Along the Kennet & Avon Canal to Avoncliff

[puddleshark]

The drive up to Bradford on Avon was fairly straightforward. North to Shaftesbury. North again to Warminster. Bear westwards towards Bath, before bearing suddenly northwards. Arrived early on a bright frosty morning, and parked the car at Barton Farm country park.


The tithe barn at Barton Farm. It is immense. "Bradford on Avon’s Tithe Barn, at 51 metres long, is one of the largest medieval barns in England. It was built in the mid-14th century to serve Barton Grange, the richest nunnery in medieval England." https://www.bradfordonavon.co.uk/explore/tithe-barn/



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Interlude: the Pug of Welcome

Setting out to explore Bradford on Avon, the first souls I met on the path were a woman and her pug, who were engaged in conversation, the pug trying to make a break for it towards a nearby café, where he would be given biscuits, and the woman telling him that she was too short of time that morning. (When I came back from my walk later, there was a great gathering of dogs and their owners in the courtyard outside the café, every table occupied. It seems the Free Biscuits ploy works.)

Before leaving Bradford on Avon the next day, I popped into a little independent bakery on the high street that opened early, to buy a croissant and a coffee. Inside the bakery, a man with a Golden Retriever sitting quietly at his side gazing with reverence at the cakes. One of the women serving greeted the dog by name, came round the counter with a paper bag containing treats for the dog. The bloke, not greeted by name, got no treats, only a cup of coffee to take away.

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Beyond the tithe barn and granary, there is a riverside park, full of joyous spaniels.


The River Avon, and the first kayakers of the day.

But I didn't take the path that runs along the river. Instead I took a short set of steps behind the tithe barn, to join the tow path that runs along the Kennet & Avon Canal.







Ice on the puddles. Coalsmoke rising from the stovepipes of some of the inhabited barges.

The rivers Kennet and Avon were made navigable in the early 18th century. Between 1794 and 1810, a 57 mile canal section was constructed linking them together and the whole waterway is now known as The Kennet & Avon Canal

Following this it has had a turbulent past going from a thriving transport network to falling into disuse with the opening of the Great West Railway. Towards the end of the 20th century, with the creation of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, it was restored in sections and fully opened in 1990...

katrust.org.uk/about-us/history/

A bucket decorated with the traditional Roses and Castles canal boat art.






Catkins and dog walkers along the tow path, where once the horses which towed the barges would have plodded.


Ship's cat.


Buddha piloting.






Derelict.




Cottages at Avoncliff.




The Cross Guns, Avoncliffe. Established 1610. Currently closed for repairwork, but hoping to re-open in summer.

At Avoncliff, there is one of the great wonders of late 18th century civil engineering, the Avoncliff Viaduct, which takes the canal across the River Avon.


The Avoncliff Viaduct. Built 1797-1801, by John Rennie and chief engineer John Thomas. Rennie had specified that brick be used, but local stone was used instead. The central span soon began to sag, and had to be rebuilt using Bath stone.




On top of the viaduct.


Looking down from the viaduct onto the River Avon.

Ironically, the viaduct crosses not only the river, but also the 1840s railway line that led to the slow decline of the canal.


Another wonder. The tea gardens at Avoncliff, in the sunshine.

Fortified by coffee and an enormous piece of lemon & poppyseed cake, I set off to walk back along the river...



But the river path was very muddy. The first stretch was still frozen, and just about passable. But further along, there was shallow flooding across the path, and two labradors preceding me, accompanied by the tinkle of ice, proved that the ice was too thin to walk on. So I cut back up through the siding to rejoin the canal path.

Back at Bradford on Avon, I got to see the lock in action.


Going into the lock. The lock gates behind the barge are shut, and the lock gates in front start to let out the water...


... and as the water level drops, the barge slowly begins to disappear. Once the water is at the lower level, the lock gate in front opens, and the barge sails on.


The second deepest lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal, with a drop of 3.81 metres.

There is another tea garden by the lock, and I was hoping for a pot of tea to finish my walk. But sadly it was closed, with a little notice in the door saying "We are hibernating. Open again in March."