River cruise along the Avon

I finished seeing everything I wanted to see in Bath, but still had about three hours to kill before my train back to Oxford. Steve suggested I do a river cruise, so I picked the one that I saw earlier negotiating its way by the weir.

The hour-long cruise traveled up the Avon to the village of Bathampton and back. As I mentioned earlier, this is not the famous River Avon that gives its name to Stratford-upon-Avon. There are actually eleven rivers named Avon in the UK. Avon is Anglo-Saxon (I think) for river. So all the River Avons are actually River River. That's right up there with Shrimp Scampi. Anyway, this was a country cruise, so it was mostly scenery. These are the bits I snapped along the way because I thought they were pretty.

I'm sitting on the upper deck near the bow waiting for the cruise to start. There's the weir to my left and the Pulteney Bridge in front. I just learned that this was a filming site for Les Miserables. Javert's suicide was shot here.

And we're off!

Both the captain and tour guide were excited to see this kingfisher. They've never seen one sitting still like this. 

I can't get over the vivid colors of its plumage. The kingfishers in Florida are a much more muted blue.

I think Bath is one of the most picturesque cities in England.

The sister boat of the Avon Monarch.

You can rent these small punts during nice weather. I think they're called punts. They are over 100 years old. Talk about enduring craftsmanship.

Our cruise ended at this weir at Bathampton. Unlike the modern weir in Bath, which was designed for flood control, these old weirs are usually tied to a mill. They created the fast-moving water the mills required to run their machinery. That bridge is one of the few remaining privately-owned toll bridges in the country. It generates buckets of money according to the tour guide - over a million pounds annually.

The ducks congregated in the fast water. 

The view from the far side of the weir. That's a pub on the other side.

Another kingfisher! Two in one day. 

As well as one of Her Majesty's swans. From what I understand, all of the swans belong to the crown.

It wasn't exactly a nice day for a balloon ride, and yet . . .

Can you see the balloon? Hint: Use the blue boat as a guide.

This is the Cleveland Bridge. It dates to the 19th century. There was some kind of artist studio built into its base.

Nearing Bath.

The Pulteney Bridge from the other side. The bridge was completed in 1774. It is one of only four bridges in Europe that has shops built into it. What you see from this side are temporary storage sheds added in the 19th century. They were never replaced, so they are now the only storage sheds noted as Grade I historic buildings.

And so ended my charming one-hour river cruise, and my visit to Bath. After this, I made my way to the train station.