Another grey day, who'd thought? Cookie wants to ride back up the canal to Devizes and then take a different route back to Salisbury. I opt to take the canal further down to Trowbridge, and then get the train back to Salisbury. I remember the ride from a few years ago, and liked it alot.
Here's a shot of the canal (above the campground) looking up at about ten locks. It takes boats anywhere from 4-5 hours to navigate all 29 locks. It's an arduous process: opening and closing gates and waiting for the water to raise the boat. Several years back, they installed a new pump to move water back up to the top of the canal. It's quite an amazing system.
Here are some of the boats on the canal. As you can see, they are long and VERY narrow. I haven't seen any from the inside, but I can only imagine that they are a bit more cramped than many motor-homes. There are mostly older, retired folks who own and run them. You can rent some out for about $1000-$2000 per week. You get to live on the boat and walk or ride the canal every day! It's a liesurely way to spend your time.
Should you get super hungry for a special dining experience along the canal, your boat can stop at the Barge Inn. I haven't been to this particular establishment. It is quite lovely and unique from the outside. If it's anything like other pubs in this area, I suspect the food is the same, lovely and unique.
