Stourport and the Severn.

We left our tranquil mooring early passing the Slippery Sales Aquatic Centre en route. Then we were pleased to see that Paddy and Ruth were further down, so we moored up behind them. We all thought that Monday would be the best day for tackling the Severn weather-wise.

So we left the boats and went walking down together to see if the water level was in the green, and it was.

    

Danter’s Funfair seems to be permanently set up here just beyond the basin. This is the narrow staircase lock leading down onto the Severn. We wanted fuel before leaving and after a thorough search of the boatyard for the ‘man’ the place seemed deserted. So, we resolved to delay leaving and see if they were open the next day.

Then we helped Paddy and Ruth take their boat and butty down into the basin to fill their water tank.  It was while we were loitering to help them down the barge lock with their boats breasted up that we spotted the fuel man. So we dashed back, brought Oakfield down and filled up the diesel tank.

The basin was quite busy and the Hotel boats Snipe and Taurus were moored there too. Anyway our three boats set off at about the same time. Paddy and Ruth down the wide barge locks and us down the two narrow staircase locks.

As we were first down we tied our boat to the pontoon and went back to help them out of the bottom lock. We then followed them down the River Severn which was fairly calm, but with a cool breeze blowing.

 

There were some idyllic cottages with moorings at the bottom of their gardens.

 

We only had two locks to pass through which are manned and opened for you, the first one was Lincomb Lock. You either hover or tie up to the small lock landing until the green light is showing and the gates open for you to enter the lock. Then on through Holt Lock with it’s pretty keepers cottage overlooking it and under Holt Bridge.

We were keeping a lookout for the Droitwich Canal when we saw the pontoons, but there was no sign to inform boaters that it was the entrance into the Droitwich Canal. After having lashed Oakfield up we hauled Paddy and Ruth in, phew!