After the deluge ...the sunshine

Yesterday has to have been the most dire day we have had cruising for a long while......not that we did any cruising.  We were moored in a lovely spot in the Barby area and for me it was a day of catching up with some work on the computer (Giles accounts!!) in the morning and a delightfully lazy afternoon with crosswords, sudoko, scrabble online and a good book.......

Geoff on the other hand decided to take himself off with Barnaby to walk into Barby.. When he left there was only a little rain so he hoped the forecast would prove incorrect!   By the time they came back they were like two drowned rats......what a pitiful sight.  The rain had set in well and proper and there was no let up all day.

However this morning we awoke to brilliant sunshine so all is right with the world again.

Another short trip, we are getting to Braunston very slowly.   Still trying to sort out a few things on Petroc.   No TV reception from our two new aerials which is driving Geoff mad.......my suggestion that it must be where we are moored did not meet with a good reception........

I also am convinced I keep getting a whiff of gas smell which of course Geoff cannot sample as he has no sense of smell.  Phoned Rob at Clifton and on his advice Geoff has been round all the joints in the gas locker with washing up liquid but couldn't detect any bubbles.   So is it my imagination?

After a short trip we have moored in another peaceful rural spot.   Cows in the field and the spire of Braunston Church in the distance.    Geoff walked in for the paper to have his exercise for the day.

Another peaceful mooring

Barby Pools marina under construction.
We passed this soon to be entrance soon after our departure

Total distance:1.56 miles 

Elapsed time:0h41m35s 

Locks:0

Bridges:4 
Average speed:2.24 mph (2.24 lock/mph) 

......and just a little bit further.

Hillmorton Bottom Lock

Hillmorton Bottom Lock (from the bottom!)

A pleasant weekend at Hillmorton, we still had the car so did some last minute grocery shopping on Saturday.

On Sunday we went to Communion at St John the Baptist  church which proved to a lively service.   They have a vicar and a curate just for the one church, however the vicar did say they were a community of 10,000.  They certainly seem to have a lot going on, something on most days of the week.

This was followed by a late Brunch at Badseys Bistro...had to be done.

Monday morning I called Clifton to advise the non operation of one of the new aerials and they were there within the hour and it now seems to be fixed........a faulty lead apparently. 

Today Geoff drove the car back to Clifton and walked back with Barnaby......umbilical cord cut.

and then we moved on a few more paces....not many.    A gentle trip through the 3 locks and quite lucky with the weather, only a couple of light showers...where has all the sunshine gone?

When Geoff went to do his engine checks this evening he discovered that the new bilge pump is not working, so he had a nice job drying out the engine compartment.   Have texted Clifton again.....

However we are not very accessible where we are at Barby and the forecast for tomorrow is dire.  If it is as bad as they say we shall be staying put.

Total distance:2.96 miles 

Elapsed time:2h08m12s 

Locks:3

Bridges:12 

A gentle start to cruising for the year

We have escaped!

We have been back on Petroc for about 10 days, however it was interspersed with a family gathering at the weekend.  In between times we have been trying to sort ourselves out and also to wait for several of the winter jobs to be completed on the good ship Petroc.

Rob at the yard had kindly moved us onto the wharf for ease of access with all the comings and goings.  Our new real winter position is way down the new arm.  Once the pilings are completed and maybe a bit more dredging it will be a lovely spot.  At the moment however Barney and I would not be able to negotiate getting on and off.

The yard is due to be very busy tomorrow on the wharf so we decided to beat a hasty retreat and seek some open country side.   We have found a lovely spot in open countryside where will will stay for the weekend.  We have booked to attend a BCF gathering at the Greyhound on Saturday.  Originally we were going to pass there so it seemed a good idea....however the best laid plans etc.  The skipper has decided that instead of going north to the Llangollen to start we will venture down the Oxford......there is even talk of going onto the Thames....we shall see.

We had various jobs done on Petroc before venturing out including having two aerials fitted at either end for TV.   The front one for the main TV appears to work fine but the rear one for my TV gets absolutely nothing........identical aerials.....very disappointing.   Geoff is not a happy bear.  Further trials tomorrow.

Total distance:1.20 miles 
Elapsed time:0h35m34s 
Locks:0
Bridges:3 
Average speed:2.02 mph (2.02 lock/mph) 

Kind October weather for our last few days cruising.

