Category: Cruising

An early start departing at 7:41 to be ready for the 8.15 Bridge swing. Picked up Pilot Steve at Cumberland Basin ready for the tide to be ready. Eleven yachts and Matilda waiting…..

It used to cause chaos when there was a bridge swing at rush hour

The suspension bridge

The kindness of strangers: Paul Wilkes, moored opposite us at Arnolfini, saw our boat approaching the suspension bridge where he works and took the folowing photos. At the very least we owe him tea and cake! Terrific clear shots and the first we’ve had of Matilda on the move.

Approaching Avon bridge carrying M5 Motorway

In Portishead lock

Matilda moored safely away from the cruisers! at 11.29

The Marina was built on derelict land. It’s a very smart development

So off we went to explore. The High Street looks pretty much the same but obviously the new development attracted Waitrose, Travel Lodge and Lidl!

Trying hard to improve the appearance of the town. Lovely display

Lakeside is prety much as it was but with new addition of decorative boats. We walked to Battery point, past the lido and through the woods to the Lifeboat station

The Lifeboat shop was manned by three charming ladies who pointed out a few interesting things. This is before

This is after

Then back via the lock, not terribly attractive at low tide

But later in the evening

The off to the Co-op cash machine that debited my account but dispensed no money!!!! It became apparent that this machine had failed to deliver before. Happily the bank refunded my money!

Angela from the RNLI shop came to visit but we remain unsure whether she summoned the Ilfracombe lifeboat should we need assistance. It crept in late at night…….

Things became very busy on Friday evening and Saturday. Boats arrived with the tide. Some very smart craft looking for secure moorings

Music from all quarters, people sitting on the edge of the quay, trip boats and ferries and the engine by the MShed

We walked over to Asda.

The tide was out. Asda was pretty awful. Every type of apple was foreign. from France, Germany, USA and Chile, but the parsips at 50p were english so I bought those and went to an organic farm shop for apples. Bought another ice cream from Olivers (Simnel cake flavour this time!) Bought a take home pack for the freezer!

Another warm and sunny day

Up early Sunday to fill up with water and fuel did some washing and all those other jobs in anticipation of moving. Confirmed Pilots and weather

A brilliant mooring right outside Arnolfini. Very popular with the natives! Most of our time was spent exploring the dock area on foot. I was amazed how much it had changed since I left in 97. Here are a few snaps.

Greenshank Cafe had delicious home made carrot cake. The best I have tasted in years.

The SS Great Britain is still drawing in the crowds

Oposite the SS Great Britain is mooring that is now called Brunel Quays. It’s pontoons are very short so not suitable for Matilda. It has electic but no security.

Bristol Marina is suprisingly small but has very obliging staff

Colourful houses

It’s well worth walking up to Underfall Yard to step back in time and see the victorian engineering

We like to educate so

The Matthew. I remember it being built! This one I mean not the original!

An odd mix of things inside but some eye catching items

I loved the floor map. See where I lived……

I couldn’t leave out Matilda!

Spectacular views from the terrace including this one of a man cleaning the crane

To the rear od the MShed is this row of small shops etc called Cargo. When you look closely you can see they are all shipping containers. The one with the orange flag in the centre is Olivers Ice Cream. Put it on you list to visit!

St Nicholas Market. Much smarter that I remembered

Fabulous cake stall, sadly I had just eaten breakfast.

In the evening friends Claire and Chris came to catch up. We went to The Hole in The Wall. This was where we met in January 1991. It has taken 28 years for us to return!

This was a day for Tony. The Aerospace Museum.

We caught the 75 bus to Gypsy Patch lane followed by a hike to the museum entrance

The conorde stencil was a nice touch! Many more things to see besides Concorde. Lots of local social history

Obviously I had to include the next two photos. No family relationship proved as yet!!!

All in all a very interesting day

Took a wander round the docks after mooring

I had to include this! Ferry Matilda passing Matilda Devizes!

Brunel Quays is quite a smart place to moor if you have a short boat and it looks out to SS great Britain

John Cabot gazes out over the harbour

The lovely Queens Square

The Hole in the Wall. We met here for the very first time in January 1991! Not been back since!!!

A morning of steady rain Sailing past the old Frys factory. Now a huge new housing “village”

The river passes through a very pretty valley . We soon arrived at Beeses Tea Garden but now it is calle a Riverside Bar!!

A considerable amount of housing development along both banks followed by old city factories and workshops. Then familiar sights as we approach the heart of the city

St Mary Redcliffe

Princes Street bridge is low. Would we make it?

It was very close. Probably four inches clearance!

Secure mooring outside Arnolfini with electric post. The rain had just stopped!

We left Bath with some reluctance as we had enjoyed our moorings and the city. We were looking forward to Saltford where there is the Riverside and Joly Sailor Pubs but there was no mooring so we continued to Bitton where two long narrowboats were occupying the visitor mooring so we continued to Keynsham where we stopped for the night behind John on Borderline. Met the very kind Jenny, a local boat owner in the Marina, who has a boat named In Blindness is Truth

Below the weir at Saltford

Below is the view from The Jolly Sailor

Mooring at Keynsham

A long overdue visit to Prior Park. Take bus number 2 to avoid the very steep hill! Prior Park was the home of Ralph Allen postmaster in Bath. He reorganised the postal system and obviously did well out of it! He then invested in the stone quarries at Coombe Down

The Serpent lake

This is the house he built in the 1700s. It is now Prior Park College a catholic boarding school

The view from the house is impressive.

You are invited to try to find the oldest graffitti on this bridge but you must not add any!

Looking back to the house

The dam is insecure and the second lake has had to be drained. Access to the site is very restricted which is only one challenge the NT faces.

Leaving the park on foot we discovered a charming section of Bath we had never noticed before and this charming littel church

As if we han’t done enough walking we then followed the towpath down stream and found a huge development had taken place just off Lower Bristol Road which used to be an area of grubby factories, garages and the like. Now its beautiful apartments.

New moorings outside the apartments are charged at £10 per night so no undesirable boats here. In fact no boats at all just a Paddle Board Enterprise.

An early start to descend the five locks down to the city.

Thank you to Volunteer Lock keepers Colin and Paul who helped us through the five locks

The very deep lock – quite scary

Wandered along the towpath to Sainsburys and guess what we saw

The excellent market at Green Park former station. Bought fresh veg, steaks and duck eggs to poach!

In the afternoon we walked across Victoria Park and up and up to Lansdown Crescent. To us far more attractive than The Crescent and far fewer tourists as you can see. The green actually had several sheep grazing! Then we walked down to The Crescent and on to The Circus which I particularly like.

Look what one of its’ residents invented. It should amuse you

And finally -other towns take note

We walked along the towpath to join the river and check out the mooring situation at Bath Quays. Had a bite of lunch at Patisserie Valerie. I only ate half of the strawberry tart. Tony polished off the rest! Not as good as Simmons

Whilst at lunch a noisy protest took place outside the Council Offices

Walked along Walcot Street to find that the office where Tony used to work is now part of a bulding site and Walcot reclamation is no more!

We then visited the Museum of Archtecture which we had never visted before. It explains every aspect iof house building and it has an amazing collection of maps