by Janis / 0 comments - Orginally published:1st August 2016

Honeystreet to Hungerford

As a celebration for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary they chose to revisit a canal boat trip we embarked upon a few years prior, which they absolutely loved.

Having used Moonraker luxury canal boats previously, we didn’t hesitate to use them again. This time, instead of heading west towards Bath, we sailed east towards Newbury.

In addition to the 6 family crew members we had in 2009, for this trip we press-ganged my 12-year-old nephew, William, into coming along.

The boat we choose to house us all for the long weekend was ‘Moonbeam’, a 65ft x 10ft (20x3 metres) wide beam canal boat, complete with all luxuries including a Jacuzzi whirlpool bath (although it never got used). It had everything, all you needed was food, drink and clothing. This was going to be fun.

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A few tips on planning your canal boat adventure

And learning from the itinerary from hell

We were lucky enough to pick up our vessel, ‘Moonbeam’, a couple of hours early on the Friday. This gave us a head start on the itinerary from hell….. Oh, had I not mentioned the infamous ‘spreadsheet’ that my brother, Andrew, had put together?

Andrew has a bit of a reputation for spreadsheets and thought it was a good idea to plot a route with stopovers for our 2 ½ day journey.

The family at the aft end of the boat enjoying the trip basked in the summer sunlight.
The family on Moonbeam

This turned out to be a standing joke throughout the trip as it became clear from the 1-hour 50-minute detour to turn the boat around due to the canal boat facing Bath when we intended to head to Newbury.

As a result, we had already missed his deadlines before we passed Honeystreet for the second time.

The total route, including the unplanned orange detour to turn the boat around - a total of 42.7miles/69km covered in just over two days

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Getting to know the UK Waterways

The first night stopover

Our new port of call for the first night had now been revised to Wootton Rivers. Although I mocked the itinerary, Andrew had done his research and assured us there was a pub just a 10-minute stroll from the canal side. We still had a few hours of boating before we were due to moor, though.

We continued to meander through the beautiful English countryside. One of the major upsides of canal boating is it makes you slow down and relax.

There is only one pace of life on the canal, and that’s ‘slooooow’.

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A blue boat on Kennet & Avon Canal

You will be amazed at how long it takes to cover a short distance on a canal.

After a few hours of plodding steadily along, time was now ticking by. With a very enthusiastic crew, we successfully navigated ourselves through the only two locks we were completing that day.

It was now time to find an ideal mooring to settle down for the night.

The old Lock Keepers house with a rainbow over it. In the distance is our wide beam canal boat just past the locks in the foreground.
The Lock Keepers house at Wootton Rivers
We urrrrmed & arrrred, as the canal was quite shallow in places, but after some helpful advice from a local Boater, we found a suitable spot to moor up.

So you know

Don’t expect to have lovely manicured moorings all along the way.

It is a matter of stepping off the side of the boat when you are close to the edge, then easing the boat along the bank until you find a place to moor. With some brute force, hammer your mooring pegs into the ground and tie up securely. You need to remember to lay the gangplank in place for the smaller crew members amongst you.

So after a quick spruce up, we wandered out to find the local pub, ‘The Royal Oak’ . Wootton Rivers turned out to be a quaint little village with an abundance of thatched cottages.

The Royal Oak public house, Wootton Rivers, Wiltshire, Kennet & Avon Canal, England, UK, GB, United Kindgom
The Royal Oak, Wootton Rivers
The pub was serving traditional food and ales, what could be better!!!!!

Creating special memories on the British Canals

The day of the Anniversary

The next day was my parents' actual 50th Wedding Anniversary. As a surprise for them, we decorated the main cabin with banners and balloons so that it greeted them when they awoke in the morning.

A wonderful way to start their special day.

The Party Boat, Moonbeam decorated for the Wedding Anniversary.
The Party Boat - Moonbeam
One of the Anniversary banners on-board Moonbeam from Moonraker Canalboats, Honeystreet, Wiltshire on the Kennet & Avon Canal, England, United Kingdom
One of the Anniversary banners on-board Moonbeam
One of the Anniversary banners on-board Moonbeam from Moonraker Canalboats, Honeystreet, Wiltshire on the Kennet & Avon Canal, England, United Kingdom
The other Anniversary banner
But time waits for no man; we cast off at about 8:30 am as we have a long day ahead.
Moonbean chugging along on the Kennet & Avon Canal, England, United Kingdom
Moonbeam, Moonraker Canalboats
Immediately we have two more locks, and then meandering along for a short distance further, we approach the ‘Bruce Tunnel’. This tunnel was named after a local landowner Thomas Brudenell-Bruce and was constructed between 1806 and 1809; it is about 1,500 feet (459 metres) long.

