Tewkesbury,the end of the Avon.

Hi,

Well,here we are at the end of the River Avon in Tewkesbury and it feels like we have been on the river for ages.We’ve done loads of things since last week when we left Stratford and we’ve also cruised almost every day,which itself is unusual.

 

In our first lock on the river,Stratford Trinity Lock or Colin P Witter Lock,we were in here with NB Gecko and her crew,who had been our neighbours while at Stratford River Festival,and who shared the first few locks with us.Following Gecko under the bridge with the Avon Trust Workboat coming upstream towards us.

 

A couple of weirs on the river that are bypassed by the locks.The first is at Luddington or Stan Glover Lock,the second at Welford or W A Cadbury Lock where we moored on Tuesday night enjoying some of Ian and Jen’s,from NB Gecko,Sloe Gin and Blackberry Brandy.

 

Sharing Barton or Elsie & Hiram Billington Lock with NB Gecko.Approaching Bidford Bridge at Bidford on Avon.You only use the arch we were heading for and not the others.A few hours after us a boater tried one of the others and got well and truly stuck for about three hours.They had to get a Widebeam boat to pull him backwards off the mud and he wasn’t a hire boater.We left our friends on NB Gecko here after lunch in The Frog.

 

Three in a lock.This was Harvington or Robert Aickman New Lock and we shared with NB Water Music and NB Tambourine,two other boats that we had met at the festival.We stayed the night just below the lock,that’s the beauty of most of the locks on the Avon,there are overnight moorings both above and below them.Harvington Mill,a Grade Two listed building near the lock that sadly needs a lot of TLC.

 

The remains of the main waterwheel at the mill and some of the gearing on the inside of the building.Sad to see something neglected like this.

 

 

Just a small selection of pic’s as Lisa and I travelled,on our own,from Harvington,down to Evesham last Thursday.

 

Evesham Lock,a bit tricky this one,there’s a weir to the left with a landing stage that isn’t quite designed for narrowboats,the metal landing is above the rubbing strake and gunwale so it will make a mess of the paintwork if you aren’t very very careful.To the right there’s a sluice that takes water for a hydro electric plant and the flow can be stronger than you expect at times.The Bell Tower in Evesham,part of the old Abbey.Evesham itself is well worth the visit.

 

 

We didn’t stay long in Evesham,just long enough to sample the Old Hooky in The Trumpet as well as browse around the town.We left on Friday and cruised down to Pershore,then came back on the bus from there on Saturday,to have a quick look at the River Festival.There’s the BBMF Dakota on a flypast,some of the decorated boats by Workman Gardens and then two of the entrants in the parade.HMS Belfast and SS Great Britain.A lot of effort went into the River Festival in Evesham and it was very busy.

 

Pershore Abbey and a tree sculpture in the Abbey Grounds.The moorings by the recreation ground  were where we stayed on Friday and Saturday nights,leaving on Sunday morning with NB Ryland to make our way here to Tewkesbury.Pershore is a nice place to visit and there’s an Asda just across the recreation ground from the moorings.

 

 

Another Abbey,this one’s Tewkesbury and again the town is well worth a visit.Chyandour moored before the lock where you pay the Lockie £3 per night,it’s worth it ‘cos it’s about as close to Tewkesbury as you can get on the river.The Lock Landing with the Lock at 90 degrees,the Lockie helps to position you when you’re ready to go down.There’s the old Tewkesbury Brewery in the background and just to the right is the old Flour Mill,both looking sad and neglected.

That’s all again for this week folks.Since last Monday we have covered the massive distance of 42 Miles and 16 Locks,that’s almost the whole of the navigable River Avon.It’s been a fabulous journey,we’ve met an awful lot of new friends and had a whale of a time,just time now for a swift one in the nearby Bear Inn.Our Grand Total,since we set of in October 2012,is now 869 Locks and 1440 Miles.Take care everyone.