Kennet & Avon Canal - Part V (Devizes to Bath to Bradford-on-Avon)

Following our evening in Devizes, it was an early start to take on the challenge of Caen Hill Locks for a second time. It was my turn to steer and, just to make things a bit more difficult we shared our passage with a cruiser! Doesn't sound so bad until you realise that our narrowboat was made of steel weighed more that 5 tonnes and the cruiser was made of fibreglass/plastic and weighed probably less than a tonne. Any loss of control of the narrowboat could result in serious damage (and possible sinking) to the cruiser. Made the descent just a little bit more interesting for me.

Both boats survived the ordeal and we ended up at Sells Green for lunch at this pub.

Three Magpies, Sells Green

A pleasant country pub and fairly busy for lunch, including a raffle for the local pensioners who seemed to be having a good time.

In the afternoon we continued our journey, again not quite getting as far as we expected. We ended up mooring at Semington in a heavy downpour...once we'd found a decent spot to moor!

The Somerset Arms, Semington

Yet another one pub village, but fortunately for us almost all of the village pubs we came across did good food - this was no exception!

Next morning we realised that we still had two full days to go before we had to give back our boat, meaning that we had time to go back to Bath for a third pub crawl around the city. This decision also meant that we could visit  a recommended pub that we'd passed by (twice) and not gone in. This is where we had our lunch.

Cross Guns, Avoncliff

This is not just a pub; it is a tourist attraction with added brewery and well worth a visit. Road access looks quite difficult, but from the canal it is an easy place to get to!

The trip to Bath was slow (again), but we managed to get there and moor up above the locks so that we could 'attack' the city from a different angle. We passed a few pubs that we earmarked as possibles for the last drink of the night on the way back to the boat! This was the first port of call.

Pulteney Arms, Bath

Judging by the décor and memorabilia, this is a stronghold for Bath rugby followers...and also a proper pub. It was while we were pondering our next move I realised that, if we'd continued along the road we'd been on before going into the pub we would have found The Star Inn. This is the other Bath pub listed in the book  Britain's Best Real Heritage Pubs. So we set off up the hill and this is what we found.

The Star Inn, Bath

On the one hand it was pretty much as expected - a proper old pub with several small rooms and wood panelling all tastefully maintained in the same manner as for the past countless years. Most old school city pubs tend to have a narrow frontage, but then go back an improbably great distance so that you end up with a place that is much larger than it looks from the street. But, The Star Inn has a wide frontage and, from what I saw didn't go back too far, almost as though it had been built sideways. A real gem and well worth the visit.

We then went for a long stroll through the city looking for somewhere to eat, getting quite lost, but finding a nice, reasonably priced Italian restaurant. Then it was time to head back toward the canal and see which pubs we could find. Not as easy a task as you'd imagine even on a Thursday night!

The first one we tried was signposted off a main street and advertised as a welcoming, traditional English pub. It was neither, having been redesigned in a modern style and after five minutes waiting no-one appeared behind the bar to serve us. So we left!

The next one we attempted, looked promising. There were a couple of people inside, but the door was locked. One of the people came to the door to tell us they were closed. It was only then that we noticed their opening hours blackboard. Sundays they close at 6pm; Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat it is 11pm, but on Thursdays closing time is 10pm. It was 10:05!

Back on the road, we finished up at one of the pubs we'd passed earlier and went in.

Crown Inn, Bath

A fairly large pub, but with hardly any customers. So after getting served and bearing in mind out recent experiences we asked what time they expected to close. Probably 10:30 was the answer, but it depended on how many people were in the pub. Apparently, the owner studies the CCTV footage and, if there aren't enough customers he'll give the manager grief over staying open when he should be closed!

The next day was the final full day of the trip, so we headed back to the hire boat base at Bradford-on-Avon. On our first trip along this bit of the Kennet & Avon Canal I didn't fully appreciate the scenery, but this time I realised what a spectacular piece of cut it is running halfway up the valley sides of the River Avon and crossing over the river twice on magnificent stone aqueducts. We decided to have lunch by the first of these, the Dundas Aqueduct.

Angelfish Café & Restaurant

We were expecting a pub, but as they only served bottled beer we had one drink and decided to to move on to the Cross Guns which is by the other aqueduct at Avoncliff.

Cross Guns, Avoncliff

Another pleasant lunch in the Cross Guns where the music of choice was Roger Whittaker's Greatest Hits!

The last leg of the holiday took us back to Bradford-on-Avon where we moored up at the hire base in preparation for departure on Saturday.

Bradford-on-Avon

 But there was still time to visit some of the pubs we missed on the last visit.

