Eastern end of the K&A, do we get a raw deal???

[GSer]

On Sunday a passing boater slowed and proceeded to inform me of the poor state of "my" canal ( I have Kennet and Avon painted on the side of my boat) He complained of the poor lock gear, stiff gates, poorly executed repairs & a general feeling of the canal falling into disrepair. He stated that the canal would be shut (IHO) some time in the near future.

 

 

Now I have often heard this type of reaction from visiting boaters, and put it down to not being familiar with the big locks and the problems if you are unfamiliar with that design.

 

Could it be more than that though? The swing bridges ARE very stiff to operate, some needing a full crew to shift them, I travel through the bridges and locks on a regular basis and there have been very many occasions where no more than a casual look reveals loose/missing nuts and bolts, bodged repairs, loose footboards, bricks missing/loose along the locks edges etc etc I rarely notice the same on the Oxford or Grand Union when I'm visiting

 

I've always thought that BW appeared to have lost any craftsmen they had working at the eastern half of the canal and was expecting some form of improvement over the last few years, bu big jobs seem to get done(eventually) but the little, everyday tinkering around the locks and bridges seems to be missing.

 

Have any of you visiting (or indeed resident) boaters noticed the same??

 

Are we the poorer relations of the network?

 

Paul

[Tomska]

Some of the bridges and locks are in a very poor state of repair. Towney is nearly impossible to do single-handed these days. Not completely impossible yet, but it's a terrible, time-consuming faff.

[Chris Pink]

Are we the poorer relations of the network?

 

Clue: Reading is 76.6 miles from Gloucester

[magnetman]

On Sunday a passing boater slowed and proceeded to inform me of the poor state of "my" canal ( I have Kennet and Avon painted on the side of my boat) He complained of the poor lock gear, stiff gates, poorly executed repairs & a general feeling of the canal falling into disrepair. He stated that the canal would be shut (IHO) some time in the near future.

 

 

Now I have often heard this type of reaction from visiting boaters, and put it down to not being familiar with the big locks and the problems if you are unfamiliar with that design.

 

Could it be more than that though? The swing bridges ARE very stiff to operate, some needing a full crew to shift them, I travel through the bridges and locks on a regular basis and there have been very many occasions where no more than a casual look reveals loose/missing nuts and bolts, bodged repairs, loose footboards, bricks missing/loose along the locks edges etc etc I rarely notice the same on the Oxford or Grand Union when I'm visiting

 

I've always thought that BW appeared to have lost any craftsmen they had working at the eastern half of the canal and was expecting some form of improvement over the last few years, bu big jobs seem to get done(eventually) but the little, everyday tinkering around the locks and bridges seems to be missing.

 

Have any of you visiting (or indeed resident) boaters noticed the same??

 

Are we the poorer relations of the network?

 

Paul

 

The Kennet and Avon went derelict once before, maybe that was for a good reason.

[WJM]

The K&A seems fine to me - from a maintenance perspective, not any different from any other BW waterway I have been on.

[Bones]

The K&A seems fine to me - from a maintenance perspective, not any different from any other BW waterway I have been on.

 

did you notice though, you will have gone whizzing down it so fast you won't have seen anything!

[blackrose]

When I was moored on the Thames around Reading I met two different boats (separately) who told me they were off down the K&A to Bristol or Bath. Anyway, I was surprised to see both boats again within about a week saying that the state of the locks had made the journey too difficult and they had changed their minds and given up! I've never been down there myself but I wasn't too keen to try after listening to their stories.

 

Since we're all paying for it I think we all get a raw deal, but since your boat's located there you obviously have it worse.

[WJM]

Devizes to Reading in 8 and 1/2 hours, single handed - not bad?

[Bones]

[WJM]

And that was with no engine, and only a single blade on my propellor.

[Tony Brooks]

When I was moored on the Thames around Reading I met two different boats (separately) who told me they were off down the K&A to Bristol or Bath. Anyway, I was surprised to see both boats again within about a week saying that the state of the locks had made the journey too difficult and they had changed their minds and given up! I've never been down there myself but I wasn't too keen to try after listening to their stories.

 

Since we're all paying for it I think we all get a raw deal, but since your boat's located there you obviously have it worse.

 

 

I went as far as Fobney last week (turned round because the "swimmers" were in the lock and I can do without the missiles and abuse we got last time). County Lock has had its gates repaired with great steel plates. It looks like a bodge to me. I think the upright that forms one side of the mitre has come adrift so they have sandwiched the remaining wood between the two plates. This is OK if its just to get through the season, but I tend to think it will not be touched until the whole lot disintegrates.

