Chichester Ship Canal

I was happy to reach the Chichester Ship Canal, boats and the reflection of water, that is something I really enjoy :)
The Canal is navigable and was opened after three years of building in 1822. It runs 4.5 miles from the sea at Birdham to Chichester through two locks. The towpath is cycleable on the whole stretch.

Living Abord

This is a very interesting documentary about living on the canals in the UK.

Great Canal Journeys

My trip to London and my walk along the towpath made me remember how lovely it is on the canals. Bluebottle was so kind to send me this article, and after doing some researches I´ve found the four episodes of the documentary :)
Episode 1: Kennet & Avon Canal
Episode 2: Rochdale Canal and Hudderfield Narrow
Episode 3: LLangollen Canal
Episode 4: France - Canal du Nivernais
Unfortunately these videos aren´t available in the UK, sorry about that :(

Home Sweet Home - A Narrow Boat

London - The River Lea Valley

Close to the City of London and the West End stretches the southern part of the River Lea Valley. From here you can cruise the canal systems, the River Thames, the River Lea and Stort.
It is very central but as silent as if you were on the country side. I took a walk along the towpath on a sunny morning and got friendly with some cats :)

Royal Military Canal

The Royal Military Canal was built as protection against Napoleon, but never came to use for that case.
The canal itself is straight without natural bendings, in former times it had canons in every corner.
Apart from having a room with view on the canal, I only went for walks along it. Cyling is only possible on a short part of the canal before reaching Hythe.

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Bath to Bristol

Bitton Station

It was another of these greyish but hot days when the sweat is running down your back.
I managed to get from the camp site to the canal but then I had a hard days work. The easier way would have been to take the cycleway from Bath to Bristol which shares it´s route with the Avon Valley Railway for some miles. But I had decided to take the towpath, so I fighted with the circumstances like small gates, high fences and overgrown footpathes.
After some miles I gave it up and changed to the cycleway up to Bitton Station where I turned back to the River Avon for the last miles to Bristol.
In Bristol I checked in in the Youth Hostel which is in the midst of the city. I got a room with shower of my own and went down to the laundry where I met Tessa from The Anchor Inn again - the world is quite small sometimes :)

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Trowbridge to Bath

Bradford-On-Avon

Woke up with the sun and hurried to get my stuff together. I reached Bradford-on-Avon in the early lunchtime, went around in this pretty village for a while before cycling on in direction Bath. On my way I crossed the Avoncliff Aqueduct and the Dundas Aqueduct before I reached Bath. Here I searched for Sarah and Steven, the first boaters I met one year ago and who inspired me to travel on the towpathes. I found their boat, but they wasn´t home so I checked in on the camp site in Bath.

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Wilcot to Trowbridge

On Monday I decided to travel further in direction Bath and Bristol. The weather was warm and dry.
Wilcot is not far away from Avebury, but it was bank holiday, and I don´t like loads of people, so I didn´t visit this prehistoric site.
I came across Lady´s Bridge, the White Horse Landmark and met Kara from Bristol, she was travelling with the bicycle :) 
I rolled down the Caen Hill Locks in Devizes and found a nice camp site direct beside the canal for the night.

Crofton Pumping Station

The engines of Crofton Pumping Station were built nearly 200 years ago to supply water to the highest pont of the Kennet & Avon Canal. This is the stretch of water lying 1,25 km to the west which does not have a natural supply of water to keep it full. The nearest supply of water is the small lake on the far side of the canal, Wilton Water. Water flows from there into the canal, under the railway in a culvert and then to the Crofton pumps. The engines and pumps lift it 12 meter into a leat which then flows to the canal summit.
I had luck and met Richard, one of the volunteers working on the station. He walked around with me and explained everything - unfortunately I only understood a small part of it :) ... But I took loads of pics.

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Hungerford to Wilcot

I was early up and all my stuff was easily packed. My landlady prepared an english breakfast so I had a lot of power for my day :)
The day was damp and foggy. I came across locks, Great Bedwyn, Crofton and it´s pumping station, a tunnel called Bruce, and arrived the pub the Golden Swan in the late afternoon. The pub has a camp site where I decided to stay.

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Brunsdon Lock to Hungerford

It had been raining in the night and the morning brought more showers. So my tent went wet onto the bike.
I decided to go to the next village to do either camp site or Bed & Breakfast. As I reached Hungerford after some mile the sun had come out. I found a B&B, put up my tent for drying, was invited to use the washing machine, and took a walk through Hungerford.
The region between Reading and Hungerford is Englands Silicon Valley. Microsoft, Nokia and other companies have settled here and Hungerford turned out to be pretty, expensive and full of shops selling antiquities.

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Aldermaston to Brunsdon Bridge/Lock

The morning was beautiful and I made it slowly. And short after having made this pic I had to realise that I have a puncture. So off with the luggage again and start the day with work - I was quite happy it was the front wheel :) I managed to repair but had to realise that the tyre had seen better days, so I decided to go to Newbury in order to buy a new one.
After having had this done I went to a webcam in Newbury and made a wave before I left the village. In the evening I put up my tent on the midst of Brunsdon Lock :)

Kennet & Avon Canal - From Reading to Aldermaston

I got up early and this day brought me the two miles, or less, to Reading. The Kennet & Avon Canal starts here.
I used the big town for getting some money out of the hole, do some shopping and I went to a cyclist shop for some air. The shopkeeper told me that I would lose air soon, but I didn´t listen ...
In the evening I reached Aldermaston and pitched up my tent behind some bushes on the football field.

From Wheaton Aston to Wolverhampton

After some cups of tea and breakfast I finally left Alex and went further on, it was another very hot day, so I was quite happy to reach Wolverhampton in the afternoon from where I took the train back to Nottingham for some days of rest in the shade.

From The Anchor Inn to Wheaton Aston

The evening before I had been invited to have a shower on the boat of Sue and Stewart, and Tessa had invited me to dinner. All this kindness went on during the day. In the morning I was invited from Pam and Trevor for an old fashioned English Breakfast with Staffordshire Oat Cakes :)
Well fed and with a warm heart I went on in direction Wolverhampton.
Oh, and yes, the sun was shining :)

From Tyrley Locks to Anchor Inn Camp Site

It is getting boring, I know, but this day turned out to be hot and sunny too :)
I managed to get my tent down quite early, and used the possibility to sit at a bench at the locks for breakfast and watch the ships going by :)

From Bridge 87 to Tyrley Locks

Another hot and sunny day awaited me so I decided to rest in a cafe during the hottest hours of the day, and go on cycling in the evening.

From Chester to Hall's Bridge Narrows No 87

I had spent two days in Chester and two nights on the small, pretty and cheap camp site Birch Bank Farm, so it was time to go on travelling on the Shropshire Union Canal.
Early on Thursday the 11th I was prepared for leaving, the sun was shining, but the air was still cool and fresh.

From Wheelock to Acton Bridge

After a good nights sleep and breakfast I went on. The day turned out to be the last day on the Trent & Mersey Canal. I came along a Middlewich and Northwich with their industrial areas - yes, this is a big part of the canal too.
Unfortunately I was too late for the Anderton Boat Lift, one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom.
There were two small further tunnels, I had hard fights with too small gates, before I found a beautiful place for my tent nearby the Bradley Meadow Bridge. Here I met Tim who checked out the trains to Liverpool for me, thanks for that :)