75. I break the Swing Bridge on the Kennet & Avon Canal!
Hello, thanks very much for watching. I’m still heading west on the Kennet and Avon Canal. In this episode I go through a really strange lock with vegetation on the sides. There’s only two like it and you have to drive down the middle of the lock and get off. It almost feels like a sort of a gangplank and then I break a swing bridge. It’s not just a swing bridge that leads onto a farmer’s field, oh no, it’s a main road swing bridge, with red lights flashing and lots and lots of chaos. Even Canal and River Trust can’t fix it. So how all of that coming up in this episode. [Music] I left the long straight mooring area at Fobney Lock and headed west. After
passing under Milkmaid’s Bridge there was my first lock of the day. Just to the
south here is the Burghfield Fishing Complex where you can fish for carp 24/7.
Passing under the M4 motorway that spans the UK from Wales to London, there is
Garston Lock. This is the wide lock with slanted vegetation sides. I then headed
towards Tyle Mill where there is a lock and a rather difficult swing bridge. {Dog barking} I was keen to take it easy and enjoy the
mix of canal and river ahead. [Sounds of water and birds singing] In 1850 the buildings alongside Southcote
Lock used to be part of a pumping station that provided the town of
Reading its first filtered water supply. Now it’s been converted into residential
properties where future generations can watch the boats go by. [Music] Garston Lock was built between 1718 and
1723 and has a rise of seven feet and seven inches. Unlike a brick or stone
sided lock, this has sloping sides, covered in plants. It’s a really strange
lock to navigate into, as you exit the boat via small walkways located either
side of the lock. As more water is required to fill the lock, it does take
some time. [Music] At either end of the lock there are pillboxes
dating from World War II. These bunkers were built as anti-tank defences
and their steel doors needed to be just as strong as their concrete walls, to
withstand enemy blasts. [Music] [Sounds of water and birds singing] At Tyle Mill there are bins, a water and elsan
point and just before the lock, Tyle Mill swing bridge. I was told it regularly
breaks down and today was my turn. The bridge opening procedure was activated
by a single button as normal and the stop light started to flash.
Well oh deary me. We tried to lower the barriers and open
the swing bridge but it jammed and all it was as the red lights flashing. Which
then of course, we had to be traffic management and help the people cross. Canal and River Trust were called and
arrived relatively quickly but couldn’t fix it. More and more engineers
arrived throughout the afternoon. Remember the lights are still flashing red confusing the motorists. Around five
hours later, the swing bridge was manually opened for me to pass through
and I’m moored up just beyond the lock for the night. And that’s the end of my
filming on the Kennett and Avon Canal. I’m back up here in the East Midlands
now. I needed to return back up here because I’ve just been away to Romania
for a week to do some filming for Victron and I needed to ensure that Alice was
nice and safe and friends could look in on her. I thoroughly enjoyed the
Kennet and Avon Canal. I didn’t do all of it.
I got roughly to Great Bedwyn, a little bit before then. It’s quite a
difficult canal to do on your own, as a solo navigator because there’s a lot of
locks and a lot of swing bridges and the further, you go west, the more
there were it felt like. I knew that that’s how the canal was. I was told that
previously but it is quite tough on your own having to spend most of your day
opening and closing locks and swing bridges – when they work! It’s a nice canal
though, very pretty. It’s got a very good community feel,
I think it’s because it’s cut off from everyone and there’s this big river. They
have that sort of them a us feeling, which is really nice. It goes through
some quite urban areas as well. Obviously Reading and Newbury were the two that I
experienced. No real trouble at all. There weren’t that many mooring spots I must
say, and they’ve let the banks be angled
quite a lot but I didn’t really find any problems, the sides were strong enough to
hold pins in and things so, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I experienced for a
couple of weeks the canal as a boater, which is the first time I’ve done
that ever since I’ve bought Alice really. So that is the end of the Kennet
and Avon, I’m back up here in the East Midlands, lots and lots to do. Until next
time, see you later.
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I love your videos keep up the good work and I just recently been narrowboating for half a day because my grandad's friend has a narrowboat and my granddad's been teaching how to do it so we got a free ride on it I really do appreciate your channel and I think you should post more regularly oh yeah can we have a tour of your boat and how do you get Wi-Fi on your boat
How embarrassing for you. Lovely to see Molly.
