Narrowboat Adagio

Stopping at the quirky Barge Inn, Honeystreet…

..where the new owners were very busy on this warm Bank Holiday weekend. They had trouble getting the beer pumped through and we ended up with 3 samples of their beer . .  hmm, nice! (1810, Croppie and London Pride)

But it all goes very quiet after sundown on the canal

Here’s Adagio moored very handily for the pub

There are some lovely boats (and some not so lovely!) – this one’s called Chasing Ducks

Passing Lady’s Bridge (1793 Lady Susannah Wroughton) attributed to Rennie

And then into a small lagoon called Wide Water, with some unusually-decorated boats.. and the usual patient heron

Plenty of wildlife … ducks with their young chicks . .  always keen to pick up your breadcrumbs.  Viv even bought a cheap loaf just for them.

Lots of blossom out

And a weird experience of sailing through a storm of tree pollen/flowers? (See video).

Viv enjoyed driving and is getting more confident

A very calm trip.  No roads, no trains … oh, a few planes did interrupt the journey:

But it was serene! And good weather.

Wootton Rivers – awfully nice village, mainly adorned with thatched cottages  – even the Royal Oak:

I popped round to see David & to collect his photos on a USB stick:

The K & A canal gets quite narrow and shallow on this stretch

And quite busy as we follow, oddly enough the wide beam boat that was moored alongside Adagio in Pooles wharf in Bristol.  They were having a hard time moving that beastie along

Plenty of wildlife

and a relaxing pipe

Our final destination was Honeystreet

a very scenic stretch of canal

It’s Tuesday and we’ve planned a day trip.  My good friend and Chew Valley Beer Festival beer-choosing companion, Dave Thomas is coming over for a Day Trip. We plan to do a gentle chug eastwards to Honeystreet & back.

Dave at the helm

And Dave on the beer . .

Interesting place, this Barge Inn (look it up http://www.the-barge-inn.com/index.php ) – it’s got new owners (one week!) and it looks set to be a lovely pub (again).

A piccie Dave took – looks like I’m SO confident I can drive the boat with my eyes shut

Ah, yes my 6 hour job of removing wooden battens and silicon sealant and then the broken glass – this is the before picture:

and here’s the after:

It was only a round trip of 14 miles but took us 6 hours chugging (plus one for liquid lunch). Slow going as it was shallow and we followed the odd Muppet trying to drive their wide boat anywhere but up the canal.

Now Adagio is in her temporary, permanent berth until mid September when we move up to Yelvertoft. She’s next to a lovely boat, owned by Beryl who is approaching 80 (from the wrong direction!) and only took to living on a boat 3 years ago. Unfortunately, she’s retiring from the boat world and visiting her son in Australia (yes, she is a keen and sprightly lady) – her boat will be for sale soon (ask at the marina) – lovely boat!

Well, that’s my 3 and a half day visit ended, lots of jobs done. Had a weird experience with the battery bank – seemed to have been drained … voltage was only 11.8 V … must have put the gas central heating into electric mode or sommit … but is was cold this morning – frost on top of the boat!  There’s always something to do on a boat …  off to Whitstabubble for Easter.

(Beryl’s boat to the right of Adagio)

Yes, another lovely day here in Devizes Marina. I must have spent 6 hours getting the cratch glass (broken) out … up to Roman Glass and a new one made on the spot (£37) – still a sense of achievement! Here’s those pix from yesterday.

It Is a lovely marina – quiet and very friendly.

Adagio – all hooked up with mains electricity 

just down the canal from the marina – tranquil

lots of wildlife – two ducks & their new chicks.  There’s also a swan’s nest nearby.

Ah! One of the reasons for choosing our marina – walking distance to this lovely micro pub!

Hmm, a few friends and family thought that “polishing me mushrooms” was some kind of nautical euphemism …no, I really have been applying phosphoric acid, grinding grit etc and now have some very, very shiny mushrooms:

Some folk have asked what the boat looks like inside … so here’s some pix.  Could’ve been titled … living in a corridor . .

View looking out of the stern – kind of “engine room”, plus washing machine & storage.

 About turn from the last one, looking forward . .  the main bedroom.

and then on thru the bathroom . . proper water-flushing loo and full-size shower . .

on into the galley, all nice granite surfaces, gas (fan) oven & grill, filtered water . . hatch that opens out onto the outside world …

onwards to the dining area – also makes up a double bed

A nice writing desk – with a space for the ship’s mascot, underneath.

looking further forwards, bespoke fitted sofa with TV .

and finally, looking forward to the Morso Squirrel stove and the doors out onto the front of the boat. This area is called the cratch and there’s a nice cover for this … so we can sit out but in …

And the dog likes it up here too …

 when he’s not playing Houdini! Unfortunately, he tries to jump ship every time we have a bump or a change in engine noise. At one point he got on the front with Viv and ran thru the boat, jumping off the back!  I hope he’ll learn that this is all “normal” and settle down.