Stratford and the last of the Avon

My last day of cruising on the Avon.  It is a lovely river and I have been extremely lucky with the weather allowing me to see it at its best.

The source of the Avon is from a spring near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire.  The river has a total length of 85 miles and a catchment size of 1,032 square miles.  It can rise and fall very rapidly and entry (via Avon Lock at Tewkesbury) was actually closed for a day on the weekend before I arrived so I timed it well! 

Improvements to aid navigation began in 1635, and a series of locks and weirs made it possible to reach Stratford, and to within 4 miles (6.4 km) of Warwick. The Upper Avon was tortuous and prone to flooding and was abandoned as a means of navigation in 1877. The Lower Avon struggled on, and never really closed, although by 1945 it was only navigable below Pershore.

Restoration of the lower river as a navigable waterway began in 1950, and was completed in 1962. The upper river was a more daunting task, as most of the locks and weirs were no longer extant. Work began in 1965 on the construction of nine new locks and 17 miles of river, using mainly volunteer labour, and was completed in 1974 when it was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Plans to extend the navigable river to provide a link with the Grand Union Canal at either Warwick or Leamington Spa have met with some opposition.

My last lock on the Avon

Commemorating Mr Witter's generosity and once famously described by a lady councillor as "Mr Hutchings' monstrous erection in the park", this lock, because of its unusual depth and the unstable nature of the ground (silt pit) was the most difficult to build, which accounts for the unusual girders used to stabilise the structure.  The work was done by men from Gloucester Gaol and other volunteers.  Indeed prisoners and boys from borstal were involved in most of the restoration - I wonder what today's prisoners would say if they were handed a pick and shovel for a day of hard labour?

Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is entombed.

Passing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the left with popular swan feeding spot and departure point for some of the trip boats.

I had intended to travel up a bit further to a possible mooring spot and the limit of navigation (for my boat) but the headroom under the old Tramway bridge was very tight and would have meant clearing a lot from the roof.  I subsequently discovered that a tree was down a bit beyond so I would not have got there anyway.  It was built in 1823 to carry the horse tramway from Bancroft basin to Shipston-on-Stour and is now a footbridge.

My moorings for the next few days, almost opposite the theatre.

9 miles; 5 broad locks 
TOTAL:  256 miles; 92 locks (16 broad; 5 large)

Bidford-On-Avon

Robert Aickman (1914-1981) co-founded the Inland Waterways Association,  a group devoted to restoring and preserving England's then-neglected and largely derelict inland canal system and this lock was named in his honour.

The association was sparked off by a letter sent by Aickman to L. T. C. Rolt following the publication in 1944 of Rolt's highly successful book Narrow Boat, describing the declining and largely unknown world of the British canals. The inaugural meeting took place on 15 February 1946 in London, with Aickman as chairman and Rolt as honorary secretary.  The IWA organized successful campaigns and attracted notable supporters, including as president the writer and parliamentarian Sir A. P. Herbert and as vice-president the naturalist Peter Scott.  Rolt and Aickman had a falling out in 1951 but it did not prevent the IWA becoming one of the most successful conservation organizations in British history, succeeding in restoring and reopening much of the original canal network.  Were it not for him I would not be writing this blog.

Weir at the lock with very attractive foliage.

Bidford Bridge from upstream and downstream.

More large houses along the banks.

And yet another good mooring.

6 miles; 3 broad locks 
TOTAL:  247 miles; 87 locks (11 broad; 5 large)

Vale Of Evesham

There is a rowing regatta on at Evesham - an annual bank holiday event with hundreds of boats competing.  It was no hardship waiting the short time for a gap in the racing.

Safety first!

Weir at Offenham lock - marked as a ford on the map.  I don't think I would like to try it!

The unusual flood-proof lock keepers hut.

The Vale of Evesham is a major fruit and vegetable growing area.

My very pleasant mooring for the night

6 miles; 2 broad locks 
TOTAL:  241 miles; 84 locks (8 broad; 5 large)

Approaching Evesham

I only move a little bit up the river in the next two days.  This was my mooring on Thursday night at the aptly named Swan's Neck where the river turns through 180 degrees.  Plank was required and James proved to be a wimp - I had to carry him on and off.

Only room for one.

Bredon Hill which has been in view since Tewkesbury and will continue to be for a while yet.





















 Friday I move to a spot more convenient for James - and me!

Saturday is another beautiful day and I make the most of it.

Pershore New Bridge, built in 1928 now carries the road traffic, leaving the 14th century, 6 arched Pershore Great Bridge to pedestrians only.

Plenty of fine house on the banks - nice mooring attached to this one but can I afford it?  No way!

Wyre Piddle Lock is diamond shaped - I have no idea why it was built like that.

Fladbury Mill overlooks the weir.  It was in use until 1930.

Looking back to the lock and the mill

I thought I was going to have to go on to Evesham for an overnight stop - moorings on the river are limited - but as I exited Chadbury Lock I spied the blue posts signifying mooring allowed.  Just room for one boat and a bit of tricky reversing with the flow of the river and proximity to the weir booms.

14 miles; 5 broad locks 
TOTAL:  235 miles; 82 locks (6 broad; 5 large)

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)