back to narrow locks and canals

Part of the wedding party on the river.

There had been what seemed like a wedding going on all day Saturday and Sunday in the pub just by the bridge .   Lots of dancing and ladies in pretty brightly coloured saris.   At one stage all the gentlemen took to the river in several boats...everyone was having a whale of a time.

Boe insists on encouraging the swans!

After 2 1/2 weeks on the Avon it was sadly time to depart the river.....we nearly stayed over another day as the weather was not promising in the morning.   However the rain disappeared and we were off.   We hadn't seen any boat movement at all until we were nearly up into the basin and then guess what?  A boat pulled ahead of us off the pontoons.........we consoled ourselves with the thought that we were only planning on doing 5 locks before stopping to do a shop at Tescos.    It did make for a very slow start to the day as we seemed to wait ages for the other boat to get ahead.

Leaving Startford basin is a tight squeeze

Boe and I did the trek to Tescos which is not the closest we have used.   However our timing was good as we arrived back at Petroc as a boat was coming down the adjacent lock.   By now there were some ominous clouds above us an after a couple of locks we decided to call it a day.  Not quite in time however as the heavens opened as we were still mooring up and we became a little soggy.

It then became another afternoon of batten down the hatches and, in the case of Boe & I, a couple more episodes of House of Cards.

Today Wednesday dawned a much better day and we had a great run up 10 locks to Wooten Wawen.

I see no ships

The first boat we passed was a diddy little thing

Geffie and his mate

Obviously doesn't apply to ducks

The only bad part of the day was the Eddystone aqueduct.  I had completely forgotten how long it was and the fact that I would be on the side of the drop.....

Geoff had gone below and as we entered it I realised I did not want to be there!!!  I frightened Boe rigid with my telling for Geoff who seemed to take an age to appear.....I then retired below....

Now if we had been going the other way I would have been fine as the drop would have been on the opposite side to where I stand to steer......

Plenty of room for us to moor and we decided to frequent the navigation Pub for a final evening meal with Boe.  A good meal at reasonable prices.   Sadly they had syrup sponge on the menu so Boe & I ate very unhealthily...

Total distance:4.98 miles 
Elapsed time:3h31m0s 
Locks:10
Bridges:5 
Average speed:1.41 mph (4.26 lock/mph)