Thursday 13 September 2012

Walking Down and Back Up Caen Hill.

My blog is back, I made a silly mistake by constantly entering the wrong email address, and of course Blogspot didn't know who I was and I wouldn't let me add new posts.  It was my error, not Google's!   It threatened to rain on Wednesday morning, but stayed dry long enough for us to walk along the towpath of the "Caen Hill Flight" of locks from Devizes to "The Three Magpies" at Sells Green for lunch.  We walked past the "Kennet & Avon Canal" Trust's trip boat, "Kenavon Venture," which was passing through one of the locks.  A party of school children with their teachers and parents were on board, all enjoying an exciting morning of fun and duck watching.  The boat can be seen here passing through lock 47, the third from top of the flight of 29 locks.   A, the man standing on the bows is making sure that the boat does not crash into the lower lock gates. 
 
The boat is run by volunteers, who give up their time to run regular weekly trips and special charter cruises for wedding receptions, birthday parties, Jazz evenings and Santa Claus cruises for children at Christmas.

 
The Caen Hill flight, with 29 locks, is the second longest flight in the UK.  The longest flight of 30 locks, and is on the Birmingham and Worcester Canal at Tardebigge, near Worcester.  These structures are wonders of the canal and waterway network of the UK, and were dug by hand with pick and shovel, and with the aid of horse and cart.  I have travelled up and down Caen Hill in my boat on many occasions, and the trip takes several hours to travel from the top to the bottom lock at Lower Foxhangers. 
 
Tardebigge Locks, Worcestershire [133 photos] :: Geograph Britain ...www.geograph.org.uk/snippet/4676

 

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