Monday 3 August 2015

We got going at about 9.30am this morning – no seagulls – how peaceful!!!  We are now on the River Avon heading for Bristol – I’m not 100% sure but think that when we arrived in Bath we left the Kennett & Avon and joined the River Avon.

A couple of locks, a few spots of rain and some nice conversation with a family from Cambridge that were waiting to pick up a hire boat, later we arrived at Hanham Lock in Keynsham.  We have to wait here until tomorrow as in between this lock and Netham Lock the River becomes tidal and there is nowhere to moor.  We called ahead to the lock keeper at Netham Lock and booked our passage for 1.30pm tomorrow.  We will have to buy a licence to go on this bit of the River as it comes under the jurisdiction of Bristol City Council.

We found a nice pub and had a drink (or four.....) with Rob and Claire, then back to the boats to chill out and back for dinner – yippee a night off the washing up!!

11.30pm – early night tonight.... or we had hoped for one.  When we got into bed we could hear a bomping noise on the outside of the boat, we tried to ignore it but in the end I convinced Steve that he needed to go out to investigate and loosen the ropes and put some more fenders between us and the pontoon.  Whilst he was outside a guy came along and said please can you come and help me - my boat is stuck on a scaffold pole and it’s about to sink....so he got dressed and off he went for what felt like ages – I was just starting to get really worried that he had been abducted by aliens or something when he came back – they had hiked across a field with their torches, Steve slipped down the bank and got covered in those sticky bobbles, then when they got there the guy said it’s alright now the boat is floating again and left Steve to make his way back across the field!!  We didn’t cure the bomping noise either but by 1.30pm we were so tired we just fell asleep.

Goodbye Phil and Kaz - have a good week off!

 

In Swineford Lock - the locks along this stretch are huge - longer and wider than they have been.

 

Another Heron - they seem to be the easiest to take photos of!

 

A duck enjoying the current of the wier.

Like buses, you don't see one for ages then three come at once!

 

This tree looks like it wants to go for a swim!

Follow my leader!

 

That's a different idea for a roof - a conservatory!

 

Sunken boat

 

Another Heron about to dive!

They come in green as well as orange!

Warning - drinking at lunch time causes afternoon crash out!