Heading south on the Stratford On Avon
Canal, Molly and I were once again
enjoying the scenery.
North of Wilmcote between bridges 54
and 55, is an example of how farmers are
diversifying. Hill Farm is in its final
stages of a new 50 birth marina and it's
due to open later this year. Out of the
blue I started cross Edstone Aqueduct.
At a hundred and forty-five meters in
length, it's the longest aqueduct in
England. Unlike many others, its towpath
is level with the bottom of the water,
rather than its top. It was completed in
1816 and then restored in 2003.
As the summer kicks in, the canal was bursting
with wildlife. A family of Moorhens go
for an afternoon stroll. And then at a
lock entrance, some baby ducklings eat
their breakfast.
North of Stratford-upon-Avon
is the Wilmcote flight of locks, in
groups of three, five and then three.
Halfway down, I was in luck, as I had
help from a Canal & River Trust
volunteer.
In a contrast from the quiet countryside,
the basin in the center of
Stratford-upon-Avon is packed with
thousands of tourists and entertainment.
I found a spot to moor up and purchased
a 7-day license from the Avon Navigation
Trust. Their boat is located in the basin.
The license was £50.00 for the week
and was due to start two days later.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a major tourist
location in the UK. Steeped in culture
and history, it's the birthplace of
William Shakespeare and is home to the
Royal Shakespeare Theatre. To be honest I
was a little nervous about going on the
River Avon. I'd heard all about it's
dangers and my Nicholson map was
littered with red navigation warnings.
Luckily though, I purchased The River
Avon Navigation & Visitor Guide. It
proved very useful. From mooring
information to navigating all the weirs
and locks. There were details about where
to position the boat and where to expect
currents. It was a lot more detailed than
any other map I'd seen and it felt like
it was written by local people, who used
the river frequently. I buddied up with
Narrowboat Morpheus, along with Annie
and Robin to travel down the river to
Evesham. If the basin is full there's
lots more mooring space on the river
opposite the RSC Theatre. As there'd been
very little rain, the river was extremely
calm. The weir's were relatively lifeless
and I noticed everything was very well
signposted, even if some had issues with
spelling! The river winds south past the
outskirts of Stratford with well
manicured gardens, leading down to its
edge. All the lock gates are metal and
are operated using a normal windlass. The
locks all have good landing stages,
before and after. The houses seem to get
larger and more grand as we went past
Weston-On-Avon. As well as the navigation
guidebook, all the bridges had good
signage, indicating what arch you should
and should not use. The long mooring
poles sticking out of the water at
Welford-On-Avon, indicated how much the
river levels can rise. So pleased it was
nice and low today. Most of the locks
have overnight mooring spots too. These
are all indicated with blue painted
posts. Whilst we waited for some boats to
rise in the lock ahead, Molly showed me
her new trick. {Yeah, good girl, good girl} And
had a mad Labrador moment.
We mixed it up a bit out of this lock. I went first.
Once again the calm Avon was set in
beautiful countryside.
Holiday parks lined the river's edge, as
we entered Evesham, where we were to moor
up for the night. Next time I leave
without Narrowboat Morpheus, heading south
on my own. The days got hotter, and Molly had her
first ever River swim. Don't forget to
click Subscribe if you want to follow my
journey. See you next time.