David: Vegetation cutting

CaRT seems to have spent some time during the winter in much needed vegetation cutting on the Grand Union, both towpath and offside—not before time. I can only hope that this has been the case all over the system.

Cruising at last

I’m not used to breaking ice on the canal well into April, let alone seeing a boat with a snowman on the roof. Most other boaters seem to have stayed at home, so we had the unusual experience of coming down the Stratford without any queues and with plenty of moorings to be found.

The drug boat has gone from Stratford Basin, though the best moorings are still monopolised by baguette and ice cream boats and an increasingly tatty looking art gallery. New since I was last here is a joint CaRT/Avon Navigation Trust boat which dispenses licences, guide books and helpful information. Also new is the rebuilt Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which has achieved the seemingly impossible, in making an ugly building look even uglier.

Down the Avon

I was most impressed with the state of the Avon Navigation. Although it had been closed for most of the winter by floods, and silt and debris had clogged many of the structures, the Avon Navigation Trust has got everything clear for the start of the season and we had no trouble at all in our cruise down to Tewkesbury.

Perhaps a dedicated charity largely run by volunteers should be tried for the whole system—oh no, that’s been done, hasn’t it?  The Avon Trust seems to be focused on running a navigation, and not distracted by irrelevant issues to do with wildlife and such—I saw one CaRT notice soliciting £3 donations to plant pear trees; why can’t they leave that sort of thing to the Woodland Trust?

Gloucester and Sharpness

First time on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal for a few years. The closure of the bars right by the Gloucester docks mooring can only be welcomed, and the whole area had plenty of visitors. On through the swing bridges, waving at the bridge keepers at each one—but are they really necessary now? Most of the bridges have been electrified and if the rest were done I can’t see why they can’t go over to boater operation, with the tiny number of large boats being dealt with by a man in a van on request.

Exactly this system has been in use in the north-east for some years now and seems to work perfectly well. If they are having to cut back on Trent lock keeper hours, then I don’t see how they can justify the bridge keepers.

Basingstoke at last

Good news from Surrey and Hants at last—the Basingstoke is open. Despite the cynicism of many (including me) a whole flotilla of boats passed Deepcut Locks over Easter weekend with no problems obvious to my observers on the towpath. Now I can only hope it will stay open long enough for us to use it in the summer—if it ever comes.

David Hymers