Friday night we moored well outside Braunston and I think Geoff harboured thoughts that we would walk in from there for our planned cooked breakfast at the Gongoozlers Rest Cafe!!!

I was not so keen on that idea so Saturday morning earlyish, reluctantly on Geoff's part, we motored further in.  Rather I motored and Geoff and Barnaby walked.......

We had a couple of attempts at mooring before the junction in what are designated as 14 day moorings.   But there was nowhere we could get close enough to the bank........however as we turned right at the junction we found there were lots of spaces and we moored fairly close to the end.

After a good breakfast and a wander round Braunston we returned to Petroc and Geoff discovered he couldn't get a TV picture, so it was up sticks and on we go.    We turned at the marina entrance and went back out past the junction and onto the north Oxford section.    No spaces in our preferred spot with the lovely view of the church so we ended up a bit further out.   Good TV picture here so we stayed!!

We had a mixture of a gentle weekend but interspersed with some cleaning preparatory to abandoning Petroc for the winter.    In my case this meant cleaning the oven....grrrrrh.......

We debated staying over Monday night but the towpath back into Braunston is not the best so we decided to carry on.  We had thoughts of making for the top Hillmorton locks but when we were just short of Barby the view was too good to miss......lovely open field full of cows and the sun was shining.......just right for our last night.  

We discovered that adjacent to us just behind the hedge was the start of yet another marina.....Dunchurch Pools Marina........

At tea time Perentis with friends Dick and Gill aboard pulled up in front of us so it was tea on their boat and after supper, drinks on Petroc.   Dick was disappointed that Geoff was having a dry October........at least that kept the two of them from getting into trouble!!

The weather for our last few days has been really kind.......chillier but plenty of sunshine and only the odd shower when we have been safely tied up.

So today it was the final 3 lock at Hillmorton and the last run of the year.    Geoff and Barney walked the whole way.  This kept them warm but I was a mite chilly steering Petroc.  The early morning mist was a bit slow to clear.   However I discovered that my small hot water bottle tucked under my several layers worked wonders.....

Here endeth out 10th year of cruising..........Back in April 2017 all being well.

Redeemed by a box of Liquorice Allsorts!

Not such a bright start to the day but considerably milder and NO RAIN.

This is the 3rd day in a row of lots of locks........if we hadn't wanted to get back to Cornwall to prepare for the visit of grandchildren we would no doubt have taken a day of rest in between!!

Today was our 44th Wedding anniversary and I had remembered!!  Geoff had failed but was able to redeem himself when he walked to the village store for the paper.........they sold cards and miraculously had a large box of my favourite Liquorice Allsorts

We thought our luck was in as we were joined at the first lock out of Long Itchington by a hire boat with a big crew.....however after the second lock they were stopping at the pub for their cooked breakfast.  We continued on our solitary way but the locks were all set in our favour and we took it gently.  We managed the first 10 locks in just about 2 hours and then cruised very slowly to the junction whilst we had a very welcome coffee and scones.......

Couldn't see the kitchen sink! 

Just the 3 Calcutt locks after that and a run along to bridge 100 (about 1.5 miles outside Braunston) where we planned to moor for the night.  Once again alone in the locks......we picked up a boat ahead  as we passed Ventnor Farm Marina but sadly he turned into Calcutt marina......C'est la vie

Total distance:7.70 miles 

Elapsed time:4h43m21s

 Locks:13

Bridges:16 
Average speed:1.63 mph (4.38 lock/mph) 

More locks and another crisp October day

A sight we don't often see on the towpath....

We are used to making way for cyclists but I think this is the first time we have seen a horse being ridden.  

A glorious morning and we were on our way around 9am.......no one to share the locks with but we took them slowly, just one paddle and one gate and they were all in our favour.   

Approaching the Bascote flight of 2

and looking back down from the top lock of the Bascote flight.

Then a short run to moor just before Long Itchington.   No good going further in as there are several nice pubs and Geoff has decided to have a DRY October.!!

Total distance:4.84 miles 

Elapsed time:3h52m56s 

Locks:10

Bridges:7 
Average speed:1.25 mph (3.57 lock/mph) 

Down the Hatton Flight we go

As we pulled away at our normal early hour....8am this morning...the plan was to sit in the top lock and wait a while to see if any of the other 3 boats came to join us.   Geoff had passed the owners of the hotel boat as he walked along and they said they were not leaving until 10...too long to wait.

