Monday 1/6 Bancroft Basin, Stratford to Bidford on Avon Pt1

Arose just after 6.00 to get ready for our River Avon adventure. Away before 8.00, trying to exit quietly (it is considered impolite to start your engine before 8.00). Firstly we had to leave our mooring and then execute a 360o turn to head into the big lock that drops one down to the Avon. The only ones to see us off were our neighbours for the past two nights who waved us Bon voyage and this swan who seemed happy to see us go

Out onto the Avon we go, around these boats

And downstream we go, passed the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

To our first stop. Yes, you guessed it, a water fill, and that bloody hose fitting is still leaking.

The Holy Trinity Church which overlooks the exit to our first river lock

Which was the Colin Witter (aka Trinity) Lock.

The locks on the Avon are large double locks. They are very slow to operate, but their saving grace is that you don't have to close the gates after the boat leaves the lock, though you must open both gates, no sneaking in or out with one gate still closed. And although the gates are heavy and hard to get moving, once they start, they swing relatively easily and the paddles are easy to wind up.

This is the wash from one of the weirs below Trinity Lock. If there is a bit of flow on it can really knock your boat around.

And one of the weirs

Under a bridge and out into the countryside

The only other boat we saw on the move today.

Aqualife in Wier Brake Lock chamber waiting for the chamber to drain

A typical, so far, Avon River view

A Coot with nesting material. These little birdies are normally rather shy and disappear into the reeds or overhanging foliage when the boat gets close. However this one was on a mission and wasn't going to let a 57' narrowboat get in its way.

A thatched roof house

An quirky little boat shed

A large riverside house

This is the first contemporary house we have seen on our travels. We have seen plenty of new builds, however they are all built in an old style, usually Georgian or Victorian.

Here Endeth Pt.1