You were not alone all day-Molly!
Hi Jono! I like your video!👍
I'm a new viewer of your vlog. I have been binge watching a lot of your older videos. I do enjoy them. I have one question for you. Has Molly ever jumped off the boat at a time you didn't want her to? Keep up the good work.
Given its history it's not really your fault.
Swing bridges make me nervous as do lift ones when I am on my own. Look forward to your vlogs.
01:23 Squirrel !!!!!!!!!
Don't know who is making the danish translations to your vlogs, but I would hope they would stop. Its all jibberish, so we would be better off without it 🙁
Always exciting operating canal swing bridges, the locals know the drill, so as you turn the key and press the button, they are still tear-arsing over the bridge! I tend to shield my view of the road to reduce stress…
thanks for another well put together video and your choice of music is always well re ceived…..take care and try not to break anything else….lol
👌🤪🐾😎👍🏻
So, you pressed the button to operate the bridge, and it jammed. How does that translate as you 'breaking' the bridge? Just asking!
"I broke a bridge" should of been "the button didn't work"
oh dear jono you broke a bridge lol, maybe the crt should maintain them better thats what people pay for after all
Another cracking video Jono! My wife and I were wondering whether you’re posting any footage of your journey through Newbury? Just wondering as that is near to where we live. We did a small section of the K&A earlier this year from Kintbury to Froxield and back on a day-hire narrowboat.
Great photography! Thanks for letting us take the journey with you.
Beautiful views! How is the inside of your narrow boat progressing???
Mollie looks to be full grown now. Is she about 3 now? Thanks for the great vid.
Thank you for producing superb videos. You are our favourite narrow boat channel. You have a great way in explaining everything with living on a narrow boat.
Molly would have enjoyed Romania, any reason the old girl had to stay home?
She must have missed you terribly and you her as well. Molly is a wonderful dog and clearly a lot of fun.
Peace Jono/Molly✌🏻❤️
Thank you enjoyed it very much…. give Alice a hug.
Hi Jono, been a while since your last vlog starting to think you had stoped making them. Great vlog just the same. How is the fit out of the inside of your boat going?
Outstanding video
Beautiful and good luck with the Swing bridge. My son is now stationed in England from the USA near Mildenhall. Have you been near there before? Just curious. Jim in Chile
Nice one Jono ✌️
About 3 years ago, We got stuck in the lock for several hours because the swing bridge wouldn’t open !
At least cars could continue using the bridge. Lovely canal but hard work as you say.
A couble of years ago I was on a scout owned narrow boat. I was on the boat for 5 days and we where on the Leeds Liverpool canal. We're heading towards Bingley 5 rise and swing-bridge 199 broke. I was operating it and I put the key in and it unlocked one of the gates (You had to manually close the gates, the bridge moved automatically, also didn't have flashing lights). So we ended up with one road gate closed and one open. The bridge was also closed. So we couldn't get passed with the boat nor could traffic go over the bridge. So we had to tell people to go and find a diversion (We didn't know the area). IIRC it took about 1-2 hours for CRT to come and fix the bridge. We then proceeded on our way.
Google maps of the bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.8623376,-1.8440132,3a,75y,38.81h,77.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snb_Ier3J1WNUY2ariAaT4g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Great to see you again, Jono. Sorry to hear of your miss adventure with the swing bridge. Loved the scenery and your commentary 👍👏👏👏
Hello John Dave here festival thank you very much for all these wonderful videos you put on YouTube I've got to be honest with you most of the time I'm looking at your dog what a wonderful animal anyway yeah I don't know if I'm the only person who may have noticed this but have you lost weight recently because you look like you've lost at least a couple of stones I can see it in your face have you been on a diet and if so it's nice to see you looking after yourself anyway all the best to you John I'll keep watching PS give that dog a hug from me bye
Sound like you will pass the barge Inn !! www.the-barge-inn.com on honey st. – Of Crop Circles fame — sounds like worth a look see ?? actually there seem to be a few Barge Inn's on the k & a but the one on honey st. seems to have gotten hmm sustained attention
Good to have you and Molly back. Loved the languid feeling of this video and the piano music in the Garston lock segment was especially lovely. I always enjoy your videos because they paint a really good picture of your experiences.
