A somewhat gentler day

Friday 25^th April; Stourport to Wolverley

It’s a good spot here for doing work on the boat, with a wide enough grass verge to put the engine board where passers-by won’t trip over it.  So Dave decided to change the engine oil and the air filter too, and I took Jess along the old railway line from the Old Railway bridge opposite the Railway Basin.  We’ve never moored here before so it was a good opportunity to explore.  It’s very much like other railway lines that have been converted to walking and cycling trails – a good surface and lots of trees grown up where they no longer need to be removed to stop them catching fire from sparks. 

The river Stour crossing

The line crosses the river where it winds across its flood plain on its way to the Severn.  There is a main road too, and the sides are steep where the river has cut through the sandstone.  Like the canal, the railway line is along alternating embankments and cuttings, with the few road bridges often high above.

Road bridge above the cliff

The skylarks were singing above the fields alongside, and at one point I heard a whitethroat.  We followed the line for about a mile and a half before returning, just as Dave was finishing the engine work.  We set off eventually at 11.45 – too early for lunch, so we thought we’d get an hour or so’s cruising done.  Moored not far along was a boat we had seen before, I can’t remember the name though it did have Woof painted on the stern.

I think we can assume this boat contains at least one dog!  I was initially slightly alarmed by its staring red eye, but I guess its starboard eye is green!

The sun was shining and Jess was enjoying a zizz after her walk this morning, though still keeping a little control on the revs.

A while later she decided that wasn’t so comfortable.

This'll do

The initial idea had been to go up Kidderminster lock and do our shopping in Sainsbury’s after lunch.  But it was taking us longer to get there than we thought it would, even though the two locks before the town were easy little ones.

Caldwall lock

I wonder why two footbridges were thought to be necessary?

So as the Tesco mooring before Kidderminster lock was free, we tied up and had lunch before doing our shopping.  There is a pub garden opposite the mooring, raised up above a retaining wall, and there seemed to be a leaving do going on.  The lively chatter was loud and getting oppressive so we left as soon as we could to go up Kidderminster lock, which is deep and very noisy from the busy road, but with the view at the top as compensation.

One of the obligatory snaps wouldn’t you say?  Especially with the bright colours of the new leaves and the masses of daisies.

The Sainsbury’s moorings were empty, with no noisy pub opposite, and another time I would put up with the growling stomach and moor here.  We tootled along through the outskirts of the town as the surroundings gradually got more peaceful.

It's the only one I've seen so far

We went up the next two locks, and moored for the night round the bend from Wolverley lock.  Later another boat stopped some way behind us, and much later – around 8pm - two Starline hire boats, all the way from Stourport, waved merrily as they passed.  They were only out for the weekend, I wonder how far they would get?

5 miles, 5 locks