I had visions of a sausage and bacon bap from the cafe at the top lock so was happy to wait until they opened at 9.  However I checked with the lady who was opening up at about 8.30 and was told they had no baps today...only thick bread....which did not appeal.

So with no sign of any boats we decided to go it alone.   It was a beautiful crisp morning, only slightly chilly.   After about 4/5 locks we had the good fortune to meet a lockie volunteer.  He helped us down for the next dozen or so which certainly speeded things up.

After he bade us farewell we decided it was coffee break time (we had offered him but he declined) so we sat in one lock for a slight pause.

Most of the locks are like this going down......no lack of water around here.

I had visions of a nice sit in the sun after the 21 locks but Geoff had other ideas......he wanted to get as far as Radford Semele so we had two more locks at the Cape of Good Hope.  We were luckier here as we met another boat who had moored overnight so were able to share the last two.

A short pause for a quick shop in Tesco's as we went round the back end of Leamington Spa.   Leamington does not show a good face to the canal and we have never been inclined to moor there overnight.   Radford Semele is sufficiently far away and the mooring is pleasant and it even has a shop in the village......a pub and a church too if we want but we didn't this time.

A longer day than I had anticipated but the weather was good so no real complaints.......

Total distance:7.07 miles 

Elapsed time:5h56m10s 

Locks:23

Bridges:33 
Average speed:1.19 mph (5.07 lock/mph) 

Back on board

Only 7 hours from door to door!!!  However the train journey was relatively painless from Cornwall.  Even the change in Birmingham from new Street to Moor Street station is quite easy provided you don't have a heavy case.

During my absence Geoff did two short trips.  He went up to the bottom of the locks at Knowle as it was a pleasant mooring and he could walk into the village ( a fair stride but such good exercise for him!!)  The second trip was just back to Lapworth to collect me yesterday.

This morning we set off on a lovely clear morning to go as far as Shrewley tunnel.   The plan was to meet the Gillespies for lunch at the Durham Ox.  This all worked well apart from the fact that Christine didn't make it due to a heavy cold.  However we had an excellent lunch with Ian and Fiona.  We can thoroughly recommend the pub as the food was very reasonably priced and a nice friendly landlord.

Geoff departing Lapworth whilst Barney and I walked.

After lunch we moved on about a mile closer to the top of the Hatton Flight, ready for the 21/23 locks tomorrow.    3 boats moored just ahead of us.....dare we hope for company down the locks tomorrow.??

And so to the top at Kingswood Junction (Lapworth)

One of those beautiful days on the canal.  It was a really crisp autumnal morning (especially at 6.45 when I took Barney for his early morning stroll!)

Unrelievedly there was no one ahead of us and the locks were mostly set in our favour.   If they weren't it was due to leaky top gates.

This is when we think we are really blessed....sun shining, lovely surroundings
Ahead is the lock with a bridge overhead carrying the M40...those poor commuters

and the hum of the traffic is quite loud.......

In fact we didn't see another boat until we met one coming down from the top lock.   It was manned by 5 men one of whom asked, me as he walked by Petroc waiting close to the bottom of the lock, if I was waiting for them to come out of the lock!!!!

The water point is directly as you leave the top lock and surprise surprise there was our second boat of the day!   There is not really room for two boats to tie up without blocking the entrance to the lock so we pulled in and waited patiently for him to finish.......he was washing his boat....very thoroughly!!
When he had finished and put his hose away he obviously had designs on a remedial cup of coffee so he asked me if they were OK for a while................................I was very polite with my reply...................Geoff told me afterwards that he had said to him that he was always getting disturbed when he was doing things like that so Geoff told him he should get up early in the morning and do it!!

We were not disturbed whilst watering but I could not persuade Geoff to treat our boat to a wash so after we had filled up with water we went round the corner and found our mooring.

This is where I depart for Cornwall tomorrow.  Geoff is planning some time here and also going up to the bottom of the locks at Knowle (just south of Solihull)

Total distance:2.15 miles 
Elapsed time:3h26m37s 
Locks:9
Bridges:7 
Average speed:0.62 mph (3.24 lock/mph) 

More locks

Just 8 today...we are taking the ascent from Stratford to Lapworth in easy stages.

We had a boat ahead of us so it was slow going but the weather was fine so it was a pleasant morning.

We managed to moor at Lowensford opposite the Fleur de Lys pub at the opportune time of 1245 so it seems silly not to go for a pint......well pint for Geoff and 1/2 for me!

Absolutely no phone or wifi signal the only downside.........

