Sunday 29 August 2010

More Problems.



After a walk round Newbury on Thursday morning we set of to the first lock. As we arrived it was filling up with young people in kayaks. While waiting another narrow boat arrived, so when the lock was empty we locked through with them, the lady, being new to boating didn't think the lock was wide enough for two boats. As the lock was filling Marlene told me a warning light and bleep was on, when I looked at the top of the lock I found we were over heating, we moored up to allow it to cool.
Once I had topped up the system with water and anti freeze we finally left Newbury in the afternoon. The next lock up we linked up with a couple from Shefield on their boat Poppy. Traveling with them for the rest of the day we moored for the night at Kintbury.

On Friday we did the three mile and three locks to Hungerford. This is the Berkshire town where in 1987 27 year old Michael Ryan Massacred 14 people, including his mother. It is a nice town spoiled slightly by the rail bridge crossing the main street(see picture). Being Friday we found a supermarket and did some shopping.

Leaving Hungerford on Saturday we had a hard day with ten locks in five mile. It is only hard because the locks are so stiff and on most you had to empty them after you had gone up them. Three and a half hours later we found a mooring at Great Bedwyn. It was about a foot short when we tried getting in the gap, however after asking the owner of the boat Soulmates he agreed to move back slightly to let us in.
Moorings are few and far between on this canal. The banks are over grown and the water shallow at the edge, so you can't moor where you like as we do on most canals.Today being Sunday we are staying at Great Bedwyn another night, before moving on on Monday morning. Pictures are main street and the water front Hungerford.

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