Monday 15th July
After a brief stop for water this morning we got underway about 8-30 am and travelled 6 miles and 2 locks from Pershore to Eckington Wharf. At Pershore lock there was a boat moored on the downstream approach, I went down to ask them if they wanted to come up, as the lock was set in their favour, but they were having breakfast. We set the lock and went down to find them trying – and failing miserably – to turn round in a rather shallow spot. We told them they would be better off going up the lock and turning there but they said they would give it another go where they were. We left them to it.
We only had one other lock to do today and as we approached it we met a boat which had just come up. The lock is not visible from the main channel and by the time we got round to the lock landing another boat had arrived to come up. I attracted their attention just in time before they emptied it! Two cruisers arrived behind us but neither wanted to share so we had lots of crew and I got back on while they did all the work, bonus!
We arrived at Eckington Wharf at about 11-30 am and there was no one moored here. A Canaltime, or whatever they are called now, has subsequently joined us, in fact you couldn’t wedge a fag paper between our front fenders! That’s taking considerate mooring a bit too far if you ask me but there you are, there’s plenty of room for more to moor!
We walked up to the village, not far but quite far enough in this heat and completely missed the shop as we were obviously focused on The Bell! We sat in their lovely garden and had a couple of pints of Wadsworth 6X. We spotted the shop when we came out of the pub and got a couple of things which we forgot to get yesterday.
It was too hot to tackle the European Ironing Mountain or do the hoovering so this afternoon I had a little kip! Tomorrow we are completing our week on the Avon by going to Tewkesbury. Our license runs out on Wednesday and we will then be going on to the Severn.