I thought only Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther was the only one who had problems when pushing buttons, lol . Enjoyed the video bro.
At 7:05 looks like Alice is meeting Alice. Great as always… looking forward to future adventures.
Hello, your videos are always so beautiful, and your explanations are very clear, it is a plus for me who am limited with the English language, thank you
That bridge wasn't working when we went through. It took a ten year old boy from a holiday boat to reset it and get it going ….. embarrassing 🙄. Lovely vlog again Jono.
What a lovely canal. Enjoyed your video 👍
With your alarming intro "I broke the swing bridge", I thought you had hit it or something. Rather, it failed to operate. It does not seem CRT we unfamiliar with the issue?
Great job Jono, Molly and Alice.
Problem with audio, sounds as though it was recorded in an echo chamber!
Was I alone in thinking by reading the title that Jono had somehow rammed into the lock gates and preceded to drain the Kennet and Avon canal?
nice video work!
I think it was less a case of you breaking the swing bridge and more of a case of the swing bridge dying just as you got there!
As you said it breaks down quite frequently……..
Lovely video Jonno, thank you 🙏
How long before those pill boxes get converted into bedsits!
When Jono breaks something,
IT STAYS BROKE
A delightful video, such a pleasure to watch and it’s always lovely to see Molly enjoying life x
Hi Jono. Is Alice back in the East Midlands also? If so, how did you get her back?
jono that bridge is not the only one on the system that breaks down on a regular basis ,if you ever go through thorn on the stainforth and keadby look out for the foot bridge ,its a begger fails on a regular basis
looks like the boats ready for blacking! 😉
Went up the Kennet and Avon back in the 70s. The first swing bridge was operated by muscle power and the first mechanised one had been officially opened but couldn't be used so that was as far as we got.
Canal Swing Bridges Constantly Breakdown. The One into my village is Regularly Broken. And it is a fairly New Bridge. They spent Months Replacing the Whole complete Bridge Inc Road & Swing area, Motors & Control box. Inc the canal sides where the bridge sits.
They built A Temp' Footbridge over the canal it was closed for so long.
And Still it Constantly Jams & Breaks.
what they should do is make the Bridges Remote Control Like a Garage Door OR Electric Garden Gate.
As the Boat approaches, Press a Remote Button from the boat & the Bridge would open, Sail through, Then Press to Close. = EASY & Simple.
WHY Get off the boat to turn a key & push a button ? Silly ? with today's Technology.
OR Have Manual Push bridges.
Driven by a very high Geared Gearbox so that a few light turns & the Bridge would Open & close Using A spring Assisted Mechanism.
Or an Elec' Motor & Hydraulic pump.
Very good viewing again! Molly is an exceptional Labrador!
Incredible scenery. Your country is so beautiful.
As a Burghfield Resident I can assure you that breaking the Tyle Mill swing bridge is not a special achievement. In any case if you want to cause proper disruption the Aldermaston lift bridge is the one to break.
It is nice to know that you are not just some dumbass doing it on purpose.
Welcome back to the east Midlands 🙂 brilliant content love all your vids.
Hi Jono and Molly. Have subscribed a while back, and eagerly await each new upload, great channel. One serious question I'd like to pose, Jono, is…..in your opinion, would it be possible to buy a new narrowboat, have it hauled to a yard to fit out, and then haulage to a site for launch? Would it be prohibitive weight wise, and would the fit inside move with hull shape movements as you touched on in an earlier video. I'm not a donator on patreon, but would greatly appreciate your input here. Stay safe, continue the great work. Rich
Very nice. Thank you. You obviously understand that pictures tell the story – unlike many Youtube examples that just feature a shot of a bloke shouting rapidly at me. Good pictures, good rhythm, enough commentary to explain things, but otherwise… excellent effects. Thank you.
unlucky jono
You didn't break it, it just regularly breaks, you were just there when it did.
It goes to show that British Waterways (Canal & River Trust) still use equipment that is liable to breakdown whilst being used by the boat owners!
They should be upgraded!
nice travel logue
I love the cool relaxing style of your videos, nice commentary with subtle music. A pleasure to watch. What editing software do you recommend?
Have you ever done the Caen hill flight
Love your videos – your dog is gorgeous 🥰
Really nice area