Furthest West at Bristol

Tonight we are moored in Bristol's Floating Harbour immediately opposite to the SS Great Britain - a splendid position.

We enjoyed our stay in Bath after 3 nights moored there.  Here are some of the other sights of Bath:

Roman Baths

Roman Lead Pipe

Bath Abbey

Inside the Abbey

I particularly liked this memorial in the Abbey - notice that it was written by David Garrick, the famous Shakespearean Actor









We even managed a night at the Theatre Royal in Bath seeing 'Relative Values' by Noel Coward.  We really enjoyed the performance with a superb cast including Patricia Hodge, Caroline Quentin and Rory Bremner.

On Thursday we finally left Bath first going down the six Bath locks which featured in the last posting on this blog and then going out on the River Avon below.  We travelled with John and Ali on a rather nice new boat called Triskaideka.  We went upstream and turned just below the Pulteney Weir:

Leo below Pulteney Weir

We then travelled on downstream out of Bath and towards Bristol.

Cruising on the River Avon

Kelston Lock with the weir behind - notice the fishermen sitting on the weir

Probably a windmill just below Saltford Lock

On Thursday night we moored on a pontoon (the River Avon has a habit of rising and falling many feet) below the old railway bridge at Bitton:

Moored on the Avon with Triskaideka

Having phoned up the lock keeper at Netham where we enter the Bristol Floating Harbour the tides meant we could not enter Bristol until afternoon, so we spent the morning cycling along the Bath-Bristol cycle path into Bitton to find a post office.  Then we set off through Keynsham and Hanham Locks onto tidal water:

Here we are sharing Hanham Lock with Triskaideka.  Beyond here we are on tidal water.

The Avon below flows past some high cliffs and steep valley sides.

And here we are on the feeder canal towards the Bristol Floating Harbour leaving Netham Lock behind us.  Notice that at this state of tide you can drive your boat straight through this lock - both gates are open.








Coming into Bristol we did a good tour of the Floating Harbour in quite strong and gusty winds.  The water was pretty choppy.

Coming down Welsh Back

Under the Prince's Street Swing Bridge - low but not too low for us

Looking up St Augustine's Reach

Past the SS Great Britain

Beyond these gates in Cumberland Basin is the tidal Avon towards the sea

View from Cumberland Basin - you can just see the Clifton Suspension Bridge

When it came to mooring this was not straightforward in the strong wind.  We eventually backed into the harbour inlet with a small boat of the Harbour Master pushing the bow and acting as a bow thruster to help us and keep us from blowing onto nearby boats.  We've finished up moored next to our new friends John and Ali on Triskaideka.

Tomorrow we'll have a look round the waterside at Bristol and we are meeting friends tomorrow evening for a meal.  On Sunday we'll start our journey back eastwards.