THE BIG SUMMER CRUISE--JUNE 16th--23rd

Monday, June 16th
Another beautiful day, wall to wall sunshine.
More problems with the Whispergen.
Clouds of blue smoke came out when we tried to start it.
The engineer will have to come from Whaley Bridge,
but he can't come until Saturday.........
We stayed at Wilmcote for the next two nights.

Wednesday, 18th June
We had to move on today, as we needed water, fuel,shopping and a toilet pump out.
So we moved on to Stratford and some services.
We moored just outside Stratford for the night.

Thursday, 19th June
We went down the last few locks and in to the Stratford canal basin.
This is right by the theatre, and a busy, bustling place.
It was quite nice for a change, and good to be near the shops.
We caught up with various friends, and enjoyed our few days there.
We could perhaps have managed quite well without the 'night life"
late at night.........

Saturday, 21st June--The Longest Day of the Year
Today we moved on through the last lock of the Stratford Canal
and on to the Avon--our first river!
We had friends on board as we went through the lock,
and they were experienced boaters.
This was just as well, as there are always dozens of people watching at the basin.
They're known as Gongoozlers by the canal fraternity!
Our boat only just fitted in the lock,
and we had difficulty opening the lock gate to get out.
We moored up opposite the Theatre.
The river is busy with trip boats and private boats, and dinghies and canoes
as well as swans, ducks and geese.
There is also a ferry to take people across the river,
which works on a chain, and of course there are people!
So many people, from every ethnic background.
It's a great place for people watching.


LEAVING STRATFORD BASIN

The engineer came from the Whispergen company
and located the fault as a faulty circuit board.
He will come back on Thursday with a new one.


OUT ON TO THE AVON--ROYAL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE IN THE BACKGROUND

Now, if you had been following closely (!),
you may recall that our plan was to go to Stratford on the canal,
and then turn round and go back up the canal to Birmingham.
But we were persuaded by friends that we should go down the Avon,
now that we're so near, and so that is what we're doing.
We shall go down to Tewkesbury, then turn north on to the Severn,
as far as Stourport-on-Severn.
There we shall join the Staffs & Worcs canal

Sunday, 22nd June
On Sunday morning, we woke to silence and birdsong,
until the trippers started again.
We also enjoyed the bells from Holy Trinity, just across the river.



Then---I noticed a puddle on the kitchen floor.
Further investigation proved we had a leak in the water filter under the sink.
A phone call to Dave, our boatfitter, and he said he would come out.
He is very good, it was quite a way from Braunston.
But he arrived with his usual good humour and sorted us out.
Late in the afternoon,we had a thunderstorm.
It cleared up in the evening,
but then it rained through most of the night.
This, of course, gave me a reason to worry.
(I'm a dreadful worrier!)
What if the river flooded?
What if we were washed across the adjacent playing field?
And other such unrealistic thoughts!

I shall hopefully add our next week's exploits on Monday, 30th June.

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