As we awoke the tail end of an overnight rainy spell was close to clearing. Most of the day was quite pleasant with some sunny spells but not as warm as yesterday. By mid afternoon thicker cloud arrived and the temperature dropped.
Before leaving, Mike and Andrew walked across to Morrisons to do a top-up shop, as well as taking the rubbish to the disposal point at the end of the park.
It was still rather murky as we left the basin where we moored overnight but the rain had by now finished.
The first locks today were the Ladywood flight of five. By now we had joined the former Droitwich Barge Canal built, as can be seen, with wide locks. These are a lot slower to operate than the locks yesterday!
Also, on the top gate, there was a notice warning us to be aware that a weed cutting boat was operating in the area. We had seen a similar notice yesterday at the top lock but had not encountered it.
The brighter later part of the morning brought our the autumnal colours in the trees.
In many places we could see the effects of weed cutting - here cut right back to the bank and elsewhere piles of cut reeds on the banks. In the past when we have come this way, especially the first time, the navigable width was hardly wider than a boat which made interesting an encounter with something coming the other way!
At the next lock a car was parked alongside but it had its lights left on. Perhaps it belonged to a person working on the bank but he was some distance back so we could not do much about it. Hope that it starts when he returns later in the day.
Before long we did indeed meet this boat, collecting the cut reeds. He warned us that the cutting boat was just a little further ahead.
Alas, although we were keeping a lookout for it, the worker on board was not keeping a watch behind him and it was a little while before we could attract his attention to let us pass. It is driven along with two water wheels, one either side and makes quite a splash.
A few blue patches in the sky appeared as we went through the penultimate lock on the Droitwich Canal.
A couple of boats were waiting on the pontoons below the lock down onto the River Severn and they quickly made their way into the lock as we left.
Although Andrew had called Bevere Lock Keeper, as instructed, we had a little wait as a lock has been readied for a boat coming up. Eventually the gates opened and we were able to make our way in and make fast to the risers whilst the water was let out for us.
Looking back after leaving the lock we could see the wide weir to one side.
The banks of the Severn offer few landmarks. The banks are high and there are not many houses that look down to the water. Eventually we neared Worcester and could hear the commentary from the race meeting. However, we could not see the course itself, hidden behind trees and the bank.
A footbridge, railway and multi arched road bridge cross the river alongside Worcester with the cathedral standing proud above.
Other impressive older buildings can also be seen, some of them a reminder that this was once a busy port with important warehouses for transhipment.
Diglis Basin and Lock are where we would have come out if we had stayed on the Worcester and Birmingham canal instead of diverting through the much more interesting Droitwich route.
Diglis Locks in now the only change in level before we turn of at Tewkesbury.
We were pressing on - there are precious few mooring places along the river and in the past we have seen the few spaces at Upton fully subscribed. However, our estimate for arrival at Tewkesbury was not until almost dark.
Without a GPS we would have struggled to know where we were - only a few landmarks can be seen such as here at Pixham.
Clouds gathered and it was much cooler for the rest of the day.
We were more than a little surprised and pleased to see, as we approached Upton that there was only one small boat on the pontoon. We made a broad sweep around under the road bridge to come in upstream to the mooring.
After tying up, Mike made a brief exploration to see what boating facilities there were (few and less than in our ageing Nicholsons!) seeing the Pepperpot at the road junction. As he settled down to write this blog the other two, separately, went to explore a little further but failed to take a camera. Still, the light was fading and it might not have been easy to take anything worthwhile.
21.3 Miles - 10 Locks
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