Coming into Bristol

Well I'm pleased to say that we have managed our trip from Bristol to Portishead and up the tidal Severn to Sharpness.  However we took so many pictures that it is going to take me a while to sort them out before doing a proper post to describe our adventure.  So first this post is a short one to describe the cruise into Bristol ready for the tidal trip.  I'll do a full posting about the Severn trip in the next couple of days.  We are in fact in the basin in Gloucester as I type this.

Our last posting was in Saltford and after a couple of days there, the Gloucester Pilot told us that we had a good chance of going on the tide on Monday.  So on Saturday we set off down the Avon intending to moor at Hanham, which is the last place before entering Bristol Dock waters where you have to pay an additional licence and mooring fee.

At our mooring in Saltford we were among the reeds and this was the view from our bedroom window.  However the views on the other side of the boat were superb.

Here is Leo waiting for the lock at Saltford.  The lock is right by the Jolly Sailor where we had a good lunch the previous day.

This is the weir at Hanham.  The river below Hanham can be tidal on high spring tides and indeed the tide can come over this weir and up to Keynsham.

The visitor moorings at Hanham are supposed to be 48 hours maximum.  However it is clear no-one enforces this and they were full of long stay liveaboards.  You can see Leo moored alongside Craig on Redshanks who was happy to let us double up.

Later on very loud music was turned on in the garden of one of the two pubs at Hanham with the speakers aimed directly at the moored boats.  We decided we'd prefer to get some sleep.  So we returned upstream to Keynsham where we naughtily stopped on the end of the lock moorings overnight.









On Sunday morning we turned round and headed back to Hanham and on into Bristol.

You are asked to phone the Netham Lock Keeper from Hanham before proceeding so we did.  He confirmed there were no problems with tide so we continued.  This view shows the river below Hanham Lock.

 After 3 or 4 miles you see this bridge ahead which sits above Netham Weir.  That is normally the tidal limit except on spring tides.  The way for boats is to the right through Netham Lock which is normally open at both ends as it was on Sunday morning.  It is closed to the tide when necessary to keep the Bristol water at the normal level.

So we cruised through the lock and moored just after.  Then it was back to the Lock Keeper's House shown here to pay our licence for Bristol.  As we were intending to leave onto the tidal Avon on Monday we only had to pay for one day.

It seems there are crocodiles in the Floating Harbour at Bristol as this sign warns.  We didn't see any!!!

At first we travelled down the Feeder Canal and then turned sharp right through the old Totterdown Lock shown here.  From here on you are in the Floating Harbour itself.  

Here we are in Welsh Back having come under the tracks leading to Temple Meads Station.  There are lots of boats plying to and fro through the city. 

Here is the spire of St Mary Redcliffe with a fine terrace to the right which was undergoing some restoration.

Prince Street Bridge is quite low but Leo did fit under it.  For taller vessels the bridge can swing.

Just after Prince Street Bridge a wide waterway goes off right called St Augustine's Reach.  There are some visitor moorings here but we were aiming to go a bit further.

At Wapping Wharf we stopped to empty the toilet and fill with water.  Just after this, the view opens out of Hotwells and Clifton shown here.  Bristol is so lucky as a city to have such a wide reach of non-tidal water right through the city.  And all thanks to Brunel.

We then passed the SS Great Britain, Brunel's superb passenger ship.

 Having moored, we visited Underfall Yard.  Here used to be a pumping station which produced hydraulic pressure which was relayed by pipework all round the docks to work cranes, bridges and locks.  A wonderful idea.

And here is Leo moored on Baltic Wharf ready for our adventure.  In fact we had to move again just before it got dark into Cumberland Basin.  On high spring tides gates are closed between here and the Basin to avoid the Floating Harbour filling up with tidal water.  So we had to go through after the gates opened so that we were ready for our departure on Monday at 7 a.m.





So this brings us to a position where Leo is sitting in Cumberland Basin (in the pouring rain as it happens) ready to go through the lock half an hour or so before high tide on Monday morning.  For the continuing story you'll have to come back to this blog in a day or two when I've done that posting.