Under the bridge

The Medway again, this time at East Farleigh. This is the 14th C bridge which is a Grade I listed building and probably one of the best examples of its type in the South East of England. To the left of this image is East Farleigh lock which drops boats to the final stretch of non-tidal river. This runs for a few miles towards and through Maidstone and then Allington where the lock is the tidal limit. From there the river is tidal as it meanders through its valley to Rochester and Chatham and the Thames.

Behind me is East Farleigh railway station - railways like the same terrain as rivers and canals - generally flat or with reasonable gradients. Across the river the road climbs out of the valley and, if you know where you are going, down another valley and up again before reaching the Loose valley.

A big difference between rivers and canals is water. Rivers tend to have a constant supply of water and have sluices near locks in order to manage the water level. Canals generally have to jealously guard their water as it flows away from the summit pound each time a lock is used. Here the water is brown because there is a lot of "fresh" running; we've had a lot of rain so the river is high and cloudy with mud from the run-off from fields. At warmer times of the year this can cause problems as fertilizers running into rivers and canals can feed algae and lead to bloom.

For all that you've got this image because I love the texture of the bridge, the cathedral-like vaulting in the arch and the delicious light on the water - so there. Have to go now - things to see and people to do.