Great Comberton to Tewkesbury Sunday 28-9-14

With the bells ringing out from Great Comberton's St Michaels church, views westward to the Malverns, and the Bards Avon under Stourbridge Lions keel it was a very Elgarian  setting to wake up to! Sun was out and the day set fair.

We were on the way at about 0930 with great views of Bredon Hill behind us.

Bredon Hill

Two locks to do the rural Nafford lock, Eckington's 16th Century bridge to be negotiated then Strensham Lock.

Eckington's 16th Century bridge

Near Strensham Lock

Strensham lock is fortunately a mile or so away from Strensham Services on the M5 although this morning it feels like its about a million miles away!  Then after the lock we encounter the hazard of sailing yachts! You dont really expect to encounter these unwieldy craft on the inland waterways but then why not? Managed to pass without hitting any!

Then before long we were under the M5 at Bredon and onto the home stretch to Tewkesbury. By this time, on this warm sunny Sunday, the river was alive with craft of all sizes from tiny dingy's to ocean going cruisers. The "masters" of these craft dont seem as friendly as the normal Narrow Boat crews. Maybe its because they are frightened you are going to run into them!  And so into Tewkesbury. A 3 point turn and moored up near the Avon bridge, a much better executed manouvre than what I managed when mooring in Stratford earlier in the week. Just luck really but a passer by said "I can see you have done that before"
"Its nothing really" I said trying to sound modest-but it made my day!

Craft of all sizes enjoying the late autumn sunshine in Tewkesbury

So we were moored up by 1330. Went to speak to the lock keeper to agree my mooring spot was ok then into Tewkesbury for afternoon tea.
This is the last blog until next Saturday. I am in work T,W,Th,F next week but hope to return to the boat with Joanne for the final push up the Severn next weekend. So it will be the Worcester bus in the morning followed by the Stourport bus and at Stourport we should have the car to get us back home.
Been a great few days on the Avon. A really charming waterway administered by a not for profit Trust. They are strapped for cash of course like many other similar bodies but despite that the waterway seems in reasonable repair although some of the locksides are a little unkempt. At Wyre lock yesterday a couple were strimming back the lockside grass. "Used to have a volunteer lock keeper at every lock on the Avon" He said "Just cant get the volunteers now"  He went on "but we do what we can and we look after this lock and have made it our own" As they were probably in their 70s I dont feel that, sadly, Wyre lock will be too long before it also looks a little unkempt, Oh well-none of this detracts from the general attractiveness of the waterway. Hope I can return soon.

Stourbridge Lion near the end of the Avon, sunny Sunday afternoon, Tewkesbuy