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Disability access - Devizes to Hungerford


LadyRaven

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Hi everyone, 

 

We've got an adapted boat booked from Bruce Trust, and the plan is to go from Great Bedwyn to Devizes, then turn around to go to Hungerford/kintbury, and back to great Bedwyn. 

 

I'm not expecting the whole journey to be wheelchair friendly but are there any mooring places you'd recommend for less mobile folk. He can walk with a rollator unless tired but I think we'll probably use the wheelchair most of the time. 

 

And whilst I've got your attention, and pubs, places of interest you'd recommend along that stretch? 

 

I've done a rough plan... 2 days to Devizes, 3 to Hungerford, and 1 back to Great Bedwyn. But didn't want to miss any gems. 

 

Thanks very much. 

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1 hour ago, Goliath said:

There was a dedicated disabled mooring at Hungerford, whether it’s still there I don’t know. 
I’m sure the Trust your hiring from will have the answers. 
Enjoy. ?

Thanks!

I saw a picture this week of our boat next to the Rose of Hungerford, so it looks like it's still a thing. ?

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Except for the mooring at Hungerford you really have to just take your chance with everybody else looking for a good spot. Even the Hungerford spot might well be taken. The Bruce trust boats don't have the best reputation on the canal, some hirers can be a right pain. I understand that if you are caring for some severely disabled people then obeying every aspect of canal rules and regulations is probably not top of the list, but many boaters struggle with this.

 

Access at Devices Wharf s pretty good, there is a good towpath and gentle slope up to the road, but it gets busy in summer. Hungerford, Bedwyn and Kintbury are all good if you can get a spot on the visitor moorings, but otherwise very difficult. Aiming to arrive very early will maximise your chances. At Hungerford its much better to be on the non-towpath side (at or near the disabled mooring).

 

What you are planning is a lot of boating and quite a lot of locks, probably too much for one week (unless you have a lot of fit crew), I assume you have the boat for two weeks. Pewsey Wharf and Honeystreet also have good visitor moorings if you can get a spot. The Barge at Honeystreet is well worth a visit. The Waterfront at Pewsey is also good but the bar is upstairs. If the weather is good they would almost certainly deliver food and beer to the garden.

 

................Dave

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4 hours ago, dmr said:

Except for the mooring at Hungerford you really have to just take your chance with everybody else looking for a good spot. Even the Hungerford spot might well be taken. The Bruce trust boats don't have the best reputation on the canal, some hirers can be a right pain. I understand that if you are caring for some severely disabled people then obeying every aspect of canal rules and regulations is probably not top of the list, but many boaters struggle with this.

 

Access at Devices Wharf s pretty good, there is a good towpath and gentle slope up to the road, but it gets busy in summer. Hungerford, Bedwyn and Kintbury are all good if you can get a spot on the visitor moorings, but otherwise very difficult. Aiming to arrive very early will maximise your chances. At Hungerford its much better to be on the non-towpath side (at or near the disabled mooring).

 

What you are planning is a lot of boating and quite a lot of locks, probably too much for one week (unless you have a lot of fit crew), I assume you have the boat for two weeks. Pewsey Wharf and Honeystreet also have good visitor moorings if you can get a spot. The Barge at Honeystreet is well worth a visit. The Waterfront at Pewsey is also good but the bar is upstairs. If the weather is good they would almost certainly deliver food and beer to the garden.

 

................Dave

Thanks Dave, 

 

We are only on the boat for one week, but canal plan says that route should take us 5hrs per day. 

 

There are 6 of us - my family of 4, and my elderly parents who are first timers. . only one has reduced mobility, so plenty of hands, and apart from the parents are all used to locks.... We had a baptism of fire on out first trip from Warwick, picked up the boat and then went straight up the Hatton flight! 

 

I do appreciate what you've said, and that's partly why Ive left Hungerford until the last 2 days, in case we are running out of time, and can just do GB to Devizes and back. 

 

What do you call Very Early? 

We were hoping to be stopped by 4 most days. Is that too late? 

 

Thanks for the pub info, the Barge is definitely on my list. ?

 

Edited by LadyRaven
Missed a Q
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5 hours ago, LadyRaven said:

Thanks Dave, 

 

We are only on the boat for one week, but canal plan says that route should take us 5hrs per day. 

 

There are 6 of us - my family of 4, and my elderly parents who are first timers. . only one has reduced mobility, so plenty of hands, and apart from the parents are all used to locks.... We had a baptism of fire on out first trip from Warwick, picked up the boat and then went straight up the Hatton flight! 

 

I do appreciate what you've said, and that's partly why Ive left Hungerford until the last 2 days, in case we are running out of time, and can just do GB to Devizes and back. 

 

What do you call Very Early? 

We were hoping to be stopped by 4 most days. Is that too late? 

 

Thanks for the pub info, the Barge is definitely on my list. ?

 

4 is likely getting a bit late. I confess my knowledge of the K&A is mostly from winters, until a couple of years ago we spent every winter on the K&A, its going to be busier in the summer, and the Eastern end is getting busier all the time. Devizes is a bit tricky as if there is no space on the main moorings then there is nowhere else to stop easily. The K&A is a slow canal and those big wide Bruce boats are slow boats. I reckon Bedwyn to Devizes and back will be more than enough for a week. Honeystreet to Devizes (no locks) can take best part of a day.

