Caen Hill Locks

Considered one of the wonders of the Canal world, the 29 locks of the 2 mile stretch of Kennet & Avon Canal, at Devizes, Wiltshire, are a free attraction to others, too.

In just two miles, the ground rises 237 feet (72m in 3.2km) and my pic shows the steepest part, with the most locks. Remarkably, barges still use it today, though they are all pleasure craft these days and several were encountering the system today and after much fund-raising and volunteer-led renovation, it is a pleasure to walk along the tow-path (on the right, here - see the cyclist) and take in the huge feat of engineering that it undoubtedly is.

Look in LARGE (L key).

Each lock has its own basin, for waiting craft, to er, wait in, for their turn, as it is definitely single-file through the locks. You need to have several hours and lots of patience to even contemplate taking on these flight of locks - not for the faint-hearted!

Each paddle-like lever, as seen, opens the locks - all done by sheer muscle power - and see just how many there are! True, my long 300mm lens has compressed them all up, to make it look more like an insurmountable mountain but that is what I wanted. A small f22 aperture also, to get as much in focus as possible too - and why black & white? Just that I was able to put some punch into the shot, without it burning out, that's why!

Today, was also probably the last day to witness shorts wearers as Autumn progresses and the forecast is for a colder snap from tomorrow. Ah, bless!