Wednesday 3rd July, 2024 Bedwyn

You may have wondered at my silence as once again our journey faltered,  plans changed and adaptability is the name of the game! Monday night saw us sitting on a cold platform in the middle of a small pretty village called Pewsey,  a claim to fame being a train station with a fast link to London. And a CoOp. Oh, and a swimming pool! Unfortunately, the nine minute train service  between Pewsey and Bedwyn is infrequent – 0730 in the morning or 2122 in the evening, but incredibly useful when one has a car that needs parking at a distance from the boat.  We hadn’t taken into account the chill in the air or the lack of pub food on a Monday night – once we had finished exploring the rather sleepy village we had an hours wait on the station platform.  Not all gloom though! Returning to the boat  late afternoon, we off-loaded various supplies and then drove the car to Pewsey Wharf with the intention of finding a place to park the car for 4 days. The CRT car park charges £8 per 24hrs and we would have to remember to renew the parking daily.  Walking along the towpath we were a little dismayed to see very limited mooring spaces,  until  I spotted a sign that said ‘mooring available to AWCC members’  (courtesy of being members of the Boaters Christian Fellowship, we are affiliated to AWCC). I rang the appropriate person who confirmed there is one vacant space that we are welcome to use. Additionally,  he allowed us to park the car in the boat club car park.  All for a small donation to the club!

Ten days away from Naomhog meant the boat batteries were so flat we couldn’t risk turning them on for electricity purposes without charging them first.  That involves running the engine (we don’t possess a generator), a very anti social thing to do after 8pm.  It was nearly 10pm by the time we walked along the towpath from the train station so we undressed by the light of a camping torch and hoped that the coolbox contents would survive the night as there was no possibility of running the fridge. Our mobile phones were running low of charge so there was nothing for it than to plunge ourselves into darkness (I have re covered the porthole cushions and not a chink of light shows through) and forfeit any late night murder mystery! Funnily enough I slept quite well!

Just as well as we had a long day yesterday, accomplishing a total of 13 locks. We are now in what is known as ‘The Long Pound’, 15 lockless miles through the Vale of Pewsey which we are led to believe is very restful and beautiful.  R is fairly exhausted having done a lot of walking along the towpath between the locks,  spread out just far enough to not make it worthwhile hopping aboard. The initial nine locks seemed daunting when we set off at 0830, having just had a boat pass us going in the same direction but far enough ahead that there was no chance of us catching him up.  However,  it transpired he was a single boater and had spotted us behind him and kindly waited so we could travel together. I much prefer being in a double lock with another boat.  Not only are both boats protected from too much banging around in the lock chamber but it also is less wasteful on water.  One lock was so choc full of weed that it took R about 10 minutes to close the lock gate on our departure.  He made very good use of the boat hook,  flinging the weed out of the water but it was really hard work as a clump of  sodden weed is much heavier than expected!

We climbed to the top of the summit where water levels are very low.  This problem was solved in the 19 century by a steam engine pump system that has now been replaced by electric pumps.  However,  when they failed a few years ago,  the old pump was put into service once again and worked perfectly! The Crofton pumping centre is now an attraction of great interest, houses in the museum and many visitors flock to see the steam pump in action monthly during the summer season. We passed the scene of the lorry accident and surveyed the damage.

The summit reached, we enjoyed a half hour cruise,  including a 500m tunnel,  before approaching the final four locks. Undecided as to whether we would do them on that day, we said farewell to our single boater companion who forged ahead whilst we stopped for a leisurely lunch. My thinking was that if a boat came up in the opposite direction, we would go down as the lock would be set by them in our favour.  We could not remember the last time we had been in a lock going down – our whole journey along the K&A since last September has been up, up, up! So very important to remind ourselves not to get caught on the sill, by setting the boat too far back in the lock chamber.  As we contemplated our afternoon options, two boats came up in the lock and behind us another boat appeared.  It seemed the sensible option to finish the final four locks with the approaching narrowboat,  especially when we saw it had a crew of 12 men! Plenty of extra hands and muscle should it be needed! Chatting away,  I discovered they were a men’s group that had been taking a week’s boating holiday every year for the past 30 years. I think the beer sampling is as important as the boat! Some of them  were also in a boat syndicate, a co-ownership arrangement for time sharing the use. Asking where the syndicate boat was moored and discovering it was the same marina our friend BBT has a syndicate boat,  I asked if they knew him.  Not only is he in their syndicate,  he was responsible for starting the men and beer boating trip all those years ago! It’s amazing the coincidences on the water. BBT was instrumental to R and I when I first got it into my head that I wanted to be a boatee. A chance pub session with him led to us realising he was the fount of all knowledge on boats and trains and I have been gleaning his pearls of wisdom ever since! Especially when I need to get boat and train synchronised.  He is a walking train timetable! He also has a windlass that he is more than happy to accompany around said trains to come and help us when we have a lot of locks to do! So we are indebted to him and his wife,  PJ, who let’s him come out and play!

We moored up shortly after the last lock in a beautiful spot,  the only downside being that our plank is on an upward slant which makes it a little tricky getting off the boat safely, especiallyin damp conditions.  It is incredibly dark and quiet,  such a contrast to London.  Walking to the local pub,  in the hopes of finding a decent internet connection as we haven’t got any on the boat (nor do the pub!) I was struck by the beauty of a quintessential English village.  Thatched cottages alongside some stunning houses.  Verdant hedgerows.  But no people.  No village shop.  No post office.  A pub and a church (which we will visit today as apparently it has a renowned clock) and a village hall.  I told R that I didn’t think I could live here.  Lovely to look at,  great for a retreat, but so, so quiet! And I’m not sure what we’ll do for vittels when stores are deplete. The nearest shop is the CoOp in Pewsey and the bus timetable didn’t fill me with a lot of confidence – even if we got to Pewsey I’m not sure when we’d get back!

It’s a drear morning and as I walked the towpath, searching  for signal, I passed an enormous widebeam travelling towards Gt Bedwyn from Pewsey, where they had discovered the pumpout was not working. In order to empty their waste they have to travel more than the journey we did yesterday and back again, which necessitates 26 locks! Then they can continue on their way,  at least in the knowledge they won’t be caught short! Probably 14hrs of travel to do a 40min return car journey!

One surprise regarding the peace and quiet – with expected regularity trains whizz past the canal only 10 or 12 meters from the towpath!