There isn’t a towpath through the tunnel, so when horses pulled canal boats, the bargemen had to haul boats through the tunnel by hand, pulling on chains that ran along the inside walls, which are still to be seen today.

The Bruce Tunnel is only wide enough for one barge at a time, so turn on the searchlights, beep your horn and off you go.
It is quite eerie and dark drifting through the tunnel, but all part of the fun.

Discovering the Kennet and Avon Canal

A hearty brunch
We have cleared four locks so far in relatively quick succession, with seven more locks ahead of us. To give us all a boost of energy, we moor up close to the Crofton Beam Engines and have a hearty brunch.
The Crofton Beam Engines Museum next to the Kennet & Avon Canal, England, United Kingdom
The Crofton Beam Engines Museum

Off we go again; these locks weren’t going to open themselves. It is such a great way to spend time together as a family, and none of us are shirking our responsibilities.

Through a few more locks and we come to Great Bedwyn; this looked like a lovely village and the ideal stop for all your barging needs. As some of the locks are not too far apart, it is sometimes pleasant to stroll between and enjoy the countryside.

Map, guides and more

Whether you’re planning a road trip, plotting a hiking route or cycling one of UK’s scenic trails, there’s nothing quite like using a tactile paper map.

The Ordnance Survey folk are here to help, with maps, guides, gadgets and more. Take a browse through their vast array of maps and grab your ideal companion for your adventure.

Alternatively, why not purchase and download the OS Maps App, which covers all of Great Britain.

Enjoying a holiday on the British waterways

A new destination

Now that the planned route had been scrapped, we decided that we were going to head on to Hungerford and base ourselves there for the evening celebrations.

Chugging along the canals, you definitely get a different perspective on your surroundings. It is so peaceful, and I would think it a birdwatcher’s paradise.

A disturbed heron takes flight from the banks of the kennet and avon canal
A heron takes flight
You meet so many friendly people along the way, often waving and usually more than willing to help you with the locks if they see you flagging.

Canal boating etiquette

When passing moored barges, it is important that you drop your speed to a ‘tick over’ as a slight current could dislodge some boats from their moorings.
Another 3 locks down, we pass through Little Bedwyn.
A close look at well-worn lock gates, refurbished in 1997, as we rise on the kennet and avon canal
Lock gates on the Kennet & Avon canal,
It’s now around mid-afternoon, and we have seven more locks and two swing bridges to go, but no one is complaining, even though the Great British weather could undoubtedly perk up a bit.
Three generations of the Tubbs family preparing a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Wiltshire

Preparing a lock

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Managing a lock
The narrow wooden pedestrian hungerford bridge over the kennet and avon canal in an exceptionally green section of the waterway
The Hungerford Bridge
The approach to Hungerford is very picturesque, with a lovely church and colourful barges beside it.
Urgh, really? Yep, as I said, the camera processes the raw data it captures, and it tweaks it to give you your final image. And most of the time, it does a reasonable job, plus you may have a choice of selecting the image style, which helps the camera out again. The problem is once the camera has done its work, it saves the output as the JPEG and any other info recorded by the sensor at the time is lost. So if we're working with RAW, we can get the most out of the shot. Now the camera manufacturer will have provided you with some raw editing software. However, despite Canon's offering being quite good, I prefer to use Adobe's Lightroom, partnered with Adobe's Photoshop, as my editing suite of choice. So from the raw image above, I am able to extract this;
Out the outskirts of Hungerford

One more lock and we reached our destination. Prior to mooring up, we noticed our water levels were running down, so we headed onto the watering station just beyond Hungerford town, topped up and disposed of our rubbish and recycling (how rock and roll are we).

Safety on the canal is so important, and it is easy to get complacent. William frightened us by slipping and nearly falling head-first into the canal. This a reminder to all of us to slow down a little and take care.

Want more than the Kennet & Avon canal?

Discover the British canals and waterways for yourself. Our adventures were with luxury Moonraker Canalboats. During our first trip with them, we ventured to the UNESCO City of Bath.

If you want to spend a few hours in Bath then we may have a little inspiration for you.  Check out out post - Bath, our top 15 places to visit.

Jul / 2022

Bath, our top 15 places to visit

Featured image for “Bath, our top 15 places to visit”

Navigating the Kennet & Avon canal

The turning point.

