Thursday 11^th July 2019

We walked into Bradford-on-Avon after breakfast. Just a quick visit but a delightful looking place that we will explore at a later date. We bought trout in the market for dinner and a rustic farmhouse loaf.

Aaron left us at mid-day and, once back at the boat we made ready to leave, being conscious of how long we have been on these moorings. Although they are 48 hours, you are only entitled to 7 days in a month.

Having said that, there are so many boats on this canal that never move or only move very short distances, poke a finger at CRT and their regulations and block up all the moorings, that you feel you would be warranted to overstay yourself or moor illegally, after all CRT can see that normally, we do move. This canal is well known for its ‘continuous moorers’, but seeing it for yourself is something else. These boats either have continuous cruiser licences, or in many cases, no licence at all. While many of the continuously moored boats are respectable, there are many that are in a disgraceful condition and you wonder at the living conditions. A lot of these occupants would be one step away from being homeless on the streets.

We locked up through Bradford Lock, winded in the basin above, and then came back down the lock. We were headed for Dundas where there is a sanitary station. We had explored the aqueduct while Aaron was here but we wanted to take the opportunity to wash and polish the boat and touch up the blackening. It seems ages since we did any external cleaning and the towpath alongside this canal is so dusty, the boat looks a mess.

En-route we were treated to the sight of a young deer drinking from the canal. It was not in the least bit shy of boats passing although we were within 6 feet of it. Another spectacle, was a naked lady sunbathing. Actually, it was a mannequin sitting at a garden table beside a permanent mooring, but you just wonder how many boats become distracted and collide passing her.

The aqueducts at Avoncliffe and Dundas are magnificent structures, although Dundas does seem the more superior. The aqueducts were built between 1797 and 1801 of Bath stone. They carry the canal about 40 feet over the River Avon. Both have 90˚ bends immediately before and after although the Avoncliffe Aqueduct is by far the more difficult to negotiate. It has blind approaches both sides, a nasty kink at one end and a change in direction halfway across. They are very ornate and the scale of them is most impressive. Both are best viewed from below. Avoncliffe has the added bonus of its best viewpoint being from the Crossed Guns pub. It has a worrying looked sag in the centre of the middle arch but apparently this appeared just after its completion.

Avoncliffe Aqueduct

     

Dundas Aqueduct

Bridge Street moored on the far side of Dundas Aqueduct, on the right

We moored just before Dundas aqueduct and immediately cleaned, waxed and polished the port side and blackened the hull sides. The windows were cleaned and Brenda even managed to remove the tar staining around the chimney using Stove Glass Cleaner and elbow grease.

It is hard work, cleaning the boat externally but, as always, the result is well worth the effort. Well pleased with ourselves, we set up the chairs on the bank and, with a couple of beers, watched the world go by. It was a glorious afternoon.

Weather: hot

Day Total: 2 locks; 4 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 2.9

Overall Total: 560 locks; 1074 miles; 48 tunnels; 38 Swing Bridges; 5 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 671.2hrs