Adventure to Europe & UK 2025

Because my shoulder was still sore the next morning, I was elected to drive the boat for the rest of our trip into Droitwich. This was interesting because until now I have only driven the boat for about fifteen minutes in total, along a simple stretch of canal and beneath a stone bridge. Today was a bit different; the canal was narrow because of the thick reeds growing either side of the canal, it was also quite winding and there were five barge locks to navigate. These were the wider barge locks, double the width of a narrowboat, so one gate would be opened, I would drive the barge through the narrow entrance, then once the lock was filled, drive out through the one open gate at the far end. There were also oncoming narrowboats to contend with, as well as lots of twists and turns, including some sharp turns directly below a bridge. It definitely got me concentrating, but in all I was happy with the way it went. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos because I was a bit busy, lol. ...

It was a lazy morning, we didn’t need to be anywhere, and it was raining, so we had a slow start to the day. After a late breakfast we decided to visit a National Trust property not too far from Droitwich. Hanbury Hall was built in 1701 as a country get away for the Vernon family and apart from remarkable wall and ceiling paintings by sir James Thormhill, depicting the story of Achilles, the property is noted for its historically significant gardens designed by George London which have been faithfully restored to their former glory in recent years. The home remained in the same family until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1953, in need of substantial repairs. It is now open to the public and has many enthusiastic volunteers who are happy to tell you stories and details of the history of the house and gardens. It’s always a pleasure to talk to the folk volunteering in National Trust properties...

Leaving the mooring basin at Stourport on Severn was not as easy as we imagined. The wind was blowing fairly strongly in the morning and even though we delayed a couple of hours in the hope it would drop away, it was still quite blowy when we made the decision to leave. The boat is very long and every time we poked our bow around the corner, the wind caught it and blew us sideways so that we were pointing in completely the wrong direction. This happened several times before we successfully made our way to the four locks that we needed to go through to get to the river. Fortunately for us, there were volunteer lock keepers on duty, so we were able to leave the operation of the locks to them, and concentrate on being in the right place to move smoothly into the next lock. Once we were on the river, navigation became much easier, and even though there was a current we were traveling downstream. In two places, the river drops down a small...

Today is Sunday, so we are booked in to enjoy another traditional Sunday roast lunch, this time at the Stourport Royal British Legion Club. Sounds very fancy, but I think it’s the same as the RSL. We will see. It’s cool but sunny so a good day to venture out. Stourport is at the junction of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, which we have been on for the past several days, and the Severn River. So far we have only traveled on canals, but tomorrow we will venture 7 miles along the River Severn until we reach the turnoff for the Worcester & Birmingham Canal which will then take us to the Droitwich Canal where we plan to leave the boat, in a Droitwich marina, for a couple of weeks while we hire a car and explore further south.  I thought I would show you what it looks like when the boat is in a lock. These photos were taken coming into Kidderminster. The first photo is Southern Cross approaching the lock, with the gate shut and water rushing in to fill the lock to the h...

After a few days enjoying all that Market Drayton has to offer, we’re setting off again, heading south towards Birmingham. Peter and Val visited the livestock market yesterday and enjoyed what they said was the best meal they’ve had since arriving. It was at the cafe at the stockyards where all the farmers eat while they’re there buying and selling cattle. Peter and I explored the town market, which was a mix of the usual stalls you find at markets everywhere. The autumn colours are beautiful now, and the towpaths are carpeted with fallen leaves. It’s so pretty to go for a walk, or just enjoy the beauty from the boat as we meander slowly along the canal. We spent the night moored on the side of the canal in a lovely little spot, I have no idea what the area is called, but it was a perfect place to stay for the night. The following day we arrived at a little town called Gnosall, pronounced ‘Knows All’ where we visited the Norman era church with graves dating right back to the 17th  ...