Today (Thursday 9th June) we set off before 8am to make the short trip to Upper Lode lock so as to be there ready to go down at 8am when the lock keeper arrived. Upper Lode lock separates the non tidal and tidal sections of the River Severn.
At just after 8am we descended the lock on to the tidal section of the river and were off down to Gloucester. As the river was flowing quite fast due to the tide running out we were doing about 6 mph which is a lot for a narrow boat! We did the 14 mile journey in just over 2 hours!
We ascended Gloucester lock and moored on the pontoons in the docks. At the time there were only a few other boats on the pontoons and some on the wall. After mooring we headed into town to the Post Office to arrange to have a letter delivered there. This was like pulling teeth because no one who worked there seemed to have heard of Post Restante! Eventually we managed to come to an arrangement for the letter.
Following this and a quick visit to the Coop a trip to the newly opened Wetherspoons in the docks was in order. Very nice it was too. The Lord High Constable of England, to give it it’s proper title is surely one of the best Wetherspoons in the country. It is roomy with lovely furnishings and also benefits from a canalside terrace and another one out the front.
Enough of this eulogising suffice to say we enjoyed our visit. Later on we were to return there for a pint before going off to have a meal at the Real China in the Quays. Or rather we would have done if it had not been replaced by a Bella Italia! We like Italian food but we went off to The Vinings for a Pan Asian experience instead and had a very nice meal. The rest of the evening and night passed off quietly.
Friday morning Ken tackled his batteries and the stern tube. I just titted about really not doing anything remotely useful.
A shopping trip was next, firstly for stuff from Wilko’s and then to the market for a nice piece if haddock. Then a quick Tesco essentials shop before taking that back to the boat and heading for the Quays. Well, I headed for the Quays, Ken headed to the fishing tackle shop for maggots.
I had a lovely time in the Skechers shop managing to limit it to 2 pairs of trainers. Unfortunately my Summer and Winter trainers decided to give up the ghost at the same time but both are now replaced!
Ken returned avec maggots just as I had sneaked into the M&S outlet. We decamped the Quays before I had time to go anywhere else and went to the pub obviously.
Later in the afternoon all Hell broke loose on the pontoons. There was a boat moored on the next pontoon to us with a couple of youngish lads on who were a bit the worse for wear with drink and were having a rather loud conversation with another chap, liberally punctuated with swear words. I was just starting to get pissed off when their engine started and they headed off.
I thought they were going so they could get through the bridge before the keeper left for the night and was thinking we may be in for another nice quiet night. Wrong! After a few minutes they returned and tried to moor up in the same place which they had just left. However, by this time they just hadn’t got a clue what they were doing. One stood on the front of the boat with the rope but as the other chap drove in he clipped the pontoon and the one at the front slipped gracefully over the side into the dock!
Whereupon all the people outside Dr Foster’s bar and in the conservatory started cheering and laughing. The chap who was supposed t be driving the boat came along the gunnwales to try and help his mate get back on the boat. However this left the boat uncontrolled and the one in the water was in danger of being crushed against the side.
Ken and I rushed out to help before something disastrous happened. If he had been able to swim he could have gone under the pontoon, swam to the edge and climbed up the ladder but he said he couldn’t swim. With some pulling and tugging we managed to pull him out, another chap came along to help them moor up and eventually order was restored. We did have to dissuade him from removing his clothes outside the boat in front of the pub!
We went in and just as we were thinking it was all going to quieten down now some more of their mates turned up for a drink. Then another load of boats arrived and filled all the remaining pontoons and they all seemed to know each other. Despite this though after the initial furore we had a quiet night. Although when I got up to go to the loo about 1-30am I did hear someone shouting.
