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Journal Entry...
Current Location :
River Avon, Wyre Piddle.
Weather : Showers with Hot Spells
and Thunder Storms.
Temp : Top Temp 30c - Lowest Temp 14c
We can’t believe it’s another month!
As we write this journal we are moored at a lock in idyllic settings in the fantastically named village of Wyre Piddle on the River Avon in Gloucestershire.
This month we’ve had humidity, a flood, torrential downpours & thunderstorms. Try sailing a 58’ STEEL narrowboat in fork lightening, that gets the adrenalin going we can tell you!
Since we entered the canal system in Oxford at the beginning of June we’ve progressed through the North Oxford canal, completed the Napton 7 lock flight & turned westward onto the wider Grand Union on Tuesday 14th at Wigram's Turn, near Daventry.
From here we progressed westerly through Leamington Spa & Warwick. After passing through Warwick we completed the Hatton Flight. This is a gruelling flight of 21 locks which we completed in 5 hours in 30 degree temperatures. The tans & muscles are progressing well. After the Shrewley Tunnel, (433Yds), we turned left at Kingswood Junction through an extremely narrow cutting and turning left again emerging onto the Stratford –on-Avon Canal, heading South West.
This turned out to become our most favourite canal so far with beautiful rolling hills, forests & meadows mingled throughout. On top of that is the longest aqueduct in England, (Pictured Above), Edstone at 200 Yds long, which takes you over a valley with breathtaking views.
We arrived at Stratford in torrential rain & thunderstorms on Friday 24th at around 4pm. We moved thru’ the ‘Stratford Basin’, which is a basin mooring right smack in the centre of town and thru’ the Stratford double lock, which was loaded with gongoozlers, (boaty term for sight see’ers), and decided to moor out onto the River Avon at Bancroft Park. Here we laid over for 4 days. The reason we stayed here for 4 days apart from being an excellent place to visit & finding a great curry house, turned out to be a surprise to say the least!
The morning after arriving we were woken by various ornaments falling onto the floor at around 6.30am. When I stepped out of bed to investigate, the reason was apparent. Immediately I was standing at a 30 degree angle. We were listing badly due to the river being in flood & our ropes tightly secured the previous night, now pulling 'Quidditch' down towards the bank. Donning my wellies I slackened off averting any disaster & went to wake other astonished boaty persons. The river was closed to navigation for 30 hours after.
We are now progressing onto the lower Avon to Tewksbury and on to Gloucester Docks. From here we will complete the Sharpness Canal, which in places runs alongside the Severn Estuary and then turn and begin to move back north westerly up the River Severn. During our voyage up the Severn we’re hoping not to come across the ‘Severn Bore’, a 6 foot tidal rush which moves 25 miles inland from the sea. We have to get our timing right on this one!
Thru’ Worcester & Kidderminster we will then join the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal , the Shropshire Union Canal and finally onto the beautiful Llangollen Canal and into Wales.
On route we’ve met loads of nice people, particularly Pat and John Gibson on Hoddydod, many ozzie’s & yanks, who seem to love our waterways and not to mention more various wildlife. Amazingly we’ve actually witnessed a case of severe ‘boat rage’ along the way but we won't go into that one!
Let us know how you’re all doing.