Three Horseshoes, Bradford-on-Avon

This was our first stop. A proper local pub that was very lively with people seemingly having drinks after work - it was like pubs used to be on most evenings and shows that pub going isn't dead...yet! Next we strolled into the centre of Bradford and went into a pub that had been shut on our last visit.

Bunch of Grapes, Bradford-on-Avon

From the front it looked like an upmarket café/restaurant, but the back room housed a very comfortable lounge bar. Considering what a pleasant place it is we were surprised that there were hardly any people in there.

Our final stop...and final pub of the trip was this one.

Swan Hotel, Bradford-on-Avon

From the outside it looks like a traditional small town hotel, but inside it had been 'modernised' making it bright, but characterless. Still, we had a couple of pints and had a chat with a couple of people that worked at the Bunch of Grapes who filled us in on the gossip as to why it wasn't doing so well. (Basically, the previous tenants had moved to the pub opposite and taken most of their customers with them!)

That concludes our odyssey along the Kennet & Avon Canal and a brief snapshot of the pubs we visited. Hopefully, one day we'll revisit this part of the world and catch up on the changes (if any) to the hostelries we visited.

Kennet & Avon Canal - Part II (Bath to Pewsey Wharf)

Next morning, after a quick trip up the Avon as far as Pulteney Bridge, we set off back towards Bradford-on-Avon along the Kennet & Avon Canal. After negotiating Bath Locks again our only viable lunchtime stop was outside The George at Bathampton!

The George, Bathampton

As it was now a Monday lunchtime there was plenty of room to sit and the experience was much better than two days earlier!

After lunch we cast off and spent the afternoon gently navigating our way back towards Bradford-on-Avon, arriving there just after 6pm. This gave us plenty of time to explore the delightful village and the pubs therein.

We ignored the Canal Tavern and walked past The Three Horseshoes finally ending up here.

The Bear Inn, Bradford-on-Avon

Despite its traditional exterior, inside was quite modern and stark. As it was early evening on a Monday it was quite quiet, but a few people were turning up for the quiz night, just as we were leaving.

Next was the Dandy Lion which has the feel of a proper pub and provides very good food.

The Dandy Lion, Bradford-on-Avon

Contrary to what you'd expect, it hasn't been a pub for that many years. Most of it's 200+ years of existence was as a variety of shops (including shoe shop!) I can't remember the details, but I think it has only been a pub for about 20 years. It felt much older than that.

After more beer, wine and food it was time to head back up the hill to the canal and we just had time to pop in to The Barge for a nightcap...or two!

The Barge Inn, Bradford-on-Avon

As The Barge Inn is just over the cut from where we were moored it seemed like a good idea. However, the only lagers available were 5% and served in non lager glasses...not a good combination. It also felt more like sitting at a farmhouse kitchen table than a cosy pub! However, there was an unexpected memory to take away.

All experienced boaters know that pubs tend to offer the best option for toilet facilities and we usually take advantage when necessary. One of my fellow travellers (I won't name him here!) needed to pay a visit and, when he returned a few minutes later he related a strange occurrence. Apparently, as he was sitting there he suddenly had the sensation the the room had tilted to 45°! After a suitable pause, I needed to go as well. As I was sitting there I experienced nothing strange and was beginning to think my friend was going soft in the head or had drunk too much. But then I stood up to sort out the 'paperwork' and suddenly the room tilted to 45°...very weird!

Next morning we were on our way again heading east and we ended up at Seend Cleeve for lunch.

The Barge Inn, Seend Cleeve

Another Barge Inn, but a much more satisfactory experience than our previous Barge Inn visit the night before!

Back onto our boat Anitra for an afternoon of working locks up to the bottom of the world-famous Caen Hill flight - sixteen locks rising 130 feet towards Devizes.

Caen Hill Locks

That was something to look forward to for the next morning, but our immediate problem was - where is the nearest pub? The village of Rowde was about a mile away and we were hopeful that we'd find something.

There were two pubs, so that was us sorted for the evening!

Cross Keys, Rowde

The Cross Keys is a fairly standard pub, but food wasn't available on the night we were there. Not the end of the world because there was another choice.

George & Dragon, Rowde

The George & Dragon isn't really a pub, but rather a hotel with a restaurant, so we were happy! After a pleasant meal we headed back to the Cross Keys for a couple more before strolling back to the boat ready for an early(ish) start to tackle the locks next morning!

Next day it was quite misty when we set out up the locks. It took us a little over 3 hours to negotiate passage to the top, but this included a ½ hour wait for a wide beam boat coming down at about the eighth lock. After all the hard work, this was our mooring.

