The Droitwich Canals
Our mooring just above Lock 2 on the Droitwich Barge Canal was perfect if a bit muddy after all the rain we have had. It was from here that we set out on Sunday morning along this beautiful, peaceful , newly restored canal, which was only reopened in 2011. It is well managed, well looked after and the locks, despite being doubles, are easy to operate.
We were captivated by the birdsong and the gentle sound of the breeze whispering in the reeds, which flank both sides of the canal along much of it's length, and all accompanied by blue skies and a lighter breeze than we have enjoyed for days.
We made good progress through the six locks, which were for once all in our favour, to Droitwich Spa, where we were delighted to find pontoon moorings in the Netherton Basin.
We had not long been moored when nb Narrow Escape turned into the basin. We had been wondering if we would encounter Jan and Barry , and Barley and Woody their two dogs, again after sharing the Hatton Flight and learning that they were following a similar route to us. Shared stories followed and we arranged to have a drink together later. This turned into a jovial evening with wine and chat on one of the picnic benches in the adjoining park. As the sun went down and darkness fell we returned to our boats. It had turned jolly cold and we were glad that we had programmed the heating to come on!
Our pontoon mooring in Netherton Basin
Monday 13th May
Because we had found this canal so pleasant we took the decision to carry on up to Hanbury Junction, thus finishing the ring, then to wind and come back down and join the Severn at Hawford Junction to head up river to Stourport on Severn.
So we set of on Monday morning with the promise of another lovely, sunny, warm day. Having cleared Barge lock with it's swing bridge in the middle our next encounter was the very, very, very low tunnel under the M5. We had been warned it was low so had cleared our pansies and other paraphernalia from the roof. And low it was! We had barely an inch or two spare. Sid was on his knees steering. After this we arrived at Hanbury in just a couple of hours.
Lunch, then up to the winding hole and we were ready to start our return journey. The sun still shone, it was now very warm, Jenny had changed into shorts and her leg was holding up well so off were went. This time the very, very, very low tunnel seemed even tighter but we made it and arrived back to the basin from whence we had started that morning. A quiet afternoon in the sun finished our day.
The distinctive blue bridge number badges
of the Droitwich Canals
The return under the M5 - spot Sid!
Tuesday 14th May
How lucky are we to have yet another beautiful morning to travel back down to Hawford Lock where we plan to spend the night. The breeze is much lighter today and it turns very warm, in fact the perfect temperature to sit on the towpath, which is much drier now, and replace the zip on our cratch cover. This is the third zip to need replacing so Jenny Is getting much better at the job if not much faster. It is quite a tedious task stitching it all by hand but all the least we will be waterproof in the bow. It took a little longer than anticipated but the promise of our first bbq of the season, when finished, spurred Jenny along.
BBQ time - with the repaired cratch
cover on the grass in the background
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