Fjordhammer On Tour - Caen Hill Locks & Devizes
Sunsets Over Wessex |
Walking Alongside Britain's Former Industrial Veins
The Kennet and Avon Canal has been a standout feature of the Wiltshire landscape since its construction in 1723. Stretching from Bristol to Newbury the canal has 105 locks in total, the most famous being the Caen Hill Locks. The flight consists of 29 locks between Rowde and Devizes. The canals were once the arteries of the nation, triggering the industrial revolution and thrusting Britain to the forefront of engineering and commerce. Even so, surrounded by the wonderful scenery of rural Wiltshire, Somerset and Berkshire, the canal offers a wonderful walk surrounded by fields, trees and water plants as well as hosting a variety of wildlife and agricultural animals to spot along the way. I have done this walk many times, but this time in the searing heat of the heatwave, I was joined by Sabrina and we walked the six miles or so to Devizes together. As we walked past the many locks and bridges we took in the landscape and enjoyed the beauty of nature, watching herons fly and flowers bloom. There is something so simple yet liberating about walking a canal path, the route is usually just a straight forward line that is all planned out for you. Your feet can auto-pilot their steps whilst you fully take in the serenity of the environment around you. Nature just seems to unfurl on these paths, wild hedgerows and tall reeds, even though it was man made over 300 years ago, this particular stretch of the canal very much feels partially reclaimed by Mother Nature. This dusty trail walk set my imagination alight and I connected with a younger version of myself, the kid that would fight orcs, dragons and beasts on walks with his family, fully immersed in his own RPG world.
"But I Know I've Got One Thing To Do, Ramble On!" - Led Zeppelin |
The History
The Canal
One of the 105 locks along the canal |
The Lock Gate |
In 1788 plans for a Western Canal were proposed, with the aim to improve trade and communication links to towns such as Hungerford, Marlborough, Calne, Chippenham and Melksham. The engineers Barns, Simcock and Weston drew up a suggested route for the canal, but there was doubts about the adequacy of the water supply. At this point the name was changed to the Kennet & Avon Canal to avoid confusion with the Grand Western Canal (which was a canal also being proposed at the time between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon and was completed in 1838). In 1793 another survey was undertaken, this time by Scottish civil engineer John Rennie the Elder, his proposed route of the canal was altered to take a more southerly course through Great Bedwyn, Devizes, Trowbridge and Newbury. Rennie's route was the one which the Kennett & Avon Canal Company (chaired by Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury) accepted. This was funded by subscriptions given to the company from prospective shareholders. In 1793 Rennie proposed a few further alterations to the route, including the construction of a tunnel in the Savernake Forest. Then on 17 April 1794 the Kennet and Avon Canal Act received the Royal Assent and construction on the canal we know today began. The Newbury to Hungerford section of the canal was promptly completed in 1798, and was extended to the village of Great Bedwyn in 1799. The section from Bath to Foxhangers was finished in 1804, and Devizes Locks (a.k.a Caen Hill Locks) were completed in 1810. After 16 years of construction, the canal opened. Along the rout are several major structures; the Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts, the Bruce Tunnel under Savernake Forest, and the pumping stations at Claverton and Crofton, which were needed to overcome water supply problems and the final task was the completion of the Caen Hill Locks at Devizes. Up until 1841 the canal was the lifeline of trade and commerce in the South West, until The Great Western Railway started to become the default method of moving freight. One of the more noticeable modern purposes the canal had outside of work and tourism was a defensive line. Concrete pillboxes can be seen along the canal, these formed GHQ Line - Blue, which was built in anticipation of a German invasion during WWII.
The mighty Caen Hill Locks |
The Locks
The Caen Hill Locks are an incredible landmark in the rolling hills of Wilshire, as well as being an engineering marvel. The 29 locks have a rise of 237 feet in 2 miles (72 m in 3.2 km), and are consolidates into in three groups: the lower seven locks are from Foxhangers Wharf Lock to Foxhangers Bridge Lock, are spread over 1.2 k); the next sixteen locks form the steep flight that we see today, in a straight line up the hillside and they have been designated as a scheduled monument. With the gaps between them being short, 15 of the locks have large ponds of water alongside them to help the locks properly operate. A final six locks take the canal to Devizes. It takes approximately 5 to 6 hours to traverse the locks by boat, which given the weight of the locks, is a signifiant work out.
Caen Hill Locks were John Rennie the Elder's solution to climbing the steep hill on which the locks sit, in 1810 it was the last part of the canal to be completed. There was a brickyard established to the south of the site to aid in the manufacture of bricks for the lock chambers that we see today. This brickyard remained commercially viable and was in use until the middle of the 20th century. An English civil engineer, named John Blackwell, oversaw the locks' construction as Rennie's site agent. However between 1801 and 1810, a tramway had provided the trade link between Foxhangers at the bottom of the hill and Devizes at the top. The remains of the tramway can be seen in the towpath arches of the road bridges over the canal. The canal fell into disuse with the coming of the railways and in 1948 its last consignment was conveyed from Avonmouth to Newbury in October 1948. There was a significant rebuilding and restoring of the canal and locks in the 1960s and what we see today is the product of that.
Foxhangers. No foxes are hung here, why would you think that? That's barbaric! |
The Adventure
We set out at roughly 11:30, lathered in sun cream as we were in the middle of a heatwave, stopping to get some light bites and trail food alongside the most valuable purchase, a two litre bottle of water. Whilst we already had full reusable water bottles in the bag, we thought it was a good idea to have something that would allow us to fill these up, despite how much I loathe buying plastic things. Once we parted with our currency at Tesco, we set off on the hard baked and dusty trail to Devizes. We took the first part of our journey in our stride, although a little damp (understatement of the century) from sweat, we enjoyed the vast plethora of shades and colours provided by nature. One thing about this stretch of canal path is that it rather lacks shade, so whilst regular hydration breaks were taken, our only bug bear was the ever pounding rays of the sun. It was a joy to watch so many people using the old waterway for their holiday getaway, as a local I have had my fair share of helping struggling holiday makers with heavy swing bridges and stubborn locks but to see people embrace the "stay-cation" so to speak, and enjoying what's on the doorstep fills my heart with happiness. We approached our first bridge, and this is when Sabrina eagerly armed herself with her camera and started capturing our adventure.
A Tunnel To The Past |
The Marina Bridge |
Watermelon Moustache |
These reminded me of Alice In Wonderland |
Herman The Heron In Full Flight |
The Playlist
The playlist for this particular journey is heavily inspired by my more upbeat folk influences, mixing jigs, shanties and a a smidge of rock in the form of Led Zeppelin. It was on this trip I made the decision to buy my mandolin, and I feel like the playlist should reflect that. Channeling all forms of adventure and wandering, as well as paying homage to the canal workers of the time with the folk elements, this playlist was a pleasure to create as I feel that you can really delve deep into my non-rock/metal side.
Caen Hill Gallery
View our Caen Hill gallery here!
Wiltshire Sunsets |
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