Tewkesbury

I spent the morning exploring Tewkesbury and treated myself to a cooked breakfast (lunch really!).  Excellent value at £6, including a large pot of tea.

Very interesting town with many fine old buildings.

Very old house next to the Abbey

Building of the present Abbey started in 1102. Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman Abbey was near completion when consecrated in 1121.  Of cathedral like proportions, it is reckoned to be one of the finest Norman churches in the country.  The beautifully decorated central tower is 46ft square and over 130ft high.

The vast cylindrical arches along the complete length of the nave.

 There are many highly decorated tombs.

And fantastic stained glass windows.

Threatened with dissolution by King Henry VIII in 1539, to save it from demolition the townspeople bought the Abbey for the princely sum of £453 and it became (and remains) the town's parish church.

The town is renowned for is the great number of tiny alleys leading off the main street leading to discreet cottages, gardens and private yards - and a tiny Baptist chapel and little burial ground backing onto the river.  I found them fascinating but they do not photograph easily.

 After stocking up on supplies (and some food), I bid farewell to Tewkesbury on a pleasant but hazy afternoon.

M5 crossing the river.

My moorings for the night at the 16th century Eckington bridge.

A fantastic structure and still carrying traffic (and traffic it was never designed for) after all these years!

After I moored I took James for a walk and noticed a couple in the adjacent picnic area and small car park.  The lady was in a wheelchair and seemed a bit distressed.  On my return they were still there and the man told me the story.  While parked and sitting at one of the picnic tables enjoying lunch a van had reversed into their car making it unusable. Fortunately they had recovery insurance but the tow truck which turned up did not have passenger accommodation - they were told to get a taxi back to their B&B and get reimbursement from the company.  Except they could not find a taxi willing to come and get them (it was pretty remote).  A phone call to the police was not much help and all they did was supply a number for a taxi firm - it was unobtainable!  The lady was in tears by now, worrying how they would get back - they had now been stranded for over 4 hours.  I supplied welcome cups of tea and fortunately I had a good internet connection and found a taxi firm willing to come and collect them.  A rewarding end to a lovely day.

Not a bad view to wake up to.

8 miles; 1 broad lock 
TOTAL:  221 miles; 77 locks (1 broad; 5 large)