Back to Birmingham

We left Stratford Basin early on Monday morning to start our return journey up the Stratford canal before it became busy.  On Tuesday we had a considerably later start from Edstone Aqueduct and only travelled a short distance before spotting a mooring at Wootten Wawen.  

The iron trough aqueduct leading into Wootten Wawen basin with a free mooring on the left. 

Shortly after tying up we spotted a familiar boat reversing back to the waterpoint; 'The Answer' owned by Gar and Beryl who we'd met a month ago in Stratford.  Luckily another mooring became available and they were able to stop for a night.  We enjoyed the evening sat out chatting while farmers with combine harvesters worked late to bring in their crop of barley.  

St Peters church at Wootten Wawen has a Saxon sanctuary which has survived in tact surrounded by later additions to the building.  An interesting display details the church and village's collective history with artists impressions of the changing landscape and buildings.  

Evidence of changes to St Peter's church.  This old door has it's own porch on the outside but has been replaced by a larger entrance on the opposite side of the church.  

We continued our journey on Thursday and stopped at Lowsonford.  Friday's forecast of heavy rain was not wrong so like most boaters we stayed put. 

On Saturday we were up bright and early and set off at 6 am.  On the way we passed the quirky shed which always makes me smile. 

Quirky shed at the side of the canal.

At 7.50 am  we turned into the narrow entrance to Kingswood Junction which took us onto the Grand Union canal. 

The narrow entrance to Kingswood Junction

As we turned onto the Grand Union we saw 'The Answer' so we pulled over and stopped for the weekend.   We enjoyed an excellent Sunday lunch with Gar and Beryl in the Navigation Inn and sat out in the evenings for some more chin-wagging.  

On Monday morning we parted company and repeated our route from early July by heading north up to Knowle.   The next day we sailed through the outskirts of Solihull and on towards Birmingham.  The canal is shallow and we had to make frequent stops to clear rubbish from the propeller.  We wanted a safe mooring to break our journey and luckily the wharf behind Camp Hill Lock sanitary station was available.  

The next day we descended Camp Hill Locks where the canal has forced roads to curve round it's bends and rail-lines to cross over on bridges.  At Bordesley Junction we turned onto a link canal which clearly travelled through a very unpleasant area.  Most of the lock gates had been subjected to failed arson attacks and along with the normal rubbish around our propeller we retrieved a length off cable casing which had been stripped of it's wires.   Gradually the canal improved as we approached the Nechells area and Salford Junction where we turned right under the M6 onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Looking back at Salford Junction on the left with the M6 looming over the canal

We then passed under a large building which straddles the canal, further evidence of the compromises made by development to preserve the waterway.

Looking back as we sail under a building over the canal

 We continued for another 4 miles which took us into open countryside at Minworth where we moored up. 

Our journey from Stratford-upon-Avon to Minworth

Sarah's Holiday

From Sharpness we sailed back to Gloucester where Sarah came on board for a holiday.  We all enjoyed a visit to Gloucester Cathedral with an interesting tour of the tower which included a bell ringing demonstration.  From the top of the tower we had some good views, especially of the docks. 

A view of the docks from the cathedral.  

 We had a good run up the River Severn to Tewkesbury and were pleased to find space on the best moorings.  Sarah and I enjoyed a potter around town before retiring to a cafe but we weren't calling in just for refreshment.  The Artist and Illustrators magazine had a list of summer projects, to try some sketching in a cafe being one of them.  

That evening we watched out for the moon.  It was the second full moon in the calendar month which made it a blue moon, as in 'once in a blue moon'.  The moon looked like any other full moon but I was pleased with my photo so here it is. 

The 'blue moon' over Tewkesbury

Our next stop was Pershore where Sarah and I continued with our art projects.  Sitting in the sun sketching the abbey, with a good brass band playing a variety of tunes nearby, was an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  

On the way to Evesham we passed the impressive mill building at Fladbury.

The mill at Fladbury

Less impressive and more precarious looking was the ferry at Evesham which crossed the river in front of us. 

The ferry at Evesham.  The wire for pulling the ferry across can be seen over the river, this had to be lowered down to allow us passed.

Sarah and I enjoyed a look around Evesham which has an abbey, a church with Norman origins which is now owned by the Church Conservancy Trust and some interesting Almonry buildings. 

The Almonry heritage centre in Evesham

We then followed the river walk and soon discovered some humorous comments on the signposts. 

One of the humorous signposts on the river walk

After our nights mooring in towns it made a change to stop at the isolated Offenham Lock.  The next day I had my camera ready as we approached Bidford Bridge.  In June a tractor crashed against the bridge wall knocking it and one of the supporting turrets into the river.  As we sailed under the bridge I focused my camera to see a man with a camera filming us!  At lunchtime we watched the BBC local news and there we were, sailing through, as they reported the traffic problems due to the bridge closure.

The cameraman, crouched down, is still filming as we sailed on.  

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a popular destination for boaters and we were lucky to find a mooring in the basin.  In the evening Sarah and I joined a ghost walk; our guide played an excellent theatrical role as he related ghostly tales.  The next day we visited the Mechanical Art and Design Museum which has an amazing collection of moving exhibits.

A wooden skeleton band in the MAD Museum, the players move as the cogs on the bar underneath rotate.

On Saturday Sarah caught the train home but we stopped for another day in Stratford.  We were surprised to see a large Sunday market materialise alongside the road.  After a walk around the market's interesting stalls I discovered the Royal Shakespeare Company Tower was open for visitors so I was able to take a photo of the scene.

The Sunday Market viewed from the tower.  Brent III is in the top right hand corner.

The majority of the tourist attractions in Stratford-Upon-Avon are linked to William Shakespeare so it seemed fitting to join in the spirit and see a play.  The Dell Open Air Theatre was host to amateur productions.  I joined the crowd sat on the grass to enjoy Romeo and Juliet performed by the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

Our journey from Sharpness to Stratford-Upon-Avon