After the excitement of watching the Severn Bore we felt in need a more sedate afternoon, so we went to Lydney to visit the railway. The steam engine Rennes was the one pulling the train we were on. First class is the only way to travel. The very pretty Hawksworth carriage below.
The driver looked awfully young!
I noticed that the coach weighed the same as Matilda!
A couple of adverts made me smile Not quite politically correct these days.
In need of refreshment????
Tony used to travel from Snow Hill Station.
Inevitably you have to exit via the shop. These two cushions were amusing
A most enjoyable afternoon. We drove up to Ross on Wye and realised it is only a 20 minute drive from Tewkesbury so we are likely to return.
Never having seen this, except on the TV, we drove down to the aptly named Severn Bore Inn and as it happened it was a Wadworth hostelry. They were open for breakfast. At 10.10 a fair crowd had gathered however the bore was about 20 minutes late! The canoeists and surfers were waiting……
These images give no real idea of the speed of the water. We were waiting in front of a sluice, the before and after the wave surge
The water came over the grass in minutes! It brought with it so much debris; huge trees and rafts of branches and weed.
This is further downstream at the White Hart, Broadoak and shows the width of the channel.
If you would like to see the bore yourself here are the dates:
And absolutely nothing to do with the Severn Bore our boldest rabbit
I treated myself to a second hand copy of Watership Down!!!!!!
Weather pretty mixed in the last couple of weeks. Series of storms with thunder & lightning! Monday 12 we moved down from Saul Junction to Patch. Visited Slimbridge again as we had invested in a membership.
Cloud over Slimbridge as we set out
Slimbridge is not just about birds……..
Peter Scotts home is due to open in September
What’s new for next year
We were having a quiet late afternoon when who should walk by but a familiar face from Devizes, Helen and her daughter Lily. Good to catch up and meet her brother and nephews from Norway.
Here we are at Saul Junction on the Gloucester & Sharpness canal on the worst weekend of the summer ! Strong and gusting wind, driving horizontal rain, and waves on the canal. So awful we did not venture out yesterday and today it looks very unlikely so no Telegraph to read!!!
Having a car does help to get out and about! We went off to see the open gardens at Offenham. Well worth the visit! Which was my favourite?
Garden 1 Delightful and immaculate. Rear field with veg chickens and goats
Garden 2 Impressive Loved the cucumbers and glass flowers
Garden 3 Huge ponds with huge fish Liked the hostas
Garden 4 Lovely back garden and so well maintained
Garden 5 Hard to photograph Huge lawn flanked by tree ferns, bananas etc
Garden 6 Loved the arch window and the strawberries & cherries with cream and the Ferrari on the wall in the kitchen!
Garden 7 was the Artists garden. She works in glass hence nearly all the gardens having examples of her work.
A most enjoyable day out. We also visited the Pub and Ferry but the pub was not scheduled to open for a couple of weeks and the Ferry? Well, who knows and if it did operate again what is there on the other side of the river to visit?
Which was my favourite? Well. I would have been happy to claim number one or number six.
Hospitality tent being towed away on Monday morning
The weather was cool but everyone seemed in good spirits. We met several ANT ( Avon Navigation Trust) volunteers. Friends Hazel and Simon from Chippenham came on Sunday so with them and friend Jenny now in Pershore we enjoyed lunch at The Star Inn.
Monday morning at 10.30 we went to Number 8 the theatre cum cinema with Jenny to see Late Night with Emma Thomson. Ticket price includes tea and biscuit!
Tuesday we set off heading for Offenham on the way to Stratford.
A good shot of a heron above and below a pigeon takes a ride by sitting on the satellite dish!
Hampton Ferry Warning. Sound horn three times. Snagged the ferry rope as it had not been lowered enough. Tony put Matilda into an immediate reverse. The ferry man came and let out more rope so no harm done after all.
Didn’t intend to stop in Evesham but passing Workman Garden we saw “little” Matilda moored so turned around and moored up to catch up with Paul and Anita. we met them first in Henley last summer and then they were moored in Caen Hill marina last winter. A Warm evening.
Left Evesham very early whilst still cool and moored overnight at Barton lock. Arrived in Stratford on Thursday at midday & moored opposite the Memorial Theatre. Another warm day. At 6pm it was 33.4 outside and still 25 at 10.00pm. An overnight storm.
Matilda from the theatre
We had tea at Huffkins. I can definitely recommend the Belgian Buns but Tony prefers the warm scones
Met lovely couple Donald and Kathleen on Fanny May, from Auckland NZ who were moored in front of Matilda and enjoyed a bottle of wine with them.
On Friday we took out a mortgage for seats in the stalls to see The Taming of the Shrew. I enjoyed it but it was a bit bizarre as they had reversed the genders so it was son Katherine to be married off to female Petruchio. I don’t think it added anything………..
The stunning flower bed is at the bottom of the flight of locks on the narrow canal. The rest of the towpath is in a pretty miserable state. Surprising really that this tourist town hasn’t done more to tidy up the canal.
Holy Trinity Church where William Shakespeare was baptised and buried.
Personally I preferred this chapel with its tombs
From the church we came across
So Shakespeared out we enjoyed the brass band concert in the park on Sunday afternoon and then drinks aboard Fanny May. Monday we set off on our return journey, mooring at Workman Gardens, Evesham.
Tuesday we walked to The Valley Shopping Village following the bridleway with an assurance that we would find a route under the A46. We didn’t!
We walked up through apple and pear orchards until we found a track leading to A46 island where we did manage to cross this very busy main road. And all this for green embroidery cotton!. The needlework shop had everything I wanted and there was an excellent craft store too. By this time rain was falling heavily so we called a cab to take us back to Workman Gardens. The rain continued all evening. By Wednesday morning the river level had risen to amber and was flowing very quickly so we decided to stay put. We did take a walk of 8201 steps ( 5,57km) and picked blackberries.
This was 31st July and so the following day we began our new paper diary.
