Gotcha !!

 

We have never seen so many Kingfishers before as we have here on the river Avon , But they never want their photo taken .

But then there was this one. I spotted him from some distance away and grabbed the camera expecting him to fly off, but he just sat there as we glided by in neutral.

This has to be the best picture we have so far of this marvellous King of Fishers….. I just love them……

                                                                                           Happy Days

Carry on down the Avon !!!

 

After a bad night at Evesham we pulled pins at 07.00 and headed under Abbey bridge watching all the rush hour traffic on their way to work.

This is Hampton ferry where the ferry boat is pulled over by a rope. When approaching the ferry you have to sound your horn 3 times to let him know you are approaching and then he will submerge the rope allowing you to pass.

One for the lads and Ladies at SWW, Evesham STW outlet . It looked like suspended solids where about 8 and it had a BOD of 9 and Ammonia of 0…Guess it passed its consent…….But what would I Know !!!!!!

That's a good job then.

Many of the cills/sills have 2 . So just be careful when locking down .

I think this house would be perfect for us. Modern ,and just built with a mooring outside for Inca.

What ?????

A diamond shape lock and the only one on the river Avon .Apparently it was thought that it would be stronger if it was constructed in this way.

What a result. We turned up at this lock to find that someone had left their windlass behind. Another one for the collection.

Its amazing how many boats Betty is on.

After a great day of cruising we picked up this delightful rural mooring Comberton Quay. I soon got out the fishing rod and had a good bag of small Roach. Tomorrow when we pull pins we will head towards Tewkesbury and have a day there before dropping down onto the river Severn.

                                                                                     Happy Days

Warning Dodgy mooring !!!!!!!

 

After another great days cruising on the river Avon we picked up this mooring for the night at Harvington ( Robert Aickman) Lock. Yet again we are on the poles in case of flooding.

The following morning after a very peaceful night out in the country we pulled pins (Untied ropes) and headed on down the river Avon.We soon reached Offenham lock where we got shot of all our waste and filled with water. I'm not sure what this tower is about on the lock but i thought it looked like some sort of Lighthouse. Or is it a Dalek ??????.

From Offenham its not long before you get to Evesham lock . And how about this for a lock landing. Its right in the middle of the weir. Carolyn had a few problems walking along the steel walkway with all that water running underneath.

The lock keepers cottage that was nearly washed away in the 2007 floods.

After stopping above the lock and doing a shop in Aldi which is very handy and a short distance from the river we dropped down the lock and passed under Workman Bridge.

Warning   !!!!..

After passing under Workman bridge we picked up what we thought was a great mooring on Workman Park. Not long after mooring we saw several police officers in the park talking to a group of young men. The men went on their way and all was ok until later in the evening. It seems that groups of Eastern Europeans congregate in the park where they drink ,get drunk and cause no end of disturbance.We spoke to some locals later in the evening who said that this is an on going problem and they have had enough of it .It was too late to move so we thought we would just have to stay and hope for the best. We were going to walk into the town and have a look around but thought better of it after a couple of groups of men returned.

After a bad night ,with the groups of Men drinking and shouting for most of the night we decided on an early start and pulled pins at 07.00 and left as soon as possible. In over 2 years of living afloat this is the worst night we have ever had on any mooring. My advice to anybody coming through Evesham is to avoid these moorings at all cost….Its Such a shame as I'm sure Evesham has a lot to offer for visiting boaters.

                                                                                                      Happy Days (When not moored in Evesham)

Which is it ????

                         Still on the river Avon and I just wish they would make their mind up. Is it cill with a c or sill with an s ???? I'm confused.
                                                                                            Happy Days

Bye bye Stratford

 

Its time to leave Stratford upon Avon and we have to wind (turn) to get in to the lock . This was relatively easy as there was a good flow on the river . Carolyn pushed the bow out while I held the stern in and we just let the river do all the work.

Into Holy Trinity Lock and all of that metal above is used to strengthen the sides of the lock.

Looking back towards Stratford upon Avon and saying goodbye as we head down river after a very enjoyable week.

There are some big Toadstools around here.

Although the river doesn't seem to be running very fast you can see how much water there is when you look at how much is going over the weirs.

I bet it takes him a while to mow his lawn.

Just like on the river Thames there are some rather expensive looking houses on the Avon.

Luckily we are dropping down the locks ,but boats going up need to take great care as the locks can be very fierce.

We picked up this mooring at Bidford Grange lock and its the first time we have ever moored against poles like this.

You put your mooring ropes through the loop and the idea is that if the river goes into flood your boat just rides up the poles and remains relatively safe, and also when the level drops again your boat does not end up on the concrete edge and should just drop back down safely. Luckily there is no rain forecast for tonight.

                                                                                       Happy Days