As this was the furthest point on our trip, we also had to turn the barge around. There are turning points along the canal, but ensure you find one big enough for your barge. Our boat was 65ft (20m) long, so we needed a turning point on the large side.

Returning to Hungerford, we found a perfect mooring spot near the town. Andrew and my Mum headed into town and booked us into a Gastropub for the evening.

Several boats moored up on the banks of the Kennet & Avon canal, each with there own space.
Moored at Hungerford
Then the lovely June sun came out, so did the Prosecco and anniversary cake.
The Anniversary cake on Moonbeam, England, United Kingdom
The anniversary cake on Moonbeam
My parents are posing for their anniversary with a magnum of prosecco on our boat on the Kennet and Avon canal.
Celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary

We had a fantastic evening at the John O’Gaunt Inn. I cannot recommend the pub highly enough, and the team there went out of their way to make us feel welcome.

Mum and Dad had a fantastic day, but the next day it was all being done again, but in reverse….

More tales and experiences from the waterways

Who doesn't love life at a slower pace on the waterways? Whether it is experiencing the countryside, socialising by the waterside or feeling at one-to-one with nature?

We have a series of posts that may inspire you on your next adventure.

Featured image for “Canal Boating, the perfect relaxing UK holiday”
Jun. 16, 2020

Canal Boating, the perfect relaxing UK holiday

Featured image for “I would do it all again – barging on the Kennet & Avon Canal, England”
Mar. 16, 2017

I would do it all again – barging on the Kennet & Avon Canal, England

Featured image for “The Kennet & Avon Canal trip”
Aug. 01, 2016

The Kennet & Avon Canal trip

Exploring the UK Waterways

The return leg

With the canal boat all prepared, we set off around 8:15 am and immediately into the first of twenty-four locks, two swing bridges and one tunnel planned for the day. Who said barging was relaxing?

We needed to drop Moonbeam back by 10 am Monday, so tonight we were heading to Pewsey Wharf, meaning the distance we had to travel the following day would be short.

Although we are covering the same route back, you see the countryside from a different perspective. Chugging along the canal, we witnessed the incredible sight of Kingfisher glistening on the bank side.

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Kingfisher on the banks of the Kennet and Avon canal
We navigate our way back through the locks and stop for a hearty brunch mid-morning. Still full of enthusiasm, we continue to meander along, taking it in turns to jump on and off the barge to open and close the locks.
A high-speed train passing by a narrowboat negotiating a lock on the Kennet & Avon canal, while a family of ducks investigate the waterway
The fast and slow pace of life

Managing the locks

It’s important to read the signs on each of the locks. For safety reasons some of the them need to remain empty.

Time is disappearing rapidly, and so is the June sunshine.

Light at first, it drizzles, slowly increasing to the ‘this isn’t funny’ proportions.

However, we were not going to be beaten.

A crew selfie of all seven of us taken at the bow of Moonbeam, our canal boat from Moonraker, on a wet day on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
Team 'Wet but Happy' on-board Moonbeam
The early evening air encouraged the insects to descend upon us in full force, but as luck would have it, they thought Andrew was the tastiest among us (don’t forget to pack your mozzie spray).

Handy to know

Take a peek at our post ’12 useful tips for your canal boat adventure’, it’s often the little details that make a holiday perfect.
Sep / 2019

12 Useful tips for your canal boat adventure

Featured image for “12 Useful tips for your canal boat adventure”

Canal Boating - The perfect UK mini-break?

You can’t plan for everything

We chugged onto Pewsey Wharf with brave faces and the British stiff upper lip. We moored up at about 6:30 pm, a bit soggy but certainly not downhearted.

Although we – Andrew – had clearly done his local pub research, we didn't consider that the lovely welcoming pub on the side of the canal did not serve food on a Sunday evening.

Mmmm, let's think. What would be open in a small town on a Sunday evening, an Indian restaurant, admittedly not everyone's first choice, but this was Hobson's choice.

After a stroll back to the boat equipped with waterproof jackets, umbrellas and torches and trying to dodge whatever was crunching under our feet. We enjoyed the rest of the evening, having a few nightcaps and reminiscing.

We got our reliable companion back to Honeystreet by 10:05 am, which wasn't too bad.

My nephew, Will, at the age of 12, standing next to the bow of Moonbeam, our canal boat from Moonraker.
Will, the cabin boy, besides Moonbeam
Thanks to my family for a holiday full of memories.

A bit more info?

The Canal River Trust website is particularly useful for planning your trip. It gives detailed information on the canals and the surrounding facilities.

* This post may contain links to affiliated sites where we earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.

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