To Upton on Severn

Firstly I am days behind!  A mixture of being busy (good), having great fun (even better) and lack of internet (not so good).  We are currently in Sharpness waiting to go down the Severn to Portishead – it looks as though it may be on Tuesday, so hopefully I can put our enforced inactivity to good use and catch up!  This may be a long post, but I will try to do the catch up in several parts.

Update - the internet is so slow that not much may be posted from here.  I have done the next section and will try to post it, but I will not be holding my breath - it may or may not succeed!

Monday 15^th June 2015

Worcester to Upton on Severn

12.75 miles, 5 locks

It was a glorious day and as we set off from Lansdowne Park we went past the festival site where they were still tidying things away

The chairs were securely bound ready to go

Just a few beer barrels!

Things were being loaded onto a boat for transportation to the next Festival site

So on we went down the canal – if anyone comes along this part of the canal this year, so please admire the lock name signs – we met a volunteer a while back who spent a lot of the winter stripping them down and re-painting them.  We think he did a great job – maybe the ‘legs’ will get attention next.

Our initial destination was Diglis at the end of the canal.  There are a lot of apartments around the basin – the ones in the foreground are advertised as ‘luxury apartments’ but surely if you were to live here you would 'need' a balcony?

We went through our first two wide locks of the year

When we came through Diglis a few years ago we were on the River Severn wanting to go into Diglis and up onto the canal.  There was no landing stage then – the only way to get off the boat was up this ladder.  Then, as now, the water was low and there was no way I could reach.  Thankfully there were workmen up the top who saw our plight and worked the lock for us.

So it was onto the River Severn.  The last time we travelled the River Severn past Diglis was in 1974 on our very first time afloat.  We were very young, totally inexperienced and in this rather dilapidated fibre glass yellow boat!  To be confronted by the huge locks and such a grand river on our maiden voyage was rather overwhelming, so it is a wonder we are afloat today!

This is Diglis Lock – our first river lock of this trip.

There is a rather magnificent new footbridge just after Diglis Lock

After that there are few landmarks to tell you where you are – it is miles of this.  We did, however, enjoy it – the banks are high, but it was pretty and peaceful.

You do eventually come across this stuccoed and crenellated building called Severn Bank.

Not long after that we arrived at Upton on Severn – we were able to get in on the floating pontoon

Whilst Cleddau used the moorings on some very steep steps

And so to Upton on Severn – what a wonderful small town it is.  Full of good shops and of great character.  The Tourist Information is in the ‘Pepperpot’ – a cupola topped old church.  It is run by volunteers so the opening hours are a bit hit and miss.  I missed!

We were told there are 15 pubs, but we failed to visit one, never mind all 15!  There is a launderette should one be required.

I liked the look of the Tudor House, but once again my timing was out.

There are interesting side streets

An unexpected find down a very gloomy alley

A good dog walking area

Lots of child friendly facilities including this climbing frame – I have not seen one like this for years and if Sue, Liz and Fi read this I am sure it will bring back many memories of the one we had at school all those years ago?  If memory serves me we used it in a very complex ‘escape from a POW camp’ we devised and it served as tunnels??  Mind you in those far off days there was no red, blue and yellow paintwork - just all very grey with a very solid cement floor under it!

All in all a very pleasant interlude and a place we will go back to.