Avon Calling!

At the end of the last blog we were about to leave Wootton Wawen. We needed to top up our diesel and the handy marina by the aqueduct seemed like a good place - except it wasn't clear where we needed to stop. "Just pull onto the aqueduct" we were told, so that's what we did - a unique

experience! This was to be the first of two on our journey, the second being the impressive Edstone Aqueduct which, at 475 feet, is the longest cast iron one in England. It goes over a road, a stream, water meadows, a railway line and a disused branch line. Apparently if you time it right you can find yourself travelling across it as a steam locomotive puffs its way beneath you, but sadly not on the day we went across.

We'd heard there were some water shortages ahead so we took our time and arrived at Wilmcote Top Lock just as nb Carpe Diem were heading down. As boats had been waiting to come up there was plenty of help on hand, plus volunteer lockies too, which made descending the eleven locks a breeze. We were now on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon and making good

headway - until we got grounded between the final two locks. Rob let some water down and we were on our way again. Grabbing a mooring near the Red Lion pub we wandered along to Bancroft Basin - an impressive setting surrounded by parkland and gardens, with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on one side and the River Avon just below it on another. Mooring is limited to two days and we needed to time it right as we had a hot date at the theatre!

The next day we moved into the basin, hampered by windy conditions and inquisitive tourists, but managed to reverse into a space on one of the pontoons. We were next to nb Carpe Diem and got to know Georgie and Denise over the next few days, including enjoying a Pimms in the sunshine and visiting a telephone box

coffee shop! Stratford is hands down the most touristy place we've visited and it was a bit like being in a goldfish bowl, but great fun nonetheless (and luckily we didn't have tourists jumping on our boat, which we saw happening to some of our neighbours...). The sun shone, we enjoyed a cream tea on deck, explored the town, discovered amazing wildflowers and foraged

some cherry plums, but the highlight had to be seeing a modern adaptation of As You Like It at the theatre. Through Rob's friend Dave we'd heard that their musician friend Martyn was part of the band and we managed to get tickets just a few days from the end of the run. It was a great performance, including Geraldine James and other great actors, all of whom were outperformed when Martyn and the other musicians descended from the gods on a small metal platform! This was all followed by after-show drinks at the Dirty Duck. A great evening!

It was time to move on - down onto the Avon. We'd purchased our separate Avon

Navigation Trust licence and we were good to go. Dave joined us for the descent down the lock and across the river to a lovely spot by the park with the theatre looming over us on the other side (see 'Porthole' pic!) - just the place for Martyn to wave at us, dictator-like, from a balcony pre-matinee! We enjoyed meeting his wife Margo the following morning and were introduced to the delights of Bobby's, a wonderful cafe in a converted train carriage near the racecourse.

Our social whirl continued with a visit from friends I'd not seen in years. Tony and Gaynor arrived for tea and were up for a mini cruise so we took them to the water point (we know how to treat guests!) and down a lock before they headed back to their car. This one was Colin P Witter lock (most of the locks are named after benefactors or people who helped with the restoration) and quite a strange sight as it has girders to reinforce it due to unstable ground. We carried on to Stan Glover lock near the pretty village of Luddington, a lovely peaceful spot with the unexpected nightly entertainment of watching the Countess of Evesham restaurant boat arrive from Stratford, where the diners would get off and stretch their legs by the weir before their journey back.

The Avon is a beautiful river to cruise, although the flow was quite pronounced, despite

not much rain. We found ourselves being whisked around narrow bends and just managing to get through narrow bridges in time - particularly at Bidford-on-Avon where we had to negotiate kayakers and paddleboarders as well.

The other unusual thing is that the rural moorings often have limited access. At Offenham Lock we were opposite a pub but with no way of getting across to it and at Wyre Lock we were actually moored on a small island. It made my morning run slightly unusual and I felt a bit dizzy after 16 laps!

We enjoyed a morning's wander around Evesham but decided not to stay. We continued, past what felt like a mile of anglers, to Craycombe Turn where we moored behind a friendly chap, Jerry, that we'd met earlier in the day. There was nowhere to go here either, but we didn't mind as we were treated to the

sight of two otters gambolling in the river and diving for fish! We loved Pershore with its beautiful water meadows, old abbey church and beautiful community orchard, as well as a nearby Asda and a very handy leisure centre for an early morning swim. I also discovered that it has a long association with plums - the Pershore Purple and the Pershore Yellow Egg varieties in particular - and even has a plum festival. We were a couple of weeks early but there were stalls and music in 'Plum Alley' and much purple and yellow being worn!

At Eckington Bridge we were delighted to come across nb Alice Grace and the lovely Vanessa from The Mindful Narrowboat and had a nice long chat before she headed off. If you love wildlife do check out her vlog: The Mindful Narrowboat - YouTube. We've been following her travels for a while now and Rob recently bought me her wonderful book 'The Nature Journal of a Narrowboater 2022', full of

her beautiful sketches and poems. Apologies for keeping you from your gardening Vanessa - and good luck spotting some otters!

An evening stroll took us to the village of Birlingham and a pint in the gorgeous beer garden at The Swan pub where we were joined by our boat neighbours, Caroline and Layla from little nb Dolly. It was lovely

meeting them and taking a different route back - through someone's garden and round an asparagus field! Having seen a tower up on a hill I decided that it would be a great idea to walk up to it. Several miles and a steep climb later

we reached Parsons Tower on the top of Bredon Hill with wonderful views (apparently of eight counties), although the extremely windy conditions made us move on fairly quickly. A very

treacherous descent took us past puffballs and plum trees and back to the boat via Nafford Lock. Phew!

After Strensham Lock we had the cool experience of going under the M5, on a stretch that we've travelled

over many times. Then in no time we were in Tewkesbury with a nice mooring near the lock, in the shadow of the disused but very atmospheric Healing's Flour Mill. The lock takes you down onto The Old Avon and then to the Severn, but the waterway continues

as the Mill Avon and we wandered along here, past Abbey Mill, through Victoria Gardens and then back past some lovely medieval buildings to Tewkesbury Abbey. A morning's run here was much easier - around the large Severn Ham meadows. During our stay we

enjoyed a pint at The Olde Black Bear, said to be the oldest pub in Gloucestershire, dating from 1308, and joined a guided stroll around some of the old alleys. Only 30 of the original 110 remain but they all have a fascinating history and our guide, Steve, was full of interesting stories.

Before leaving, I managed to get to the fascinating John Moore Museum, created in memory of the writer and naturalist who was one of England's first conservationists. Located in a row of lovely timber-framed buildings, it's full of interesting displays and information. I was also able to look inside the Merchant's House a few doors down, which has been carefully restored and furnished to show how a 15th-centure shop and dwelling would have looked like, including the 'smoke void'.

We'd loved our journey down the Avon, but it was time to leave and brave the waters of the River Severn. But that, as they say, is for another time!

Evening near Eckington Bridge, River Avon