Black Horse, Devizes

Mooring up at a pub garden is always the best! Lunch was pleasant and we were off again a couple of hours later. After three more locks we then had a long flat stretch of canal all the way to Pewsey. This turned out to be the longest travelling session of the holiday (and also the first time it rained!). It was my turn to steer and 5 hours later we were mooring up (illegally) at Pewsey Wharf in the dark and wet.

Waterfront Bar & Bistro, Pewsey Wharf

Fortunately for us it was open and serving food. Again, not really a proper pub, but it passed all the criteria we needed - food, drink and a seat. It felt more like a clubhouse for the local boaters (it was quite busy when we arrived) and the landlord/owner was a real character who'd had many previous jobs including owning one of the early hire fleets on the Kennet & Avon Canal. All-in-all a very good night of eating, drinking and talking (and we were the last to leave!).

This seems like an appropriate point to press the 'Pause' button.

Kennet & Avon Canal - Part I (Bradford-on-Avon to Bath)

Most of the pubs featured in this blog are ones that I've visited on our canal holidays over the years. Since we sold our boat Emma Jane last year we've been able to visit 'new' canals that I've never been on before. From a holiday point of view this has been great, but it means that, for this blog, the supply of pubs has diminished somewhat. I've still got quite a few to get through, but as it is still fresh in the mind I'm going to detail the pubs we visited on our most recent trip along the Kennet & Avon Canal. Who knows, in a few years if we revisit the canal again I can add them to the collection.

Our trip started from Bradford-on-Avon with lunch in one of the nearest pubs to the Black Prince hire base.

Canal Tavern, Bradford-on-Avon

Like all of the buildings in Bradford it is built from local stone. Inside it was quite 'pubby' and pleasant for a lunchtime break before our boat was ready.

So, after a good lunch we took charge of the narrowboat Anitra and, after the obligatory boat familiarisation and safety talk we were off towards Bath. We consulted our Nicholson's Guide and expected to be in Bath by the evening. What we hadn't bargained for was the sheer number of moored boats along the way. You have to go very slowly past moored boats and there were few opportunities to get up any speed so we only made it as far as Bathampton.

The George, Bathampton

This was the perfect mooring site as that's our boat you can see right outside the pub! The George, sadly, is a Chef & Brewer pub and it was Saturday night. All of the tables were occupied or reserved and it was fully booked. Not for the last time on this holiday we consulted our smartphones to see what else was available nearby. The bar staff were no help, but technology pointed us towards Bathampton Mill and a quick phone call reserved us a table.

Bathampton Mill

This is an upmarket restaurant in what used to be a large pub by the river...although the riverside setting was rather lost as it was very dark (hence the not so great picture!). I'm not sure I should classify this as a pub, but as it used to be I'll include it even though it is an expensive eatery with a bar area.

Next day we tackled the short journey into Bath, via the six locks and moored up on the River Avon. Time for lunch so we headed into Bath to discover the delights of the city. Fortunately there are lots of street maps because to the unwary tourist Bath can become quite bewildering.

The West Gate, Bath

This was our first port of call - The West Gate is larger than expected and was fairly unatmospheric at that time on a Sunday lunchtime.

Back in May I reported on Britain's Best Real Heritage Pubs and the pubs that I'd visited in there. I'd taken it on holiday expecting to find a few new pubs to explore. There are two in Bath and we discovered one nearby.

The Old Green Tree, Bath

This is a proper old school pub - as you walk in the bar is in front of you, to the left is the front room and another room at the back, which is where we sat.

Allied to very friendly bar staff you get a perfect pub!

Cornish Pasty for lunch, a tour of the sights of Bath and back to the boat for a breather before a second foray into the city for the evening session. After a bit more sightseeing, this was our first pub.

The Huntsman, Bath

The Huntsman is a large fairly characterless pub, but it served its purpose! One pint and it was onwards.

Saracen's Head Tavern, Bath

This is a fairly bog-standard boozer...which is what I like! As we were getting a bit peckish we moved on again, to eat. Then it was back to the pubs and we found this little gem.

Coeur de Lion, Bath

Apparently this is the smallest pub in Bath and I'm not surprised. The upstairs bit was closed (well it was late on a Sunday night), but the downstairs bar is tiny but full of interest. Still time for one more, hopefully!

The Canary Gin & Wine Bar, Bath

My memory is fading (nothing to do with the drink, officer!) as this was our last stop of the evening, but it was a pleasant place. Not quite a pub, but perfectly acceptable for a last drink of the evening.

That seems to be a reasonable point to end this first instalment of our Kennet & Avon adventure.