 

.................Dave

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I wonder if it’s possible to reserve a pub mooring?

For instance if I remember properly, there is a pub near the top of the Devizes flight. Called the Black Horse (?) and I think you can wind there (?). (it’s by a road bridge that used to get driven into on a regular bases with cars ending up either hanging over the edge or in the water below)
I wonder if you could phone in advance and explain your situation, and the need for access etc. 
I bet if you rang and said you’d like to book a table for 6 they’d be very more than glad to reserve a space for you. 
 

I would try it. The worst they can say is no. 
Ring around some other pubs too.  
 

 

Also regards the disabled mooring at Hunderford: You can ask a boater to move off that mooring if they have no disabilities. I understand a disabled boater does have the priority. 
 

Good luck 

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Most pub moorings are towpath side (Barge and Waterfront/Pewsey) so the pub has no control over them. The Black Horse might be possible, it does mean doing quite a few more locks, but then at least the OP could say they have done a bit of the Devizes flight ?  Hire boats do sometimes overnight on the water tap at Pewsey Wharf, if you go right to the end you can just about leave access to the tap. However its quite likely a Moonboats hirer will be there, they pay £2000 a week so think they are entitled to stop anywhere ?.

From Pewsey its only a couple of hours to Honeystreet, that makes a very short boating day, but it means you could arrive in time to likely get a spot.

 

...................Dave

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We did Bedwyn to Devizes and back two years ago - dad was (just) ambulant but spent much of the time in a wheelchair

 

Crofton moorings are excellent. 

 

Above and below Wooton Rivers bottom lock we could get dad off the boat easily - we then took him in a wheelchair to the church.

 

All Cannings moorings were good but you had to get on the official moorings, on the way back we couldn't, they were full.

 

Honey Street were probably good but ot was pouring down there so we didn't try to get dad off. 

 

We were wary of pubs, not because of access but because of the effect of even slight intoxication on dad's ambulatory skills

Edited by magpie patrick
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2 hours ago, dmr said:

Most pub moorings are towpath side (Barge and Waterfront/Pewsey) so the pub has no control over them. The Black Horse might be possible, it does mean doing quite a few more locks, but then at least the OP could say they have done a bit of the Devizes flight ?  Hire boats do sometimes overnight on the water tap at Pewsey Wharf, if you go right to the end you can just about leave access to the tap. However its quite likely a Moonboats hirer will be there, they pay £2000 a week so think they are entitled to stop anywhere ?.

From Pewsey its only a couple of hours to Honeystreet, that makes a very short boating day, but it means you could arrive in time to likely get a spot.

 

...................Dave

The Black Horse has it’s own moorings, that’s why I suggest that one. 
It’s only a couple (?) of locks past the wharf and a short walk to a stunning view down the Caen hill flight. 
Like I say, they can only say no. 
 

 

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We would have done Devizes to Hungerford from the Bruce Trust but for two things - the second and biggest factor being that the summit level shut on us for a day thus we spent a full day moored at the bottom of Wootton Rivers Locks

 

The other factor was that the cruise was a lot slower than we'd anticipated - and I had done the same route than twelve months earlier in Lutine.  The boats are excellent, but they are big - they are slow through the water and frequently someone has to give way when two narrow boats meeting would not require this.

 

All Cannings to Devizes took four hours, it;s about six miles, for this reason we didn't drop down the first six locks, just stayed long enough to do some shopping and then went back - that took three hours. The main reason we were faster on the way back was I was steering and I decided to take no prisoners if it was 50/50 on meeting another boat I didn't give way. 

 

That said, the week before the boat had been to Bradford-on-Avon and back

Edited by magpie patrick
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6 hours ago, Goliath said:

I wonder if it’s possible to reserve a pub mooring?

For instance if I remember properly, there is a pub near the top of the Devizes flight. Called the Black Horse (?) and I think you can wind there (?). (it’s by a road bridge that used to get driven into on a regular bases with cars ending up either hanging over the edge or in the water below)
I wonder if you could phone in advance and explain your situation, and the need for access etc. 
I bet if you rang and said you’d like to book a table for 6 they’d be very more than glad to reserve a space for you. 
 

I would try it. The worst they can say is no. 
Ring around some other pubs too.  
 

 

Also regards the disabled mooring at Hunderford: You can ask a boater to move off that mooring if they have no disabilities. I understand a disabled boater does have the priority. 
 

Good luck 

Thanks. That's helpful. ?

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1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

We would have done Devizes to Hungerford from the Bruce Trust but for two things - the second and biggest factor being that the summit level shut on us for a day thus we spent a full day moored at the bottom of Wootton Rivers Locks

 

The other factor was that the cruise was a lot slower than we'd anticipated - and I had done the same route than twelve months earlier in Lutine.  The boats are excellent, but they are big - they are slow through the water and frequently someone has to give way when two narrow boats meeting would not require this.

 

All Cannings to Devizes took four hours, it;s about six miles, for this reason we didn't drop down the first six locks, just stayed long enough to do some shopping and then went back - that took three hours. The main reason we were faster on the way back was I was steering and I decided to take no prisoners if it was 50/50 on meeting another boat I didn't give way. 

 

That said, the week before the boat had been to Bradford-on-Avon and back

Thanks, I guess we'll just have to keep an open mind. ?

 

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