Overall this was probably not the ideal day to start off walking the tow paths. Needing a new car, i took the trqain to Swindon and a bus to Devizes which meant no bike and having to do things the harder way. The advantage was getting off the beaten track to get some of the pillboxes, the real disadvantage was the wet and reopening old blisters on both feet. I started from where i left off and picking the nearest bus stop out of town i walked eastwards towards the first of the bridges, then further along to the blocks and pillbox just off the tow path. There were quite a few failures on this trip due to either extended housing development, one pillbox plotted incorrectly (i got seriously wet for that one when walking the long grass), inaccessible pillboxes behind closed and guarded properties or simply not finding what i was expecting.
I also found a disused abattoir, my old street where i lived when i was 8 and had cracking company in the pub. The discussion soon turned to WW2 and visiting sites so i felt right at home. Late closing and 6 pints helped.
I took in the trip in just over 24 hours arriving at mid-afternoon on Monday and eventually giving up when my legs got too sore to walk on. The massive fail was expecting to walk into a hotel and get a room for the night and this wasn't the case. The rather smug girl behind the bar in a Hotel in the market square seemed to take perverse pleasure in supplying that information. I ended up having a warm up and a few beers in a random pub and wandering around most of the night to keep warm. The rain did not help me out one little bit when i was already wet and bedraggled.
Anyhow less of the sob story as i enjoyed myself out there :
ANTI TANK VERTICAL RAIL: S0008732
South side of Laywood Bridge.
View to the north side of the bridge.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008733
Again a north facing entrance. The pillbox is well and truly sealed up from prying eyes.
Heading back out east for what seemed like and eternity i finally found what i wanted.
ANTI TANK BLOCK: S0006646
Horton Bridge, by side of road to Coate. Someone has given them both a little TLC since the entry on GE.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0006645
Heading further down the road a little you will come across this pillbox. A little breather inside as it was starting to rain a tad more than usual!!!
The next pillbox was a beast to find. Sat high up on the bank to the Kennet and sat in heavy undergrowth i stumbled on it more than located it. It was in a terrible state and i am amazed there was evidence of someone living in it at some point. There was no ricochet wall inside. It was dank and wet and even had frogs inside. How they get out is a mystery. The entrance was partially sealed up but there was still sufficient space to climb in.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008731
Back out of the wooded area and sat in Brickham Bridge :
ANTI TANK CYLINDERS: S0008730
Things started going a little awry from this point. The pillbox sat on the housing estate looks to have been lost to the developers. The housing estate has been further extended since images were uploaded on GE.
I hunted all over the area and aside from a possible site of heavy undergrowth and trees it is unlikely. I found no evidence of roadblocks on the next tow bridges down so carried on to the pillbox. Thankfully that was still there!
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008716
Sat on the corner of Dyehouse lane it would originally have afforded a cracking view of Cemetery Bridge.
This is now listed and as such the internal shots are a little ropy.
I eventually gave up on the section where PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008715 was located as it was behind a sealed security gate. Even attempt to view it from the next access drive proved fruitless as it was behind a high walled enclosure. I also completely gave up on the section south of the A361 as i got completely soaked in the long grass and will need to get back there on a dry day.
Back out onto the canal and sat down the side of the access path to the canal are the two cylinders i was looking for.
ANTI TANK CYLINDERS: S0008656
The next day:
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008704
Back out onto the tow path at Sells Green and to the West of Spout Lane Bridge. The Southern facing secion of the pillbox has been crudely removed and the entrance door in the North has been bricked up.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008703
Marked up of the DoB as sitting in a copse of trees in the middle of a field. This proved wholy inaccurate as the pillbox was possibly sat right on the tow path and was destroyed when the tow path was strengthened. The area was suffering seepage in the banks and flooding the fields next to it so a massive operation was undertaken to repair the leaks, and buy some of the farm land and turn it into wetland. The only evidence i could find was :
Photo below showing the copse of trees in the field marked up as the pillbox location. The far left of the picture on the tow path is the possible remains of the pillbox and its actual location.
I shall carry this report on tomorrow on another thread so as not to OD you all.
Thanks for viewing.
I also found a disused abattoir, my old street where i lived when i was 8 and had cracking company in the pub. The discussion soon turned to WW2 and visiting sites so i felt right at home. Late closing and 6 pints helped.
I took in the trip in just over 24 hours arriving at mid-afternoon on Monday and eventually giving up when my legs got too sore to walk on. The massive fail was expecting to walk into a hotel and get a room for the night and this wasn't the case. The rather smug girl behind the bar in a Hotel in the market square seemed to take perverse pleasure in supplying that information. I ended up having a warm up and a few beers in a random pub and wandering around most of the night to keep warm. The rain did not help me out one little bit when i was already wet and bedraggled.
Anyhow less of the sob story as i enjoyed myself out there :
ANTI TANK VERTICAL RAIL: S0008732
South side of Laywood Bridge.
View to the north side of the bridge.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008733
Again a north facing entrance. The pillbox is well and truly sealed up from prying eyes.
Heading back out east for what seemed like and eternity i finally found what i wanted.
ANTI TANK BLOCK: S0006646
Horton Bridge, by side of road to Coate. Someone has given them both a little TLC since the entry on GE.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0006645
Heading further down the road a little you will come across this pillbox. A little breather inside as it was starting to rain a tad more than usual!!!
The next pillbox was a beast to find. Sat high up on the bank to the Kennet and sat in heavy undergrowth i stumbled on it more than located it. It was in a terrible state and i am amazed there was evidence of someone living in it at some point. There was no ricochet wall inside. It was dank and wet and even had frogs inside. How they get out is a mystery. The entrance was partially sealed up but there was still sufficient space to climb in.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008731
Back out of the wooded area and sat in Brickham Bridge :
ANTI TANK CYLINDERS: S0008730
Things started going a little awry from this point. The pillbox sat on the housing estate looks to have been lost to the developers. The housing estate has been further extended since images were uploaded on GE.
I hunted all over the area and aside from a possible site of heavy undergrowth and trees it is unlikely. I found no evidence of roadblocks on the next tow bridges down so carried on to the pillbox. Thankfully that was still there!
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008716
Sat on the corner of Dyehouse lane it would originally have afforded a cracking view of Cemetery Bridge.
This is now listed and as such the internal shots are a little ropy.
I eventually gave up on the section where PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008715 was located as it was behind a sealed security gate. Even attempt to view it from the next access drive proved fruitless as it was behind a high walled enclosure. I also completely gave up on the section south of the A361 as i got completely soaked in the long grass and will need to get back there on a dry day.
Back out onto the canal and sat down the side of the access path to the canal are the two cylinders i was looking for.
ANTI TANK CYLINDERS: S0008656
The next day:
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008704
Back out onto the tow path at Sells Green and to the West of Spout Lane Bridge. The Southern facing secion of the pillbox has been crudely removed and the entrance door in the North has been bricked up.
PILLBOX (TYPE FW3/22): S0008703
Marked up of the DoB as sitting in a copse of trees in the middle of a field. This proved wholy inaccurate as the pillbox was possibly sat right on the tow path and was destroyed when the tow path was strengthened. The area was suffering seepage in the banks and flooding the fields next to it so a massive operation was undertaken to repair the leaks, and buy some of the farm land and turn it into wetland. The only evidence i could find was :
Photo below showing the copse of trees in the field marked up as the pillbox location. The far left of the picture on the tow path is the possible remains of the pillbox and its actual location.
I shall carry this report on tomorrow on another thread so as not to OD you all.
Thanks for viewing.
