To Bath

Tuesday 1st October

There was a lot of rain overnight and the day was gloomy and overcast.  We left our delightful mooring

and made our way to Bradford, where a volunteer helped us down the lock.  There were plenty of spaces at the Tithe Barn moorings, where we hope to stop on the return journey, but we didn’t stop and carried on towards Dundas where we planned a lunch stop.  Deb is pleased to report that she got Chuffed round the Avoncliff aqueduct smoothly and with no bumps against the banks!  We understand that the scenery is lovely round here, but the cloud base is so low that we can’t see much! As we went through the area towards Limpley Stoke we passed CRT volunteers scrub-bashing in preparation for the tree fellers later in the year.  Some of the trees look very precarious. Some good wood for someone later in the year I would think.

After going through a thick cloud of bonfire smoke

we moored at Dundas aqueduct for lunch.  The autumn colours are showing on the Virginia creepers;

The visibility was good enough to see the Avon from the aqueduct;

Not a narrowboat in sight but still 3 forms of transport;

Even though it was only 3 o’clock, the long moorings above Bath were full – too many Alvechurch hire boats, we’ll have to avoid Tuesdays in future!  We had to moor in the rough area north of the locks and the hire base as the moorings closer to the locks were also full.  The towpath is not in the best of condition.  We were soon joined by a hire boat who we helped to moor up and showed them how to position their pins.  They only had 3 pins which doesn’t seem enough to me.

1 lock, 2 swing bridges, 11 and a bit miles.