13th October
From Hungerford we travelled a stretch I had missed on the way to Bristol, a section Pete had originally journeyed by himself whilst I returned home. It was raining heavily most of the time, but still enjoyable, rolling fields, wooded tunnels and grand houses here and there. The railway line follows closely; so closely in fact that at one lock a train hurtling through made me start, especially as it appeared to be tipped on its track towards the lock!
When we got to Kintbury we filled with water and as we were finishing, a 40' tug which was a replica of a 1920s design came past us and prepared the lock. Pete discovered as we went down the next 9 or so locks with the two eccentric crew members that the boat was built around an original 1927 Kromhout engine in 2010. I would never have guessed it wasn't original in entirety as it was charming with stern doors of carved patterned wood, oval riveted windows and a chuggy, throaty engine sound so authentic for a canal boat. It had its own engine room with a massive fly wheel, the engine had to be pre heated and then kick started like a motorbike - real man stuff! It's two cylinder engine sounded like a heartbeat when it was thrumming away but we still prefer a key! The owner Ben explained that even in 1927 the Kromhout engines were 6 times more expensive than their British equivalents and ironically he now works for an engineering company in Newbury that used to make those engines (Plenty's of Newbury) under licence. A true enthusiast clearly and an intelligent interesting young man, probably only in his 20s.
His crew partner couldn't have been more different. Whilst Ben was dressed traditionally in boiler suit and cap, his mate wore a leather jacket, jeans and hat and had a cheeky smiley face a cross between Jamiraqua and a young Keith Richards! His devil-may-care attitude as he leapt about the locks and jumped down onto the roof of the boat was in complete contrast to Ben's quiet stance. I discovered by talking to him on the lockside, that he was a musician friend of Ben's and had joined him for a couple of days to help move the boat. He was a mixture of mad muiso (types I have met in my past) and well-spoken hippy. He bragged playing with BB King and John Mayall, living in California and all over Europe. Despite being somewhat 'up himself', he was an entertaining character.
We parted company at West Mills. Firefly as it was called, continuing to it's mooring at the boatyard.
What a strange interlude - it can only happen on a canal.
Kintbury colours
Ben
From Hungerford we travelled a stretch I had missed on the way to Bristol, a section Pete had originally journeyed by himself whilst I returned home. It was raining heavily most of the time, but still enjoyable, rolling fields, wooded tunnels and grand houses here and there. The railway line follows closely; so closely in fact that at one lock a train hurtling through made me start, especially as it appeared to be tipped on its track towards the lock!
When we got to Kintbury we filled with water and as we were finishing, a 40' tug which was a replica of a 1920s design came past us and prepared the lock. Pete discovered as we went down the next 9 or so locks with the two eccentric crew members that the boat was built around an original 1927 Kromhout engine in 2010. I would never have guessed it wasn't original in entirety as it was charming with stern doors of carved patterned wood, oval riveted windows and a chuggy, throaty engine sound so authentic for a canal boat. It had its own engine room with a massive fly wheel, the engine had to be pre heated and then kick started like a motorbike - real man stuff! It's two cylinder engine sounded like a heartbeat when it was thrumming away but we still prefer a key! The owner Ben explained that even in 1927 the Kromhout engines were 6 times more expensive than their British equivalents and ironically he now works for an engineering company in Newbury that used to make those engines (Plenty's of Newbury) under licence. A true enthusiast clearly and an intelligent interesting young man, probably only in his 20s.
His crew partner couldn't have been more different. Whilst Ben was dressed traditionally in boiler suit and cap, his mate wore a leather jacket, jeans and hat and had a cheeky smiley face a cross between Jamiraqua and a young Keith Richards! His devil-may-care attitude as he leapt about the locks and jumped down onto the roof of the boat was in complete contrast to Ben's quiet stance. I discovered by talking to him on the lockside, that he was a musician friend of Ben's and had joined him for a couple of days to help move the boat. He was a mixture of mad muiso (types I have met in my past) and well-spoken hippy. He bragged playing with BB King and John Mayall, living in California and all over Europe. Despite being somewhat 'up himself', he was an entertaining character.
We parted company at West Mills. Firefly as it was called, continuing to it's mooring at the boatyard.
What a strange interlude - it can only happen on a canal.
Location:Newbury
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