Sunday 7^th July 2019

We had a slow cruise to Bradford-on-Avon to meet with Aaron who is coming out tomorrow for a few days. We are going to return before we eventually head off to explore. However, in the meantime, we crossed the magnificent Dundas and Avoncliffe Aqueducts and watered up and emptied the loo at Dundas Wharf.

Between Claverton and Dundas there is a swing bridge at Millbrook where we met an American couple on a hire boat coming the opposite way. Brenda and he met on the bridge, they having tied up before operating the bridge. He started off telling Brenda how to swing the bridge which didn’t go down too well with her, he then started pushing the bridge the wrong way. Once the bridge was opened I thought they would come through first, so held back. Eventually, it was obvious the woman was not coming so I went through and passing her, asked if she was going through or not. She said first, they were tied up, I answered that yes, she would have to untie the ropes first, to which she answered that she was waiting for her husband to return to take the boat through. Her face was a picture, when I pointed out that her husband was on the other side of the canal and, to cross back, would have to shut the bridge. He and Brenda did this and he went back to his boat. Catch 22. I would have loved to have stopped and saw how they got out of that one.

On Friday, travelling out of Bath we saw loads of young lads, all in the same red polo shirts, walking at speed along the towpath. We took it they were a D of E group, but there were far too many of them. It turned out they were from a private school and doing a 100 mile walk over 48 hours, from Bath to Hungerford and back. Today, we saw them all returning, but in much less numbers. Some feat and well done to them all, especially the finishers.