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Date: 27th September 2024
Canal: Droitwich Canal, River Severn, Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Direction: South and then North
Last week we left Droitwich Spar Marina and moved the boat a short distance to Netherwich Basin. The map showed a low bridge to navigate, but it turned out that this one was exceptionally low and (despite the boat being full of water and diesel) we only just managed to get through. With this in mind we decided that we would not be returning that way and, because we have had a lot of rain, it seemed very unlikely that we would make it underneath a second time anyway.
We needed to get back to the marina in 2 weeks, so the decision was made to go back on the River Severn, spend a couple of days in Worcester and return to the marina without negotiating the perilous low bridge.
This all seemed like a good plan until we started to check the flood warnings on the CRT website, and we realised that we needed to get a move on if we were going to get safely down the river and back onto the canal.
In the end this was a long cruise (checking the flood warnings as we went) but we managed to dodge the rain. As we arrived in Worcester we decided to moor on the river and use the floating pontoon (which rises and falls with the changing water levels).
On Wednesday morning we had a lovely walk around the city and along the riverbank, but by the afternoon the heavens had opened again so we spend a few hours visiting the Museum of Royal Worcester and Worcester Cathedral. Both of these were excellent places to spend some time.
Worcester Cathedral
We set off relatively early this morning in order to get through the locks at Diglis Basin as quickly as possible. Again, we checked the CRT website to ensure that the locks hadn’t been closed overnight and I’m pleased to say that we managed to easily navigate them (with the help of 2 CRT volunteer Lock Keepers). However, as we moved through the 2 locks the navigation warning lights were showing a rise in the river water levels so I think we were lucky to get back onto the canal without any problems.
There are a few nice moorings next to The Commandery (in Worcester) and we were able to get the boat tied up on the bollards. We had a light lunch in the café and spent an hour walking around the museum, finding out about the important role that this building has played in Worcester’s history.
Although this mooring is close to the centre of the city it was very quiet and felt safe.
The diesel stove is lit and the boat is cozy on the cold damp evenings
Today we only needed to move a short distance (through 5 locks) to a mooring that we have stayed at previously. It was a pleasant and quiet cruise, so the boat was soon tied up opposite the extremely large recreation ground on the outskirts of Worcester.
We plan to spend a couple of days here before heading back to Droitwich Spar Marina, where we have a mooring booked whilst we visit family.
There has been heavy rain and floods across the UK this week, but we decided to take advantage of a short break in the weather and headed back onto the River Severn. A lot of locks had been closed but luckily our planned route was safe. Needless to say, we kept a close eye on the CRT advice the whole time.
We are John, Lorraine, and Boasley the Boat Dog.
Follow our adventures as we learn to live the life of contiuous cruisers on the British waterways.