 

The same lock has the same gate paddle out of action as two or three years ago.

[Big John]

County Lock has had its gates repaired with great steel plates. It looks like a bodge to me. I think the upright that forms one side of the mitre has come adrift so they have sandwiched the remaining wood between the two plates. This is OK if its just to get through the season, but I tend to think it will not be touched until the whole lot disintegrates.

I think you'll find that County Lock will be included in this winter's stoppages - possibly even before the usual winter stoppages window.

[Bones]

And that was with no engine, and only a single blade on my propellor.

 

you had a propellor - cheat.

[dave_2A_]

We only did Newbury to the Thames when we picked up the boat in April, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Agree some of the lift bridges are a bit stiff - one or two my son couldn't shift so the fat one (me) had to o them instead. I'd like to go back and do the whole length at some stage.

[Derri]

When all the stoppages opened up at the start of April (so I assume repairs had just been done!) we took our boat on its maiden voyage from Stourport, down the Severn, across the Bristol Channel, down the K&A and to the Thames.

 

This covers quite a bit of water and the only place we had problems with canal gear in disrepair was the east K&A. One day we got stuck in a lock with a broken panel (in the end, after the BW man came out, on his advice and with the help of other waiting crews we had to force the gate for each waiting boat!). Later the same day, a swing bridge retained our key, so we had to wait several hours. Another day, there was another bridge problem (I forget exactly what now) and quite a lot of locks with a paddle out of action and a yellow BW sign on it.

 

It was an adventure at the time, but I reckon that end of the canal is in a bit of a state!

[Daftmare]

We have been on the K&A for almost three years now and enjoy the canal immensely. It certainly is in a bad state of repair in places, and you never know what you will find when you get to a lock/swing bridge - will it work? Are all the paddles in use? How many people will be needed to open the swing bridge this time?

 

But the trip from Reading to Bristol is well worth the effort, even so. It's not as bad as people make out. I am sure that there is nothing on the K&A that anyone on this forum cannot deal with.

 

The upside is the fact that the canal is not overcrowded. Rarely a queue for a lock, even in the Summer.

There is quite a long list of repairs being carried out this Winter, so fingers crossed.

 

Jo.

[Tomska]

There is quite a long list of repairs being carried out this Winter, so fingers crossed.

 

Hi Jo,

 

Do you know if they're fixing Towney Lock's bottom gates?

[magnetman]

Hi Jo,

 

Do you know if they're fixing Towney Lock's bottom gates?

is it on the stroppage list?

[Daftmare]

I think that Newbury Boat Company gave us a list of stoppages/maintenance in their Newsletter recently, which is on board (and I am at work). Will take a look tonight..........

[Steilsteven]

The eastern end of the K&A, or River Kennet navigation to be precise, is in a shocking state.

It is badly overgrown in much of it's length, it's dreadfully shallow in many places, most of the weirs are on the verge of collapse, there are dangerous parts on some of the locks ( notably Towney where long threaded studs project at ground level under the balance beams ), some of the gates leak considerably and as mentioned before some of the manual swing bridges are almost impossible to opperate.

 

Yes we do get a raw deal!!

[gidh]

We are on the K&A and have mixed fortunes, most of the system we navigate works ( you do need to be a bit canny, to make passage sometimes!)

The pedestrian swing bridge at Hungerford has been vandalised by some 'Pr**k' driving across it, and the local kids have also used it as a trampoline.

These kind of acts use up valuable resources which would help to keep on top of the other issues all the users of the K&A are incurring.

My experience of BW on the K&A is mainly positive, when i have been stuck BW have usually got it sorted fairly quickly. I would however prefer to see more 'overalls' peering into a knackered lock than 'suits', but that is the way it is nowadays!.

[Daftmare]

Some of the "Winter Stoppages" reported by Newbury Boat Company so far (although not set in stone) are:

 

Replacement top and bottom gates for: County Lock 106, Heales Lock 93, Midgham Lock 92, Kintbury Lock 78 and Brunsden Lock 77. Most of these are scheduled for between November and March, although dates for County Lock are 29 September to 24 October - and objections have been made to these dates.

 

There is mention of other towpath and culvert work etc. but this is at Bradford on Avon.

 

Sorry, no mention of Towney, but this may not be the full picture.

 

Jo.