Total distance:3.81 miles 
Elapsed time:3h9m0s 
Locks:8
Bridges:10 
Average speed:1.21 mph (2.80 lock/mph) 

A much easier day!!

Another vast 3 miles covered!!!
However this time with just one lock and a couple of aqueducts.  Last time we came over the Edstone aqueduct it was in a strong wind and I was not over impressed.....Despite it being a calm day I elected to walk first thing and so managed to walk to the end of the aqueduct.  The footpath is set down from the canal with a stout fence so I felt quite secure!

The water is still slightly down after yesterday's debacle so we touched bottom going through the narrow bridges.

We  filled up with fuel and gas at the Anglo Welsh base at Wooten Wawen.   A certain amount of negotiating was required to achieve both....reverse into get fuel then back off and reverse into the little aqueduct adjacent to the base to get the bow accessible to change the gas cylinders.

Enough action for the day we had a nice early stop at the Wooton Wawen moorings.

Total distance:3.27 miles 
Elapsed time:2h3m26s 
Locks:1
Bridges:4 
Average speed:1.59 mph (2.08 lock/mph)

Back to the Canals

The weirs at Stratford make a good water playground for the swans

Bright and early start today, well not exactly bright but yesterdays rain had gone at least.

We crept down the river past Shakespeare's theatre and towards the lock into the basin.....no one else was stirring....
we had hopes of being first up the locks.

So much for that idea.....as we rose into the basin a boat pulled away from one of the pontoon moorings just ahead of us......still no problem as we were intending to stop at Valley Cruisers after 4 locks and fill up with diesel, buy a new gas bottle and empty the loos.   I had phoned them on Sunday to check that we could do all those things there.

Geoff had an extra assistant at this lock!!

When we reached Valley Cruisers we had our second disappointment of the day...they were shut

A phone call to their Coventry base elicited the information that they were short staffed and the man from Stratford had had to go to Coventry until at least mid afternoon!!

Never mind, onward we go, albeit with much muttering from the skipper!!

After the next lock it really did turn to worms........Boats were queueing up and we discovered that the whole flight had come to a standstill....someone had left a paddle open ( we think yesterday evening) and there was a distinct lack of water.......

3 1/2 hours later we were on the move again......thankfully the weather was OK.   No rain and a pleasant temperature, even a little bit of sunshine.  

By then we had abandoned our goal of Wooton Wawen and stopped at the first suitable mooring place which was at Wilmcote.  

Total distance:3.82 miles 

Elapsed time:8h33m14s  (A much longer day than planned...)

Locks:17

Bridges:15 
Average speed:0.45 mph (2.20 lock/mph) 

Last lazy days on the river

Riverside at Stratford below the lock

Lovely weekend for our last few days on the river.  Still quiet with boats until Sunday late afternoon when it did fill up a bit.

On Saturday I took myself off the the cinema, a rare occurrence, to see Bridget Jones's Baby...had to be done if only to see Colin Firth.....

Sunday was church in Holy Trinity otherwise know as Shakespeares church.  This is where he was baptised, worshipped and is buried.  There was a large choir and good hymns but the sermon largely passed me by.....mainly because I couldn't hear most of it.   I thought my deafness was becoming worse until Geoff said he had had the same problem......(maybe we both are!!)   It wasn't that we couldn't hear the sounds but the speech was just not clear despite the microphone the lady vicar was using.

This was followed by an excellent Sunday Lunch in the Old Tramway Inn on our side of the river and away from the crowds in the town.  This is a dog passionate pub, not just dog friendly, so Barnaby was made a great fuss of and I suspect received several treats.

The plot was to depart early Monday morning to start on our way up the locks........however as with all plans they can be changed.    We awoke to rain and more forecast throughout the day.  We are not in a rush so we have decided to stay over a day.

I read in the paper today that in order to ward off the onset of Alzheimer's I should be considering a new pastime, maybe learning a foreign language or learning to play the piano.......much better for me that all the crosswords and sudokos etc that I do!!!!!!  However tomorrow it may be a different story so maybe I wont rush just yet.

Unexpectedly sunny day in Stratford.

The forecast for today seemed dire so were cannot believe how lucky we were.

Stratford in the sun whilst we listened to the news
 telling of other parts of the country having torrential rain and flash floods

We even managed to sit outside at the pub we wanted to suss out as a possibility for Sunday lunch.  We walked to the Old Tramway Inn and it looked good.   I asked if they were dog friendly and I was told that they were not.........however they were dog passionate!!  They have water and treats provided......needless to say we are booked in.

