'Think again' before cruising the Kennet & Avon

I AM NOT a writer to magazines and websites, preferring to  take the bad with the good, but the experiences of my wife and myself on  the Kennet & Avon Canal has prompted me at last to 'put pen to paper' as it were, writes Rick Nielsen.

I will attempt not to complain too much but to warn anyone considering cruising that canal to 'think again', as it is a nightmare.

'Went to the dogs'

We are not continuous cruisers, and as still working have limited time, but it all 'went to the dogs' during our attempt to get to Bath and back to the Thames even though we had three weeks to do it in, that on our schedule should have been 'easy peasy'.

I will not go into details as anyone reading your site will know of the endless stoppages on the canal, only that we were caught in them including the one with that pump that had 'kicked the bucket' twice, and as you remarked should have its two pumps replaced as they have 'had it'.

'Fed up'

Whilst on the cruise we logged on to the stoppages on the canal and can tell you that they were not all reported, as there was a broken swing bridge that was not 'made known' though there were three other boats also stopped by it until someone came and did something to it to get it working again, and those other boaters were 'fed up' with the canal and being stopped.

There was another swing bridge that would not move until a vehicle came one particular way which then somehow lifted the far end so that it would move, and a notice would have been useful stating the fact, but I don't expect the 'hierarchy' will consider stating to the public that something is broken.

So my advice, based solely on experience, is give the Kennet & Avon Canal 'a miss' if you want trouble free cruising.

Without incident

But I want to be impartial, so have to state that our cruising through Birmingham down the Oxford and along the Thames was without incident, all 'tip-top' in fact.