Basingstoke Assault 6.

Three boats left the Fox & Hounds at 10am to move through thin ice to the swing bridge. Leo No.2 and Orions Way were already there when I arrived, but Brian and Kathryn were having difficulty opening it. Leo was moved back and I nudged it open with the bow fender, as my bow was much higher out of the water than the other two boats.
The landscape had now changed from the birch and pine on sandy soil at Deepcut to oak, ash and beech on more open farmland.

Deep  Clear Water With Wartime Tank Traps Everywhere.

The water was very clean and wide, with well kept banks and mostly deep at the edges. Of course, this long pound was used by hire boats from Galleon Marine as well as private ones in the summer, unlike the pounds below Deepcut.
In a short time we came to Blacksmiths Bridge and had to wind the boats before mooring just below the bridge.

                                                  Moorings At Blacksmiths Bridge.

More use of the chainsaw on the bank, as too much timber on the cabin top was making it difficult to get through the bridges.
Some of us walked down to the landslip, but the towpath was blocked off for safety reasons, so it was not wise to proceed further. The towpath had been pushed in it's entirety several feet into the canal and 3" wide cracks were visible in the path. Several thousand pounds are going to have to be spent correcting this and I cannot see it being completed before the end of the summer. Just getting plant to the site is going to be a logistical nightmare, as the towpath is so narrow. Yet another piece of bad luck for this canal and it was all going so well.

With The Towpath Closed, Could It Be Any More Peaceful?