The end is neigh

Three miles short of Stratford and the end of the Avon tomorrow.

Yesterday we left our over night mooring at Harvington, four miles up stream we stopped at Bidford for supplies. Then made it another half mile to the next lock. Decided it was just damned hot and called it a day.

We set off earlier today to get somewhere before the heat of the afternoon. Cruising the rivers is beautiful and good for the soul, but, not very interesting. You have the river, trees and fields. That's about your lot apart from the occasional bridge and locks.

This could be anywhere along the Avon.

The locks add a bit of drama they go from benign to ferocious at the winding of a gate paddle.




We have moored up for the night at Luddington, Shakespeare was married here. It's a beautiful spot.



After lunch we crossed the lock bridge.



To do a spot of extreme paddling.






Before going home to Maya for a sausage buttie tea.

Longest day

The longest day of the year and a beautiful summers day on a lazy river.

Not a lot happened really, just peace and relaxation and the English countryside slipping by.



We got near to Evesham and found a free pump out for the loo, well it was right next to the sewage works. Then we sent the tow path rover ashore and went into Evesham to stock up on provisions, we'll be blown if we can find a supermarket there so we left again with a harrumph. To Evesham lock where a gaggle of Italians in venetian rowing boats passed by.



It seems that with every lock on the Avon there is a weir and with every weir there is a mill. This is typical of the ones we've seen.



Tomorrows mission is to find supplies or we'll have to eat the ships cat, if we had one.

Peaceful moorings

Yesterday after I posted the blog it was time to BBQ while we watched the setting sun.

It was a lovely warm, still evening. Owls were calling and bats wheeled overhead. We had some sky lanterns left over from the wedding so we set them free.

It was so still the first one went straight up, burnt out and came back down to earth about 5o feet away. We went and retrieved it. The second went even higher and caught a bit of a breeze and sailed so far we lost sight of it.

We had a lazy morning enjoying the seclusion before setting off and avoiding some more ancient monuments.

We came to Wyre lock. Home of Wrye Piddle beer, and the most unusual lock I've ever seen. Apparently built like this to combat lateral ground thrust.

Then we moored for the day on an island in the middle of the river.



Tomorrow we are looking forward to passing tiddle widdle island, I kid you not. Further upstream we pass sausage island.

Avon calling !

Another day another river. The Avon is much smaller than the Severn and a lot slower. So progress up it is much easier, more relaxing.

The captain's T'shirt summed up the day nicely.

Then we approached our first lock, signalled by a weir.

We then found out why the guide books said to tie off the boat fore and aft.

River locks are much more violent than canal locks. The water is literally being forced in.

After avoiding ancient scheduled monuments we moored up for the evening and awaited our Kiwi guest.

This morning we took our new crew member on a short cruise up the Avon.It really lived up to our blog's title. It meanders spectacularly, this is one old lazy river.

Arriving at a lock our guest was a little bemused as to why you should need a lock on a river, why not just sail up it?

You need the weirs to maintain a navigable water level, otherwise the water would just run away. So you need locks to get up the different levels, plus narrow boats don't shoot rapids too well.




Carrying on a little further up stream before having a brew at a lovely secluded mooring and making the return journey back to her car.

We then headed back up stream to the mooring.






Heavenly.

Back tracking north

We left Sharpness early yesterday morning and headed back north to Gloucester.

We knew we were getting close when we passed under the biggest swing bridge I've ever seen!



To spend another night in Gloucester docks, much quieter this time. What with it being mid week and no football matches being shown at the pub.



We sat on the wharf and watched the sun go down while the sea cadets paddled themselves round in ever decreasing circles.

Then this morning we set off passing through Gloucester lock and back onto the Severn. With the captain at the helm we headed into the current. Not as bad as we had feared it would be, didn't slow us down too much.



Then I took the helm and found something else to obsess over, a straight wake!



Next came the Avon, well after the lock keeper came off his lunch and let us in.



We've moored up in sight of Tewkesbury Cathedral. Ready to press on tomorrow where we are to collect a very special guest who is on a fact finding mission from New Zealand

End of the line

Well we can go no further on this canal, we've reached the sea ! off in the distance were the two Severn crossings.

We still haven't seen a working boat despite all the warnings in the guide book, but as we got closer to the sea the boats we did see got bigger!

We stopped just short of Sharpness as it still has working docks, but there is little else here just a great view over the Severn estuary to Wales.

.

So we mounted our trusty steeds and went to find the very end of the canal.



One very orange jacket saw it's first public outing too.

The canal terminates at a tidal basin with what would have been a huge set of lock gates out to the sea. They have been blocked up now and we weren't about to venture any further. Apparently the Severn has the third highest tidal range in the world. Not narrow boat friendly.

Though the railways tried it.



Until a ship wiped it out one foggy night. The bridge is long gone, but the ship that did the damage can still be seen at low water. As too can the remains of the railway swing bridge where it passed over the canal.




Tomorrow we turn around and start heading back up stream to the Avon.

Back to work

Before leaving Gloucester lock this morning we played proper tourists and went into town. After a spot of retail therapy we headed back to the boat and set off. The bright orange jacket I got in the sales will be glaringly obvious in future posts.




Only to stop again just after the bridge to one of boating's least pleasant jobs, emptying the holding tank for the loo. After which we filled up with water and set off again only to stop a few hundred yards further on to take on provisions.



As this is a commercial canal still, I donned an old works T shirt and set off, very apt as we passed very close to the Dentressangle depot at Gloucester on our way.

There are many swing bridges on this canal, the widest and deepest in the world when it was completed. So all the bridges spans are large, all are manned but not all of them have to be opened because you can slip underneath some of them while closed in a narrow boat, but not this one.

Every bridge has a keepers house adjacent to it, and very grand they are too.

The canal was very quiet we didn't see another narrow let alone a working boat. Until this appeared around a corner on a collision course!


That was nothing compared to mooring up between two other boats in a howling tail wind, not a elegant arrival but any mooring you can step ashore from is a good one.

Tomorrow? pictures from the seaside.

Surprise Visit

The captain checked her phone this morning and found we were to have a surprise visit from Mum and Dad B.

When they arrived we had a tour of the docks,

Where Mr B found the ideal pump for irrigating the top field.



I found the perfect cure for my biking itch. Hmmmm I wonder where i could get one?



Then we all went to the waterways museum.




Where Jen met two of her heros,




and I got an idea for a steering upgrade and an outlet for my ropework craze, Hmmmmm I wonder?



Tomorrow we restock the ships supplies and strike out for Sharpness. We thought long and hard about going as it's a commercial canal. We've come this far we may as well see it to the end. It terminates at the coast and it's the only time we'll have a chance to see the sea on this trip.

Gloucester Docks

Yesterday was a bit grey and dull, but there was some local colour.

It brightened up in the afternoon and as the lock keeper is redundant these days with all the locks being manned he put his feet up when we got to our moorings at Upton upon Severn.



We wondered why all the moorings had such huge poles holding the jetties????



Then we looked up.



YIPES !!!

Today we headed further south, passing Tewkesbury on the way,




and being passed by four girls rowing with one arm behind their backs, oh the shame of it.



We were weighed down by a racing pigeon who landed on deck for a quick breather. Eventually he got back in the race and carried on his way.



Then we donned our life jackets ready for the infamous Gloucester lock.




It's a big one and treacherous on its approach. We drew quite a crowd once inside.





It seemed to take an age to fill but once through the docks are spectacular.





Tomorrow we plan to visit the museum and do a spot of shopping.