K&A Canal navigation notes - Caen Hill Flight opening hours

The Caen Hill Flight (part of the Devizes Flight on the K&A Canal)
Winter hours: 
From Monday 17 October 2011 until 29 October  2011: last entrance to flight is at 3pm — to clear by 6pm

From 30 October 2011 until 29 March 2012: last entrance to flight is at 1pm— to clear by 4pm.

For more information call: 01380 722859

K&A Canal navigation notes: Friday 15th April 2011

AP Herbert Lock (46), Devizes: 
stoppage extended

AP Herbert Lock (46) Devizes 

The emergency stoppage for replacement of the wooden bottom gates has been extended. The lock is now due to re-open at 8am on Friday 22nd April.

Reading: County Lock (106)

The floating pontoon at the entrance to County Lock is in a very unsafe state — BW have taken steps to prevent its use. Do not attempt to use it.

Crofton Flight (lock 60)

One of the ground paddles is out of action — as it has been for a considerable time.

Great Bedwyn Church Lock (64)

One of the ground paddles is still out of action - as it has been for 3 years.

Crofton waterpoint

Still out of action because of contamination. The nearest water is at Great Bedwyn Wharf or below Wootton Rivers Lock (51)

Rubbish disposal

There is no longer a waste disposal bin near the sanitary station at Hungerford  because of access problems for the Biffa 'one man' waste carts. The nearest rubbish disposal bins to Hungerford are at Kintbury and Great Bedwyn Wharf.

To report fly-tipping and any other problems with the waste disposal sites contact BW in Devizes: 01380 722859 or by email to: enquiries.kennetavon@britishwaterways.co.uk

Pump outs

There are no reported problems with the BW pump outs on the canal.

Cards for BW pump-outs can be bought for £10 each from:

 • Aldermaston Wharf Canal Centre

 • Frouds Bridge Marina

 • Bev & Geoff's Pitstop, Newbury

 • The Dundas Arms Hotel, Kintbury

 • Tutti Pole Tea Room, Hungerford 

 • Great Bedwyn Post Office

 • The Waterfront, Pewsey Wharf

 • The Canal Centre, Devizes Wharf

 • The Caen Hill Café, Devizes

 • Foxhanger Canal Holidays, Devizes 

 • The Boatyard, Trowbridge

 • ABC Leisure Group, Trowbridge

 • Sally Boats, Bradford On Avon

 • The Bath and Dundas Canal Co., Somerset Coal Canal

 • Bath Narrowboats

For contact details for these businesses go to: www.kacanaltimes.co.uk where they are listed under canal services.


Gibson Boat Services:
Summer opening times

Water watch

February was the mildest since 2002 and rainfall was below normal in the south of England. The reservoir holdings for the Kennet & Avon Canal at the end of January 2011 were 69.2% of capacity and in February that dropped to 68.8% but that rose to 82.6% of total capacity in March — which is slightly above the lowest recorded holding for March in 2006 when it was at  82%.

Water levels throughout the canal are reported to be good.

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K&A Canal Devizes Flight stoppage extended

One of the lock gates being removed from AP Herbert 

Lock (46) in Devizes lon Saturday. Picture by Bob Naylor

British Waterways staff worked over the weekend to remove the wooden bottom lock gates at AP Herbert Lock (46) just above the Caen Hill on the Devizes Flight and after removing the lock gates they  found the cill to be in very poor condition.  

This will have to be replaced so the stoppage has now been extended and the lock will re-open at 8am on Friday 22nd April.


Until then through passage on the Devizes Flight will not be possible.


If you need access to the moorings at the top of Caen Hill Flight contact BW Devizes office for more information. Tel: 01380 722859

K&A Canal navigation notes: Friday 8th April 2011

AP Hebert Lock (46), Devizes

Devizes Flight is partially closed until April 14th

BW have issued a notice saying that the Caen Hill Flight is open again. Well that is true - the Caen Hill flight of locks is open — but through navigation of the Devizes Flight is not possible because of the emergency stoppage to replace the failed wooden bottom gates on AP Herbert Lock (46) which is expected to be finished on 14th April.

Reading: County Lock (106)

The floating pontoon at the entrance to County Lock is in a very unsafe state — BW have taken steps to prevent its use. Do not attempt to use it.

Crofton Flight (lock 60)

One of the ground paddles is still out of action.

Great Bedwyn Church Lock (64)

One of the ground paddles is still out of action - as it has been for 3 years.

Crofton waterpoint

Still out of action because of contamination. The nearest water is at Great Bedwyn Wharf or below Wootton Rivers Lock (51)

Great Bedwyn Wharf

A contractor has left a wide beam dumb barge on the waterpoint/pump out at Great Bedwyn Wharf — BW are aware.

Pump outs

There are no reported problems with the BW pump outs on the canal.

A dumb barge moored on the water point/pump out by 

Great Bedwyn bridge 

Cards for BW pump-outs can be bought for £10 each from:

• Aldermaston Wharf Canal Centre

• Frouds Bridge Marina

• Bev & Geoff's Pitstop, Newbury

• The Dundas Arms Hotel, Kintbury

• Tutti Pole Tea Room, Hungerford 

• Great Bedwyn Post Office

• The Waterfront, Pewsey Wharf

• The Canal Centre, Devizes Wharf

• The Caen Hill Café, Devizes

• Foxhanger Canal Holidays, Devizes 

• The Boatyard, Trowbridge

• ABC Leisure Group, Trowbridge

• Sally Boats, Bradford On Avon

• The Bath and Dundas Canal Co., Somerset Coal Canal

• Bath Narrowboats

For contact details for these businesses go to:  www.kacanaltimes.co.uk where they are listed under canal services.