It has been relatively quite along the river today, and as one can see from the picture very few boats, although there are 4 or 5 a bit further back.   We are wondering if there will be more boats and people over the weekend.

onward in Stratford direction

Tuesday

Although the mooring was not the best,
 the morning view across to Evesham lock was lovely
 and if we walked just a little way along
 we did emerge into a reasonable riverside walk for Barney

The lighthouse at Offenham lock, our first lock of the day
otherwise known as the George Billington lock

All the locks on the upper Avon have two names, one of which is the name of the benefactor who helped finance the locks and the navigation.

An interesting layout for a boat

We passed cows wallowing in the mud and one poor beast seemingly unable to extricate itself.
We just hoped the farmer would be along soon.

Hot hard work for Barnaby too!!!

We had no idea what the mooring space would be like at Bideford as we knew there was only room on the recreation ground side for 3 boats.   As we approached we saw that there were already 3 there but as we dithered wondering on our next move, one of them hailed us and said he was leaving in a couple of hours and we were welcome to breast up until then.  What a nice chap!  This we did but getting Barney off was not easy.....we were moored opposite ends so he had to jump from our stern through their front and he was not a happy dog.  So after his walk I elected to stay ashore with him until we were alongside....not a great hardship as it was a lovely day and pleasant surroundings.

the view from our mooring at Bideford

Barney meets a few of his kind!!!
That is Barney right at the front

Wednesday
An early departure on Wednesday as it was forecast to be very hot again.  There are 6 locks between here and Stratford and if you have a boat ahead of you as we had they are hard work.  The required practice is to leave the exit gates open whichever way you are going so coming up behind a boat (that we never caught up with) Geoff has to close the two top gates before emptying the lock.  The locks are very wide so the gates are big and heavy......I am all admiration for these women who struggle with them whilst the bloke sits nonchalantly at the tiller!!!!

In these locks it is definitely a case of tying fore and aft and not our normal practice of one centre line we use on the canal double locks.....these are too fierce.  In fact I am so enamoured of the idea that I think we should carry the practice forward to the canal double locks.......will moot the idea to the skipper.......

Going under the low bridge at Binton

All things considered with the heat we decided to do four locks today and moor above the lock at Luddington.  A lovely mooring spot although it leads nowhere except into the village which has nothing there!  Good for a pleasant afternoon sitting in the shade watching activity on the river.

Mooring at Luddington

There was activity in the dark also as about 8.30/9pm we saw big lights coming towards us and it was difficult to make out what it was.  As it crept closer, having turned and was now reversing, we saw it was a trip boat with people seated at tables enjoying dinner......they moored themselves by the lock and everyone disembarked on the small island above the weir for a walk around!   That would have been quite pleasant on a summers evening but couldn't quite see the attraction in the dark!!  Yes the nights are drawing in........

Thursday

Thursday dawned misty, somewhat of a change.

Not far to go today, just two locks......the mist was very slow to clear so a much chillier feel to the day.   The river is much narrower now and also shallower in places.

Approaching Stratford
the mist still lingering

After the first lock we pass the two weirs as we near Stratford and then the final lock and into the familiar part of the river below the church and the theatre.   Lots of mooring space so we had our pick.  

After coffee I paid a visit to the Trust Office in the basin and managed to change our 14 day licence to a 30 day for an extra £10.   We don't need all of the 30 days but it does allow us to stay down on the river for the weekend.  Our last few days on the river before back onto the familiar canals.

Weekend in Pershore

Saturday was a bit of a washout weather wise, no sitting out on the river bank for me.  However there was a distinct improvement on Sunday/  We went to Pershore Abbey church in the morning and then Geoff and Gill arrived for lunch.  A very pleasant afternoon in the sun, only venturing inside to eat the main course.

I had visions of shopping in the Retail market on Monday morning as there are a couple of good butchers inside.  However I had forgotten that it was only open Wed-Sat.  Luckily there are couple more butchers in the high street and I almost managed to do most of the rest of my shopping without going into the dreaded ASDA............just had to go in for my lemon juice which was imperative for my early morning cuppa!

Rising up one of todays locks the signs were interesting.
It is hard to believe the waters rose that high when the river is so benign at the moment.

