Last year I enjoyed the Oxford far more than I expected to, and found the detail of it's heritage fascinating. The Kennet has so far taken on the mantle, the remnants of the old turf sided locks, the varied rise and fall typical of an ancient river navigation, and the stub end of the branch at Aldermaston which once served local industry and then the railway sidings - fascinating stuff!

 

Ooops sorry. Totally agree. It gets even more boring for Nick as he goes west. Bath and BoA are pretty dull architecturally and infested with CMers. The Avon valley is RUBBISH, you can't see anything for all the hills and trees in the way, and Bristol Harbour is just stuffed with liveaboards and the mooring prices are ridiculous. And as for that suspension bridge, it is pathetic compared to say the Humber Bridge, or the Golden Gate.

The thing is, its unfortunate how quick Nick and Jeff have bounded up the K&A. Must have cruised straight past pretty much everything of architectural or historic interest and barely got off the boat. For people (in general I mean, not Nick and Jeff particularly) to whom boating means enjoying covering lots of miles, I can see why they regard the K&A as well worth avoiding or not worth the effort.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Mike the Boilerman

[Guest]

16 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Well we've done most of that. Yes some nice countryside around Pewsey/white horse vale but somehow the views seem limited much of the way, a combination of the canal banks being quite high, lots of vegetation and hedges/trees. I suppose it was not helped by a very dull unsunny afternoon and a grumpy shouty guy who is going to shit on our boat because we passed his not-really-moored non-canal-boat too fast. Allegedly, even though we were following a fat boat going REALLY slow and I spent the time alternating between tick over and neutral. I mean 1mph.

Saw your boat at Bedwyn I think? What are those things it was moored to?

He must have been really grumpy, you certainly passed us very sedately, despite it being a grey rainy early evening, (just past Allington swing bridge) 

[blackrose]

I enjoyed the K&A. I travelled the entire length a few years ago. Never had any problems and never had to use a plank despite all the nonsense one hears about the difficulties of moving a 12ft widebeam (generally from people who've never handled a boat of that beam). Did the entire trip single-handed apart from some help from the volunteers on the Caen Hill flight which was very much appreciated.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Ooops sorry. Totally agree. It gets even more boring for Nick as he goes west. Bath and BoA are pretty dull architecturally and infested with CMers. The Avon valley is RUBBISH, you can't see anything for all the hills and trees in the way, and Bristol Harbour is just stuffed with liveaboards and the mooring prices are ridiculous. And as for that suspension bridge, it is pathetic compared to say the Humber Bridge, or the Golden Gate.

The thing is, its unfortunate how quick Nick and Jeff have bounded up the K&A. Must have cruised straight past pretty much everything of architectural or historic interest and barely got off the boat. For people (in general I mean, not Nick and Jeff particularly) to whom boating means enjoying covering lots of miles, I can see why they regard the K&A as well worth avoiding or not worth the effort.

Ha ha - surely you must have worked for tourist information! You forgot to mention the nettle ridden banks infested with wasps nests............. 

[nicknorman]

4 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

The thing is, its unfortunate how quick Nick and Jeff have bounded up the K&A. Must have cruised straight past pretty much everything of architectural or historic interest and barely got off the boat. For people (in general I mean, not Nick and Jeff particularly) to whom boating means enjoying covering lots of miles, I can see why they regard the K&A as well worth avoiding or not worth the effort.

It's true we have kept a fair pace up - out of necessity. We need to be back at Fazeley early Sept. We do miss stuff off the cut although we (Jeff) had 5 days in Hungerford (while I had to go home). Mind you, if we wanted to see something we could always visit by road. It's a fundamental difference between holiday boating and living aboard.

Anyway, today is a better day, reasonably sunny, lots of happy smiling hire boaters, volockies and gongoozlers at Cain Hill. But still an impression that the local "boaters" are grumpy and unfriendly. So many folk don't make eye contact and it's as if we were transparent.

1 hour ago, Meanderingviking said:

He must have been really grumpy, you certainly passed us very sedately, despite it being a grey rainy early evening, (just past Allington swing bridge) 

Sorry, I was trying to keep an eye out for you but missed you. We will have passed you at tickover, we passed mr angry at less than tickover since we were in neutral half the time due to the fat boat in front.

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

We will have passed you at tickover, we passed mr angry at less than tickover since we were in neutral half the time due to the fat boat in front

Is he related to mrsmelly? 

[MtB]

On 12/08/2017 at 15:09, nicknorman said:

 

Anyway, today is a better day, reasonably sunny, lots of happy smiling hire boaters, volockies and gongoozlers at Cain Hill. But still an impression that the local "boaters" are grumpy and unfriendly. So many folk don't make eye contact and it's as if we were transparent.

