There was a little ruck at the water tap when we set off so we just headed to the lock. One of the boats on the water just finished so we shared with them until Newbury.
We shared with 'Pukeko' this morning and this was there home canal so were able to pass on tips etc. All went very smoothly in the lovely weather.
As we cleared Kintbury Lock we saw this lovely isolated dining area at the join of the River Kennet into the canal.
The river then flows out of the canal again and runs right next to the canal with just the tow path between. The canal and river runs through the wooded area called the Wilderness and is a beautiful area of the canal.
On the other side of the canal is Irish Hill. This was the area where the Irish Navies camped during the digging of this section of canal. As usual they seemed to live a lawless life so the locals were glad when they moved on. I'm sure.
The canal had the river running in it for a good way so it was quite deep. It was not running very fast today so no problems. As for much of this canal the banks are shallow and there are not many spots where it is easy to moor up due to the reeds.
On the outskirts of Newbury we passed under the A34, the Newbury by-pass. This was the road that was built through great demonstrations as it was built through areas of special interest. It was also when 'Swampy' became famous for living in trees and tunnels etc as he tried to stop them cutting treest down in order to build the road. Today the road makes only a very short impact on the passage of the canal.
The canal arrives at West Mils Wharf. The houses face the canal and at the swing bridge are a coulpe of mills that have been converted to flats. It is a pretty spot for being a large town.
The road barriers have to be wound down using a windlass and the bridge is swung by electricity. Luckily it isn't a road bridge and the foot passengers were very good natured in the sun.
After the swing bridge is Newbury Lock which was the first one to be built on the canal in 1796. It had lever ground paddles that are like those on the Leeds Liverpool Canal but are not in use today. After the lock the river rejoins the canal from the right and an old mill stream from the left and then through the old bridge where, when the river is in spate it will really rush through. It reminds me a little of the Glory Hole in Lincoln.
I didn't have a horse today but I kept Helen off the street until later.
When we got to Greenham Lock I called Newbury Boat Company to let them know and then they were standing on the side as we approached and were there to point us to the right berth. We soon had the essentials finished and after a bite to eat we took the 20 mins walk into town and did the shopping streets so Helen could have a poke about. In the end we decided to head for the Weatherspoon's for a drink. They had on 'Chalk Stream' from Ramsbury Brewery that was really nice. It was so good we had the Friday Fish night dish to get another one. Yesterday we paid £6 for a pint and a half of cider and today we paid £4-95 for a pint and a medium wine. That's more like it.
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