Rainboat

A new river! Since Sharpness we'd been retracing our steps, but today we turned right at the confluence of the Severn and the Avon and made our way to Tewkesbury.

Straight away it was clear the Avon was a smaller and altogether gentler river than the Severn. It was also the first waterway we'd come to not covered by the annual CRT license fee. Will had planned ahead and payed £110 for 30 days' access. Vicky wrote out our 8 figure code on A4 cards and stuck them in the windows on either side for inspectors to see.

A short lock signalled our arrival in Tewkesbury and the friendly lockie helped us wrap the fore and aft ropes around bollards before he let the water in. It's not something we'd needed to do before, but is a requirement on the Avon. Will bought a guide book to the navigation (£6.50) and a 2 day mooring pass for the town (£10). Most moorings are included in the original fee, but those in the big urban areas are charged separately. It was an expensive day!

The lock is at a right angle to the river. Our journey on the Avon would take us upstream but we turned downstream to explore the few hundred metres of navigable channel that lay downstream towards the sandstone Abbey. Small cruisers and the odd narrowboat were moored along the banks. Fluorescent tape cordoned off fallen trees and collapsed sections of jetty. Wooden planks remained where the town visitor moorings had been, but they sagged and the platform had gaping holes. It hardly needed the sign saying they were closed down. Turning at the end a fisher called out to say we looked like a floating garden centre. We're really happy with all the plants we've managed to grow on our little rooftop garden this year!

A short distance before the lock we squeezed alongside a section of concrete bank where there were blue painted metal poles to tie up; the colour signifying a public mooring. Towering above us was the old brick flour mill that had been closed for decades. Despite being borded up it's a beautiful building and we hope it can be restored and put to use one day.

As is often the way, Will went to e explore the nearby high street while Vicky nested and rested with the furries. After Gloucester's wide pedestrianised streets, the pavements seemed narrow and the seemingly endless stream of traffic noisy. Above the boutiques and butchers, charity shops and coffee stops, hung an array of medieval banners representing those who fought here in the 1471 War of Roses. Contemporary and unremarkable buildings were interspersed with olde worlde timber frame structures.

Will was excited when he returned to Rainboat; he'd found a shop that could print and frame a photo for us. Vicky wasn't very well but we'd been looking for somewhere like this for a while so we quickly transferred the chosen photo to her phone and went in. We'd expected to wait at least a day but the friendly framer must have been having a slow afternoon because they said to pick it up in half an hour. We waited with drinks in a comfy café and were really pleased with the result. We celebrated by eating fish and chips on the stern that evening.

The following day was a real treat. Will's friend and former colleague Jane, who he'd taught with at Hillcrest many years ago was coming to visit! She's been following our travels for a long time and although she and Vicky had never met, Vicky felt like she knew her from all the online interactions.

The lock keeper kindly lent us the key so Jane could park her car in the locked flour mill car park, right alongside Rainboat. After a quick tour, catch-up and obligatory licks from Leo we got started on a short cruise to the riverside Fleet Inn for lunch. Chatting away about times old and new relaxed us all. Jane and her husband had previously lived in a motorhome and they'd aslo taken a short boat holiday on the northern stretches of the Avon and down the Severn. Despite initial nervousness Jane steered Rainboat really well, especially considering the blustery wind. We'd booked a table at the pub and were glad to see the metal platform directly outside it was empty as it belonged to the Avon Trust and therefore wasn't able to be reserved.

It was a large place with several areas for people to sit outdoors. There were little huts, deckchairs and a covered patio section with a pizza oven already fired up and ready to cook. It was so nice to be able to spend time with Jane and exchange tales of travels face to face. She relaxed on the way back to Tewkesbury as Will took the helm. She then took good care of Tiger when we arrived and there wasn't enough room for us. Luckily one boat, then another called out to us that they were leaving soon, so we just needed to float about for a bit before squeezing in once again.

Jane, thanks so much for all your comments and taking the time to visit us. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did ☺️En savoir plus