 

Ahem, its not you.... its your boat!!

Steering a Shiny Boat is not really the 'done thing' on the K&A. You may have noted the carefully calibrated state of non-shininess of my boat in passing. And them things you mentioned are called "jetties"

CRT's answer to water too shallow to moor. 'Tis their policy not to dredge the sides for some lunatic reason known only to them.

[dmr]

A couple of years ago friends came to spend a few days with us. They both had boating experience but not on 70 footers so one was driving our boat along the long pound incredibly slowly. We went past an old widebeam and got a funny look from the bloke sat on the deck. We encountered him later in the pub (the one that used to be a lovely pub) and he remarked how quickly we had been going. I deduced that due to the stuff he was smoking his brain had slowed to such a standstill that even our slow tickover appeared too fast.

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

[Guest]

I've got a shiny boat, and its fat and I live on it - do I get a gold star???? 

[MtB]

On 12/08/2017 at 19:14, Meanderingviking said:

I've got a shiny boat, and its fat and I live on it - do I get a gold star???? 

 

No. You're in danger of getting moaned at for being moored up too fast!

 

 

Spelling edit.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Mike the Boilerman

[nicknorman]

4 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Ahem, its not you.... its your boat!!

Steering a Shiny Boat is not really the 'done thing' on the K&A. You may have noted the carefully calibrated state of non-shininess of my boat in passing. And them things you mentioned are called "jetties"

CRT's answer to water too shallow to moor. 'Tis their policy not to dredge the sides for some lunatic reason known only to them.

Well I think that may well be true, and if so certainly pathetic. Anyway our boat isn't that shiny these days, the paint job is coming up to 7 years old, the red is pretty faded. If people blank folk just because they have a "nicer" boat than they do, these are not the sort of people I would want to associate with. The worst kind of inverted snobbery.

[MtB]

Out and about I often hear people say shockingly judgemental and negative stuff about Hudson owners, so yes I think this could easily have been the root of it. Trouble is, I think the more hardcore liveaboards tend to equate Hudson owners with IWA members and some pretty negative attitudes to IWA members can often be read here, on these very boards. 

[nicknorman]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Out and about I often hear people say shockingly judgemental and negative stuff about Hudson owners, so yes I think this could easily have been the root of it. Trouble is, I think the more hardcore liveaboards tend to equate Hudson owners with IWA members and some pretty negative attitudes to IWA members can often be read here, on these very boards. 

Anybody who pre-judges a person by the make of their boat is a complete and utter ignorant prat, for whom I'd have no time. Anyway, don't all IWA folk have centre cockpit cruisers?

[rusty69]

10 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Out and about I often hear people say shockingly judgemental and negative stuff about Hudson owners, so yes I think this could easily have been the root of it. Trouble is, I think the more hardcore liveaboards tend to equate Hudson owners with IWA members and some pretty negative attitudes to IWA members can often be read here, on these very boards. 

I met a lovely Hudson owner only a few days back. Mind you she did previously own a poor mans boat like what I have got. 

[David Schweizer]

34 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I have to say we are not really enjoying the K&A. It is not a canal well suited to navigation. Endless lines of boats moored on the long pound, a sense that moving boats are resented. And whilst we normally enjoy locks, between Reading and Crofton the endless sequence of 1/4-1/2 mile then lock - slow, awkward lock - is tedious. Railway permanently alongside. Limited views and very "samey" waterscape. Difficulty mooring. What's to like? There have been a few pleasant bits but interspersed with a lot of monotony.

                                  ........................00000000000000............................

Well I think that may well be true, and if so certainly pathetic. Anyway our boat isn't that shiny these days, the paint job is coming up to 7 years old, the red is pretty faded. If people blank folk just because they have a "nicer" boat than they do, these are not the sort of people I would want to associate with. The worst kind of inverted snobbery.

You are beginning to discover one of the reasons why we moved our boat from the K&A, despite living less than a mile away from it, that was something like fifteen years ago, I suspect it is even worse these days.

Edited August 12, 2017 by David Schweizer

[MtB]

On 12/08/2017 at 21:28, nicknorman said:

Anybody who pre-judges a person by the make of their boat is a complete and utter ignorant prat, for whom I'd have no time. Anyway, don't all IWA folk have centre cockpit cruisers?

 

No, some of them have Hudsons I thought!

[David Schweizer]

On 11/08/2017 at 21:28, nicknorman said:

 

double post

 

 

Edited August 12, 2017 by David Schweizer