GERRY VARLEY asks whether it is 'worth the risk' of boating on the Kennet & Avon. I would emphatically say yes—it's a beautiful canal, writes David Williams.
Navigation with both river and canal sections, passing through some lovely countryside and remarkable towns and villages. It is also very definitely open for business and not in 'dire straits'.
Lot of structures
There are a few points worth mentioning, though. It's a long navigation—75 miles and 100 locks from Reading to the Avon in Bath and with the many swing bridges, that's an awful lot of structures that have to work correctly all the time to allow navigation.
In addition, most of the canal section runs through chalk and limestone landscapes, so there are no natural water courses to replenish the water when you get above the rivers—the canal is entirely reliant on pumps for its water supply. Indeed it is those pumps that have caused a number of the recent stoppages.
Devices working hard
They are mechanical devices working hard to keep the water in the canal and every boater must know the frustration of a failed or failing pump, which of course always happens at the most inopportune moment!
I would also say to Gerry that although his three weeks schedule sounds 'fairly easy', in reality it won't leave him with many days off to explore the towns, villages and countryside around the navigation and certainly won't leave a lot of contingency if something should happen.
Come and enjoy
That said, come and enjoy the navigation, see how far you can get before you need to turn around and head back towards Reading, and say Hello to me and my fellow volunteers on the Caen Hill Locks as you pass through.