K&A Canal emergency stoppage on Devizes Flight

AP Herbert Lock (46) on the Devizes Flight, above Caen Hill, is closed until Thursday April 14th for replacement of wooden bottom lock gates that have failed.

See story: 

K&A Canal lock gates... 'FRAGILE' handle with care

K&A Canal lock gates... 'FRAGILE' handle with care

It is less than two weeks since the Caen Hill Flight was re-opened following major winter works that included the replacement of seven pairs of wooden lock gates — and already there is an emergency stoppage to replace another pair of wooden lock gates on the Devizes Flight on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

A P Herbert Lock (46) Devizes will be closed 

for the wooden bottom gates to be replaced.

Picture by Bob Naylor

The Devizes Flight lock gates were made between 1987 and 1989 and fitted by early 1990 — just in time for the Queen’s visit to re-open the canal.

Following a five week stoppage after a lock gate failure on Caen Hill in the Summer of 2006, Mike Lee, the Canal Trust Hon Engineer said of the locks on the K&A Canal, “There were a number of deficiencies, some poor quality oak being the main one and the fitting of straps instead of steel caps on the mitre posts; a recipe for the start of rot. 

“The normal life of a pair of timber gates is about 25 years but unfortunately the Caen Hill bottom gates and all the Crofton Flight gates will not last that long as serious rot is developing in the timber and they will all need replacing within the next 2-3 years.

“There are many other gates which also need replacing, but hopefully over a longer time span. “We could reduce the risk of gate failure by more careful boat handling.

“It is a case of treat the gates with care and try to ensure that other users do the same”, he concluded.

Mike Lee's time forecast has passed and because of shortage of money there are still gates that have not been replaced — and  if the K&A is to be kept open for navigation then boating on the canal has got to become a 'non-contact sport' so that a the ageing lock gates can last a few more years.

Mike's sentiments were echoed by Mark Stephens shortly after he took over as waterway manager on the Kennet & Avon Canal.  Speaking at a Canal Users' Forum meeting in Devizes he called for experienced boaters to set a good example by opening both gates when entering and leaving locks to minimise damage to them. 

He said that whereas experienced boaters can get through one gate without making contact — if this becomes seen as normal practice less skilled boaters will, unfortunately, try to do the same and over time the lock gates will suffer.

One of the bottom gates on Lock 46, 

fixed in position so that it cannot be used.

Picture by Bob Naylor

A P Herbert Lock (46) above the Caen Hill Flight and just before Prison Bridge in Devizes will be closed from Tuesday 5 April until Thursday 14 April to have the bottom gates replaced. These gates have had extensive plating work to try to keep them in service but the wood is in such a poor state that they are now beyond 'patching up'. 

The worst of the two lock gates has been fixed in position so that it cannot be used and until the work begins on the 5th of April narrowboats can use the lock — with care.  Wide beam boats will have to contact BW to arrange for an assisted passage. 

The galvanised metal top gates on the Devizes Flight were installed before the wooden gates  — and they are still in very good condition with many years service left in them.

Is it time to revisit the idea of metal or composite gates which clearly have a far longer life with less maintenance?

Stoppage:

AP Herbert Lock (46) closed from Tuesday 5th April to Thursday 14th April 2011.

Wide beam boats ring BW on: 07920824310 to arrange assisted passage until the 5th.

Historic K&A ice skating picture - more information

This picture of a lone skater on the K&A Canal went online yesterday with a request for more information about the date it was taken. 

Picture by Bob Naylor©

The first response with information is from Tony Adamson the former landlord of the Bridge Inn at Horton who has filled in some of the details:  The skater is Dick Van Klavren who Tony believes still lives in the Devizes area.  

Tony also said, "After BW smashed up his rink in Devizes, Dick was not thwarted and he would skate out on the canal from Devizes to the Bridge Inn at Horton where he would have a chat and glass of lemonade — and then skate back to town."

Tony has also put a name to the crane driver of the crane that went into the canal.  He was Howard Hewitt who was the owner of Devizes Cranes — but Tony isn't sure of the date of the freeze.  So more information and/ or pictures would be welcome.

See previous story: Caen Hill skater
Email: news@kacanaltimes.co.uk

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Ice skating on the K&A Canal - historic picture

I came across this picture of a lone skater on the Kennet & Avon Canal on the pound below Prison Bridge on the Devizes Flight in a box of scrap pictures today.  I remember the story very well ... well up to a point.  The guy skating round the pound was, I am pretty sure, a Dutchman — and a speed skating enthusiast. 

  

Picture by Bob Naylor©

He had been hurtling round the pound practicing for a couple of days before I took pictures of him. The pictures were used in a few newspapers and they must have been brought to the attention of someone at British Waterways who thought it unsafe and must be stopped.  

To stop people going on to the ice BW hired a crane from Devizes Cranes to break up the ice with a huge weight. Unfortunately as the crane was smashing the ice it slid down the bank and into the water - and the driver had to leap to the bank to avoid a soaking in the icy water.  The crane lay in the water on its side for some time until it was safe enough to retrieve it. (I don't have any prints of that - but I am still looking).

Because the picture is out of the scrap box it is not date stamped and has no caption — but there are a few clues that might help a knowledgeable person to identify the approximate date:

It was before the Caen Hill flight was re-opened in 1990 by the Queen.

There are no bottom gates on the locks. 

The top gates have the experimental 'cranked' balance beams — all of those had to be removed to be replaced with the lock gates with straight balance beams that are still in use.  

It was after  1979 — because I had been working in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire before then — where we had real snow in the Peak District. 

Any information to: news@kacanaltimes.co.uk