We passed this large residence with beautiful lawns rolling down to the river...
But it appeared the Canada Geese had taken it over

We reached Evesham just in time for lunch with virtually our pick of mooring places.  It has been very quiet on the river today, wonder where all the boats have gone.

Moored opposite the weir above Evesham lock.

This was not our intended stopping place BUT after spending the afternoon on the town moorings which were fine, Geoff discovered he couldn't get a TV picture on either terrestial or SKY!!

Since the second episode of Cold Feet was on tonight it was decided to up sticks (or mooring pins or something) and go through the lock as there were moorings on the other just on the other side.

Moving once we are settled for the night is not something we are prone to do.....

Well the TV picture is fine but the mooring place is less than salubrious.......

Pershore

Eckington Bridge...Wednesday morning as we departed.

As we left we were undecided as to our destination...Pershore or the picnic site moorings just before Pershore lock........

Just one lock at Nafford to negotiate.  This is the one where you have to open the swing bridge which goes over the lock before ascending.  

As we left the lock this was the sorry sight we saw
Couldn't quite work out how the boat arrived there!

When we reached the Picnic site mooring they were completely empty so that was an easy decision.

Sunset at the mooring.
We had been joined by one other boat by then.

On Thursday morning we had visitors for coffee.  Tony & Di together with their friends Mike and Ilona were en route for a day out in Worcester.  Luckily the early morning rain had cleared so we could all sit out on the picnic tables.....great spot to moor.

After their departure we went through Pershore lock and moored by the playing field moorings.  

Another delightful spot and a lovely town.  It is only marred by the fact that the only reasonable sized supermarket is Asda which is not my favourite.  However the town makes up for it in many other ways.

Friday lunch time saw the arrival of more visitors.  Maggie & Wally arrived.  We managed to partly have lunch outside..but Maggie and I were driven in by the rain........the showers didn't last long so Wally put up his umbrella and carried on and Geoff decided to keep him company.

Yesterday I happened to look at our Avon licence which we purchased as we came through Tewkesbury.  We paid for a 2 week licence but they have put the wrong ending date on it and only given us the week.  However it does have the price we paid so if anyone queries it I am hoping that will suffice.  We plan to use the whole 2 weeks to get to Stratford.

Long weekend in Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury Abbey 

Friday evening we had good fish and chips from the shop close to our mooring.

Saturday dawned dull and dreary as promised although the rain did not arrive in earnest until later in the day.   By that time we had enjoyed an excellent cooked breakfast in Melanies cafe in the High Street....highly recommended.

I had also enjoyed a pedicure in the high street with a great back massage at the same time!!

Sunday was church at the Abbey followed by an excellent lunch with Geoff & Gill Smith and daughter Helen.  Geoff kindly chauffeured us to and fro to their house in Bredon.

Monday dawned wet and dull so we decided to postpone our departure a day.  That was probably a mistake as Geoff then decided to go for a long walk with Barney and on his return he slipped whilst getting aboard.  He did the proverbial, one leg on the boat and one leg in the water.......he gave himself quite a shock.  It is a good job I did not witness the episode as I have this terrible failing....I cannot help laughing at these events.......the laughter comes quite unbidden and is not normally appreciated by the unfortunates!   He now has a sore back......

Today was a much better day so after some shopping which included two huge pork chops from the butcher, we set off. We fuelled etc at Tewkesbury Marina and then had a gentle cruise through one lock at Strensham.

Passing Gill & Geoff's village of Bredon

 Double locks now but we were lucky enough to share.  Our goal was the picnic site at Eckington Bridge.  Here we were again fortunate as there was only room for one boat and it was empty.  The rest of the space was taken up by work boats who are working on the bridge.

Geoff settled down for his normal siesta after lunch (what a creature of habit!!) and I settled myself with chair, crossword etc on the bank in the shade for a peaceful afternoon.....or so I thought.   A man and his son were fishing some way behind Petroc.  6 year old Henry took a liking to Barnaby and spent most of the afternoon trying to get Barnaby to play whilst chattering away to me.  He was a very nice little boy so one could not be rude but he was also a very talkative little boy!!!  Hence not such a peaceful afternoon.

After supper we had a surprise visit from Geoff, Gill and Helen who came aboard for a cup of coffee.

All in all....not bad day.   Onward towards Pershore tomorrow.

Total distance:7.61 miles 
Elapsed time:2h21m33s 
Locks:1
Bridges:5 
Average speed:3.23 mph (3.65 lock/mph)