down to Upton...

Saturday 16 May continued…


We left Worcester after lunch, dodging the boats still racing - they must've all been so cold bless them!

Racing boats and another graceful swan

Trains, vans, boats and canoes!


Leaving Worcester

What is a group of swans called???

The start of the race

I think the River Severn woke up today and had colic!! No more sleeping babies, just wave upon wave of pain – but I suspect it was still quite tame in comparison to some days! At times we had waves breaking on the bow, surfing the Severn! The sun peeped through the cloud intermittently, but mostly there was a biting cold wind (hence my get up of ear warmer, woollen hat - thanks Kim, it was the South American woollen one you bought me - and Berghaus windproof jacket hood) and of course driving rain!

I can just about see where I'm going!

Not many sights along the way, though we did pass a very large boat and a stunning building that even an MP’s 2nd home allowance wouldn’t quite cover! We also saw a beautiful Kingfisher; wow what an awesome bird that is! Orange breast and a sapphire blue, with hues of purple, back and wings. Unfortunately it moved too swiftly for a photo, even for the amazing Barry…

Worcester Riverboat Cruise

Once we arrived at Upton, Barry took off for a bike ride and checked out the local area…

The bridge at Upton-Upon-Severn and The Kings Head where we went for a drink

Our mooring Saturday night

One of the sunny parts of the day, early evening, just outside of Upton

Amazing colours and an unbelievably blue sky (didn't last long!)

How the other half live

Looks like a Monet I think! Beautiful...

The sky begins to darken once more...

Upton-Upon-Severn is a very happening place on a Saturday night, there must be more pubs than homes here! There was a live band on until midnight in The Kings Head, and a disco going on in the pub next door. We went to the bar of The Kings Head, right by the waterfront, and saw some of the local characters. We also had a couple of drinks with Simon from narrowboat 'Amy' who was parked next door to us and has been following our route since Audlum. Simon and Barry talked about the possibility of travelling down to Sharpness (where he comes from) and going down the Severn Estuary to Bristol. OMG! Not sure that is a good idea at all, though it would mean that we wouldn’t have to go the long way round to get there. Mmm, we’ll see, not sure I’m that adventurous…

Sandra and Simon - the latter a little worse for wear after 2 pints of strong cider!

Sunday 17 May
The sun shone briefly this morning so we went into the town and had a walk round and bought provisions, and managed to find a cafe selling real cappuncino's - two other places we tried only had the instant Nescafe powdered crap - I think the English concentrtate more on tea than coffee, but as a Kiwi I'm now used to good coffee! The Bell coffee house patron had his coffee machine on even though he was shut (long story about a BMW crash), and made us two - very nice man thank you!

The 'Pepper pot' tower at Upton

After much deliberation (because the weather has been mostly absolutely dreadful today), we finally set off for Tewkesbury around 1600hrs. We arrived here late afternoon and, due to the fact that we had to pay 55 pounds for a license to be on the River Avon (crikey!), we will now be cruising slowly towards Stratford-Upon-Avon over the next 15 days (the duration of the license)rather than going down to Gloucester and out to the Severn Estuary (hurrah!).

We are, however, boatbound and haven't ventured to any of the lovely pubs in Tewksbury as yet - if only it would stop raining!!!!!!!!!! Could be the river will have risen so much by the morning that we will not get under the bridge...

Messing about on the river...

Friday 15 May
We left Stourport today before the hordes came for the ‘boat enthusiasts’ weekend’; as well as the fact that our mooring only allowed us to stay until midday. My mum and dad returned as they’d forgotten a piece of our washing (thanks mum!) and also brought a parcel that had been delivered for Barry – a missing part of his brewing kit. Barry jumped up and down on his bike when I told him it had arrived, so now he can really get a move on with the home brew which he's started but has been waiting for the forgotten ingredient!

Mum and dad were persuaded to help with the 3 locks that took us out onto the River Severn...

My mum looking pretty as a picture bless her

So if we're all doing the lock, and Barry is taking the phot, who's manning the boat as it sinks into the abyss???

After reading a few things about the Severn, I had been a little nervous (thanks for your reassurance Roger whoever you are!) and had already checked out that the life jacket was a good fit, then just before driving into it I tried on the life ring for size too!

I needn’t have worried as the river levels were below the green on the flood chart. Despite how it feels here, England hasn’t had that much rain recently so the river was as calm as a sleeping baby. In fact, after 4 weeks of canals, many of them only wide enough for one narrowboat to pass through, the Severn was like a six-lane motorway in New Zealand – we only passed one boat, going in the opposite direction, all the way to Worcester (it took us about 2 hours)! Barry was like a pig in shit at many points along the way, and took so many pictures of trees and river (very pretty though don’t ya think?) that his memory card was full when we arrived at the day’s destination!

A pretty bridge just outside of Stourport

The locks were also very different to those on the canals, and could fit half a dozen boats in at a time it seemed, but then most of the boats on the river are rather large. They're operated on a traffic light system and are 'manned' – what a boring job that must be especially on days when there is hardly any traffic. And what on earth do they do in the winter? Anyway, a lot less energy for me and my arthritic neck and sore knees – I need a new body, preferably a young, fit and agile one!

Plenty of room for our little Northern Pride

This is what serenity looks like...

Abandoned the life ring and even went down to short sleeves for part of the day - and driving was surprisingly a doddle!!

More serenity...

Who might live in a house like this...

More cruisers than narrowboats now


The Holt Fleet Lock - note the green traffic light on the right hand side

Thomas Telford's bridge at Holt Fleet

How the other half lives - probably MP's second homes paid for by the British public!!!!

