Information about the River Avon at Bristol and Bath and it's natural inhabitants!
History
The name Avon derives from the Celtic word “Afon” meaning river. River Avon therefore means “River River”. There are in fact 9 river Avons in the UK and our River Avon flows from its twin sources near Sherston and Tetbury, on the South Eastern slope of the Cotswolds to its confluence with the River Severn at Avonmouth.
It travels some 70 miles in total, travelling through Malmesbury, Chippenham, Melksham, Bradford on Avon, Bath and Bristol on the way.
Until 1727 the River Avon was not navigable to Bristol – it used to be a series of streams broken by swamps and ponds, with serious flooding onto surrounding land every winter. The flow of the river is managed by a series of weirs and locks to control the river at different levels, and has a well defined route.
The river was a busy route for transportation through the 19th century, with its strong links to London through the Kennet & Avon canal and Bristol along the route we take on our cruise.
BRISTOL has a long maritime history dating back to the 12th century, and became one of the main ports of England, with strong trading links with S. Wales, Ireland, Scandinavia and later with the Americas and W. Africa in the 16th and 17th century. The expression “shipshape & Bristol fashion” was used to describe wooden ships which were capable of withstanding the strain of repeatedly being stranded in Bristol on low tides, where the river would rise and fall some 30ft.
Bristol’s “floating harbour” was created by William Jessop between 1804 & 1809 to be non tidal and controlled by lock gates at either end, but ceased being a commercial port in the 1960’s and is now thriving in the centre of the city for leisure and business interests.
We will see much evidence of the city’s history and new developments, with the famous “SS Great Britain” back in the dry dock where she was originally built by Brunel, maybe the “Matthew” sailing around the harbour, and the many new and very smart apartments around the harbourside.
The Route
The cruising time between Bristol and Bath is between 5 and 6 hours, travelling some 18 miles, and navigating our way through 7 locks on the way, at Netham (Bristol), Hanham, Keynsham, Swineford, Saltford, Kelston and Weston on the outskirts of Bath.
We are able to enjoy the ever changing scenery along the whole of the route, from the bustle of the historic docks in Bristol to the Georgian architecture of Bath and the countryside and small villages along the way. Every cruise is unique, seeing different boats and wildlife as we travel.
We leave Bristol harbour through Prince Street bridge and out along the Feeder canal through Netham lock – is it John or Robin (the lock keepers) on duty today?
We travel through the outskirts of the city to Hanham lock - wave to the people in the pubs - and onwards past the old paper mill and chocolate factory to Keynsham lock, the extent to where the river is tidal from Bristol.
Continuing through the Avon valley, we pass the boatyard where our vessel was built in 1988, and the country park (can you see a llama?), and onwards through Swineford lock - very picturesque and not visible from the road.
We are well on the way now as we reach the next lock at the Jolly Sailor pub at Saltford.
Next we pass through lovely open countryside to Kelston lock and onwards past Bath marina at Newbridge (look out for the herons and kingfishers) to Weston lock, the largest on this stretch of river.
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| Moorings near Kelston |
Lovely scenery en route |
Bath Abbey |
Pulteney bridge & weir |
In BATH we finish our jouney at Broadquay, which was a busy industrial area in the 19th century, handling Bath stone quarried nearby, textiles, engineering, etc.
There is so much to see in just a few hours – why not consider using the train for the return journey?
We can arrange an itinerary for you, whether it is business or pleasure.
Please telephone us on
0117 904 3671 or 07854 870508
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