We set off from Twyning mid-morning
on Sunday, to travel the last couple of miles to the end of the River Avon. There was little or no wind so it was a dead
calm when we reached the Tewkesbury sailing club. We couldn’t believe that they had a
competition on but the yachts were almost becalmed.
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We had to tread carefully
past them
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They were right across the
river
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We soon arrived in
Tewkesbury with its low and strangely angled bridge. Before the current lock was built, the river
flowed through this bridge and carried on in the direction of the arches. The navigation was altered so you go through
the arches but then head left, making it difficult to both negotiate and see
oncoming craft.
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Tewkesbury bridge
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We moored up and went for
a wander around the town. It was a lot
warmer than forecast and the tourists were out in force. There are a few fine mills still standing by
the river.
Karen went to chat with
the lock keeper at Avon lock; this is the lock that drops us down onto the last
stretch of the Avon to join the River Severn.
As it was a weekend there were lots of cruisers and gin palaces out so
there was a bit of a queue. Karen booked
us in and then we took the opportunity to have an early lunch whilst waiting. A couple we had moored with in Evesham and
Pershore moored up next to us and so we had a chat with them whilst waiting for
the lock.
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Setting off to turn right
into Avon lock
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Leaving Avon lock with a
few gongoozlers watching
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We went down the lock with
another narrowboat and followed him out to the River Severn.
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The boat in front is
turning downstream to Gloucester; we are goint to turn right towards Worcester
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Looking back to the end of
the River Avon as it joins the Severn
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So, it was goodbye to the
River Avon. The navigable river runs 43
miles from Stratford On Avon to Tewkesbury through 17 locks. Most people do the trip in two or three days
but it had taken us 43 days! We have
really enjoyed the river even though we tend to avoid them. It was really very pretty, peaceful and
quiet. We found some brilliant moorings
and were always on our own unless in a town.
The Avon Navigation Trust have done a fantastic job restoring the river
to navigation again.
Soon after joining the
Severn we went under the iron Mythe bridge – quite a structure considering the
span is 170 feet wide and was built in 1828.
It was one of Thomas Telford’s creations.
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Iron span of Mythe bridge
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The River Severn is quite
boring as it tends to be straight and in many places the banks are so high it
is difficult to see the countryside. We hadn’t
been on the Severn since March 2015 – the day of a solar eclipse.
This stretch still has
some commercial traffic, mainly barges carrying aggregates – I was glad it was
a Sunday as it’s best to keep out of their way.
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Difficult to judge the
size
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And another one ready to
get to work on Monday
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We had 17 miles to travel
on the river up to Worcester and about half way is the only sizable settlement –
Upton on Severn. There are three pubs on the river front and they were packed with boaters.
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Four abreast moored
outside one of the pubs
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We only had one lock to go
through on the river and when we were half a mile away we rang the lock
keeper. We were in luck as he was just
about to lock a boat down so we should be able to go straight in.
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Approaching the pair of
locks at Diglis. Traffic lights indicate
which lock to go for and whether the lock keeper is ready for you to go in.
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With these large river
locks Karen stands on the bows and loops a line through an upright bar in the
lock wall. I do the same at the stern.
This holds us steady as we rise.
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In the smaller of the two
Diglis locks on the Severn - Karen ready with her line at the front
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We planned to moor just
above the locks but all the spots were full so we had to turn off the river and
head for Diglis basin. This is the start
of the Worcester and Birmingham canal – a canal we haven’t visited for two
years.
The first two locks
leading up to the basin are large (for canals), 18 feet wide locks but the rest
of the locks on this canal are narrow and fit just one narrowboat at a time.
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Signpost at the first lock
– we are now headed towards Birmingham
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Leaving the first lock
leading to the basin – Buddy still crashed out on the lockside
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| Looking further upstream as we turned off the Severn |
There are two large basins
at Diglis full of boats on residential moorings.
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Going past one of the
basins
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We moored up on the right
where there are three water points – it’s quite rare to find even two together!
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We stayed in for the evening
and arranged for our friends Mike and Lesley to come over and join us for lunch
on Bank Holiday Monday as we will stay in Worcester for a while.
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| Our last view of the River Avon - Malvern Hills in the background |
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