In the ten or so years that I have lived in Hungerford, I have seen a few changes, the most recent being the opening of a Costa Coffee outlet nearly opposite the Arcade. I am not a great lover of chains, but I have always found that the Costa outlets in their own way add to the buzz of a town. Not that Hungerford needs much of a buzz as it is quite a lively town which has a bit of everything.
You might be surprised to find out that Hungerford is situated on three separate waterways. These being the Rivers Kennet and Dun as well as our beloved Kennet and Avon Canal which has been fully restored and runs for some ninety miles. I have always liked canals as although man made, they are the most organic of creatures and the K&A is no different.
My wife and I often walk ten to fifteen miles along the canal if anything, for the peace and quiet and also, that the canal is so accessible and friendly. But if you are not so energetic, there is another way that you can travel along the canal at an even more leisurely pace than walking. That is by taking a trip on The Rose which is moored next to the canal bridge.
Last Sunday, my granddaughter was visiting and she expressed a wish to travel on The Rose. So I booked a trip for Caron and Lily and although we had travelled on The Rose before, it was a great experience as every trip is different.
Whilst walking around the town, I am often stopped by visitors who ask me if I know of a good pub or a decent place to eat. They have visited the Arcade and the other shops and want to know more about our lovely town.
Depending on the question, I usually help as much as I can or direct them to the library. But I have been asked a couple of times of how to book a trip on The Rose. As I always book in advance, I normally suggest that they visit Fare Wise Travel which is right next to the railway bridge.
Fair Wise Travel are very efficient and they can tell you which trips are fully booked and which ones have spaces or are lightly booked.
You can also visit the K&A Trust (Hungerford Boat Trips) website which has all the details required.
The costs involved are very reasonable and I paid £18.00 for all three of us. This was for a ninety-minute return trip towards Kintbury.
It is likely that The Rose offers other alternatives so it is best to either check the website or chat to Fair Wise Travel should you want to know more (Tel: 01488 686858).
Rafters Cafe` at Hungerford Arcade
After your trip you might want refreshment and there are plenty of places in the town which cater for all tastes. The Arcade has Rafters Café which is nice to visit and also has the advantage of being situated above the book section. I say this as your trip on The Rose may have whetted your appetite to learn more about canals in the UK. Well if it has, there is a fine selection of canal books to be found in the book section just under the stairs.
You will find these with the railway books and magazines and if you look closely into the ephemera boxes you might also come across some canal related items. They come and go, but I have been lucky to pick up some Victorian canal ephemera in recent months.
Happy Hunting
Stuart Miller-Osborne
