Kennet & Avon

Life is not still

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January 25, 2024

A florilegium of the Kennet and Avon Canal… THIS spring, as the flowers along the towpath start to bud and bloom, an exhibition of lino prints, paintings and contemporary quilts by Wiltshire-based artist Maria Harryman will be unfurled at Gallery 5 of the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury on Wednesday, March 20. Billed as A…
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Starting this weekend: Open days

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Web Editor

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January 19, 2024

OPEN days are being held by the Canal & River Trust on the Kennet & Avon and Shropshire Union canals and a London reservoir. Lock 75, Dun Mill Lock at Hungerford will open from 11am-3pm on Saturday, January 20 with a chance to see lock repairs. There will also be free history and ecology walks.…
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£1.2m scheme gives easier access to all

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January 6, 2024

A HALF-mile stretch of towpath and canal bank along the historic Kennet & Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf has been upgraded by the Canal & River Trust charity, making it easier for boats to moor and improving access for walkers, cyclists and those with wheelchairs or buggies. The £1.2 million project was funded by the…
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Navigation at Crofton: re-opened!

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April 3, 2023

The Kennet & Avon Canal has re-opened to navigation at Crofton, following five months of closure to allow the Canal & River Trust to replace the canal’s pumping system at Crofton. A section of the towpath at Crofton will remain closed until July 2023. The pumping system at Crofton, near Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, keeps…
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Upgrade work requires fish rescue first

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November 7, 2022

When: 10am, Thursday 10 November 2022 Where: Kennet & Avon Canal at Crofton, Wiltshire (parking available in the Crofton Beam Engines visitor car park, Crofton, Marlborough SN8 3DW) What: Fish are being rescued ahead of the rare draining of a section of the Kennet & Avon Canal near Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, part of an important…
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Kennet & Avon Canal Crofton Pumping Station works to be completed this winter

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October 26, 2022

The Canal & River Trust’s project to replace the pumping system at Crofton, that keeps the summit of the Kennet & Avon Canal topped-up with water for boats, towpath users and wildlife, will be completed this winter. The works, near Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, started last month and will continue through to March 2023. Costing…
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GIANT Hogweed on the Kennet & Avon!

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Web Editor

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August 18, 2022

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) has recently been found at Garston Lock near Reading on the Kennet & Avon Canal. The Trust only became aware of the incidence when it was reported in the media and social media. When this highly toxic plant is identified on our network we take action to remove the plant as…
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Award-winning lock keeper hangs up his windlass

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May 7, 2022

A LOCK keeper on the Kennet & Avon Canal for more than 30 years, Bob Preston has retired from his duties at Caen Hill. He started work with British Waterways when he was 19 in 1973 as a general operative on the Kennet & Avon Canal and has been a lock keeper since 1991. In…
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Pets on the Cut: Nicky and Blaze

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Web Editor

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March 21, 2022

NICKY and her faithful dog Blaze are regulars often seen walking along the Kennet & Avon towpath near Caen Hill Marina. Once, a few months ago when the rain was bucketing down, I happened to look out of a boat I was working aboard and saw the two of them merrily strolling along the towpath.…
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Who left the lock open?

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Janet Richardson

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November 25, 2021

WHILE walking along a section of the Kennet & Avon Canal to Devizes recently, Towpath Talk contributor Kevin Thomas came upon Lock 25 standing wide open. It prompted him to question what is it that makes boaters leave a lock open – laziness, a lapse of attention or even arrogance? In its guide to saving…
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Gate collision causes K&A closure

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Janet Richardson

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October 14, 2021

A COLLISION with one of the gates at Lock 24 on the Kennet & Avon Canal led to a recent stoppage, writes Kevin Thomas. The lock, west of the Caen Hill Flight and a short distance from Rowde Bridge, was badly damaged on the upper (ground paddle) side. It is understood that a narrowboat without…
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