Entering one of the locks

Homes (more MP's?!) by the river on the oustskirts of Worcerster

Worcester Bridge and the Cathedral in the background

We moored underneath the railway bridge in Worcester; thank goodness the trains stopped at about 11pm and didn’t start again until 0700.

Saturday 16 May

Today there is lots of activity on the river with boat races going on and speed boats speeding past. We are rocking around on our mooring but still holding fast. Barry has gone for a bike ride along the towpath in the wind and the rain, brrrr...

We'll be carrying on down the river later and plan to get to Upton-Upon-Severn this afternoon, a very picturesque village not far from Tewkesbury where we hope to get to on Sunday.

Someone asked me yesterday if I was bored yet - how on earth could anyone be bored doing what we're doing? We're loving it - you never know what the next day is going to bring. Apart from reading the Guardian every few days to catch up on the emerging govermental crisis (not sure why but it it fascinates me, who on earth do they think they are?!!) we busy ourselves reading, writing the blog, playing travel games like ludo and snakes and ladders, eating lovely food, drinking in the boat or the local pub, cruising and looking at the lovely scenery and chatting to local folks (apart from the occasional stuck up ones who don't talk to us!), entertaining visitors, and of course talking to each other and planning what we are doing over the coming days, weeks and months. No, we're definitely not bored...

Cruising along leisurely

Jamie and Taryn have left us to return to the big smoke as they have lots to organise for their new lives in England - we hope they can return to us for a chilled weekend or two over the next 4-5 months. Taryn has been initiated into the 'family game' of 6 handed rummy, so we look forward to future challenges!

The lovely blue skies and sunshine left us yesterday unfortunately, and the forecast for the next heaven knows how many days is cloudy and rainy - light showeres alternated by heavy showers! Today has just been a little glum with the occasional bit of rain, so fingers crossed they are wrong and we won't get soaked.

Leaving Kidderminster

We’ve purchased a folding bike today, Barry has been keen to do this since we've been here and as we were moored next door to Halfords it seemed the ideal opportunity, especially as it was half price! He plans to take off every now and cycle around to find the best shots - not that he hasn't taken some amazing ones already or anything!

Trying out the new folding bike

We cruised leisurely to Stourport today and we’re mooring overnight before heading out onto the River Severn tomorrow morning towards Worcester. The Severn is a tidal river so things may be very different to the canals - Barry reassures me that all will be fine. I'm sure it will, so long as I don't try to drive the boat at any stage and certainly don't get left alone on it, I may never be seen again!!

Stourport

We met up with my parents once again this afternoon, it’s cool to be able to see them so often and have somewhere for them to come and visit us. Hopefully they'll be coming to spend a few days with us on the boat in a couple of weeks, so long as my dad doesn’t repeat his falling into the canal trick!!

Having a trip down the canal to the basin - check out the caps Trish!!

Barry and Don talk tools!

Docked for the day

Tuesday 12 May
Jamie and Taryn decided not to attempt driving (and from some of the awful driving I’ve been doing I think they probably made the correct choice!), but did have some fun working the locks together. After a while though they made the most of the beautiful blue sky day and caught some sunshine on the roof, though the wind chill factor meant they still needed a blanket to keep warm!

Just like a James Bond Film

Lovely sunny day on the Staffordshire - Worcestershire canal

Sandra the good samaratin helping someone with the lock

Jamie & Taryn the 'lock girls'

Lunch at the tearooms in Stourton

A slow day, not the best of stops in comparison to those we have previously had which was a disappointment as we wanted Jamie to see some of the more colourful canal sights. But there was some lovely countryside along the way, and the most amazing garden – I think it was just outside of Stourton.

Entrance to a cave next to the lock

This house and garden are below the level of the canal

We were warned not to moor up at Kidderminster, the town where I lived for 3 and a half years while I did my nurse training from 1978 to 1981, but to stay 2 miles north or south. So we moored at Wolverly overnight and had dinner in The Lock, a quiet little pub funnily enough right by the lock! I had driven through the lock a short while before and there were loads of people around – one of the few times when I have driven into the lock without banging the sides on entry! Once in there were half a dozen or so people taking photographs and people in the pub came to watch too, it was a bizarre experience, I’m not sure how famous people get on with that happening to them all the time!!!

The church at Kidderminster, 'Damn those bells'

Following the lock photo marathon, I managed to run the boat aground once again trying to moor it up. Barry and I had a bit of a communication breakdown, I thought I was mooring one end of the boats and he thought I was mooring somewhere else, so by the time we realised this I’d almost missed the stop! Some heavy manoeuvring later by Barry and the poor man whose boat I nearly crashed into, and me trying to reverse away from the canal bank on the other side where the rear of the boat (is that the stern???) got stuck in the mud ,and all was well again though I was just a bit of a wreck. I think the menopause may be catching up with me, or at least that’s my excuse for some very stressed out behaviour recently when a few things happen all at once!! Or maybe I’m just not taking to this like a duck to water?!

Wednesday 14 May
Jamie and Taryn went to Straford-Upon-Avon today on the train. We were never going to get there on the boat in the time they have with us and they’d seen enough green fields and sheep to last them a lifetime apparently!! So up at the crack of dawn to motor on down to Kidderminster and moor up for a brisk walk to the station and a 2 hour train journey.

Jesting with the besta Jester

Barry has made the most of the day fixing things on the boat and repairing the broken bilge pump, while I took advantage of Marks and Spencers and Sainsbury’s while I had access to them! My mum and dad came for lunch so I treated us all to a lovely haddock mornay with boiled new potatoes and asparagus, followed by strawberries and chocolate éclairs, yumy scrumy!!

Mother goose with the procession