Sunday 24th July 2016

Sunny but cooler today with even a few spots of rain but nothing too bad. When Graham was doing the maintenance before we set off I took a picture looking down into the hatch. You can clearly see the propeller as the water is so clear.

The Romans originally forded the river at Bidford. Later, the monks of Alcester built the current bridge in 1482 and none of the 7 arches are alike in size or shape.

The locks on rivers are much wider and longer than those on canals but often they are not as deep. 

The next photo shows Graham mooring the boat to one of the moveable rings which allow for periods of high rainfall.

Going in the opposite direction was this enormous barge. Probably 14' across. The owners were on their maiden journey and had just gone through their first lock and the boat now had a scrape! Apparently they are taking it to Stratford for a while and then to Bristol.

Evesham, which is our stop for the night, is the centre of the British soft fruit industry and some of the glasshouses can be seen from the canal. There are many Polish and Eastern European workers here and the food shops in Evesham reflect this influx whilst many different accents can be heard as you walk around.

However a typical English scene was present in the park with a town band concert taking place and everyone sitting around in the sunshine.