By the Severn

Coaster entering Sharpness Docks

Tuesday August 10 Moving on to Purton

We moved from Saul Junction to Purton. John asked the passing bridge keeper if our moorings are 14 days, as the sign near our boat did not say, and he said 2 days, so we moved as we don’t want to overstay.

It was breezy and cloudy with sunny intervals, so it was a pleasant trip through Slimbridge to Purton. We had to moor on the right 600m after the two Purton bridges, although there is a visitor mooring opposite, at the end of the permanent moorings. 

Our new shears were used to cut the grass down the bank to the front cratch, to make it safer getting on and off the boat.

In the sunny afternoon, we walked on the Severn foreshore to view the well known Purton hulks, left to strengthen the river bank and protect it from erosion. Later, John cycled seven miles back to Saul to collect our car, quite hard work as it is a folding bike with tiny wheels! He needed a rest afterwards! 

Wednesday August 12 CRT calls plus visiting Hope and Jo

It feels strange not having our daughter’s dog, Honeypie! We had her for a month while building work continues, and enjoyed her company, as always.

A lady from CRT telephoned us today about overstaying on moorings! Strange, as we’re careful not to do so. We had been noted at Saul twice, two weeks apart, on 48 hour visitor moorings. John had to explain that we had moored at other places like Slimbridge for most of that time. She seemed satisfied, thankfully.

Today, we drove over the newer Severn Bridge to visit daughter Jo and our grandchild Hope.  Hope is at that sup milk, nap, get wind, fill nappy and back to sup milk stage, which is very demanding, but Jo, as always, takes it in her stride.

We got out the park and had a walk around the village, about which Jo already seems to know a fair bit.

Thursday August 12 at Purton

Today, John was busy cutting joints and replacing wood on one of Annie’s triangular front cratch windows. He was able to sit in the cratch and enjoy the lovely blue sky and sunshine today.

By evening, he had got the frame finished, primed and glossed.

We had an evening walk, messing around with our little folding bike, looking at the Purton hulks, more old Severn trow working boats from the 1890s and concrete boats from the 1940s.

 

Friday August 13 at Sharpness Docks (1 mile, 0 locks)

It rained overnight, and the day started cloudy and breezy, with raindrops on the windows from last night. Liana has noticed that the nights are getting colder, and it certainly feels autumnal today!

Weather permitting, we intend to motor up to Sharpness, have a walk and retrace our steps towards Slimbridge and Gloucester.

Quite by chance, we fell in our feet! We walked from our mooring near the marina, around to the coast guard station, to find it was an hour before high tide and a coaster carrying fertiliser was in sight, coming with the tide to dock in the floating harbour at Sharpness Docks. A GRP cruiser preceded it. We found a pedestrian walkway right into the dockside area, giving brilliant access, but fenced off for safety. We were yards from the ship as she entered through the lock gates around high tide.

Later, we went to the Sharpness Dockworkers Social Club,  to find you can get meals from noon until 2pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with reductions for pensioners Friday lunches only! We had fish & chips and full English breakfast, served by the welcoming staff.

As rain began, we returned to Annie to read and watch tv. John also did more work on the cratch.

A gentleman told us about two useful phone apps to find out about vessels on the Severn Estuary:

Severntales

Vesseltracker

I will try them!

Stroudwater Phase 1b restoration news

 Saturday August 7 Exciting developments near Saul Junction

Yesterday, we motored back from Slimbridge to use the services at Saul Junction, plus stock up at Gloucester Tesco’s and B&Q.

This morning, we walked Honeypie along the Stroudwater Canal from Saul Junction, past the marina to Walk Bridge. Gloucester County Council have not started replacing this with a higher, navigable bridge yet. However, we noticed signs of restoration the other day , near Whitminster Lock. Two containers (one a wc?) and a huge skip have been placed there. It looks like clay from the skip has been moved by mini digger and maybe a dumper truck across the lock bridge to clear the formerly overgrown bank and build the clay base to build up the bank and possibly make a towpath on the west side of the canal! They have completed about 100 metres so far.

They have cut some grass near the lock, which will soon be joined to the river 30 metres away (which itself uses the old canal route at this point), so the Stroudwater will become a river navigation along this short section.

Not only this, but 400 metres further on, they have cut the grass on the river bank both sides by what will become the junction of river with canal, once they dig out the soil (where Honeypie is below) which blocks the line of the old canal straight on towards the A38 roundabout, which now has its bit of canal ready through the middle.

The River Frome farm bridge (Lockham Bridge) just round the corner will remain low. Liana is clambering on the sluice down to a field dyke by this bridge.

The small map extract is from the excellent “The Stroudwater Canal & Thames and Severn Canal Towpath Map” from Darien-Jones Publishing, available from Cotswold Canal Trust etc.

We returned to watch the last Olympic day, one or two boat jobs and read.

Slimbridge Wetland Centre visit

Wednesday August 4 WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre visit

Today we visited Peter Scott’s Slimbridge Wetland Centre with Jo, Mark and granddaughter Hope, plus Mark’s parents Julie and Bryn, who live nearby.

We enjoyed seeing swans, including the South American Black Necked Swan, various geese and ducks, roughs, black tailed godwits and lapwings, two types of flamingos, southern screamers and Hawaiian nene geese, plus American otters.

Later, we all ate together (Hope had several liquid meals!) at the nearby Tudor Arms.

Later still, Liana walked Honeypie , and we watched the marvellous Olympics and read.

On to Slimbridge

 Monday August 2 Saul to Patch Bridge (4 miles, 0 locks, 6 swing bridges, Engine Hours 4519)

Yesterday, we met daughter Joanna and baby Hope in Chepstow, just over the older Severn Bridge, and had a pleasant walk around the town centre and Sunday market. Later, we read, watched the Olympics and walked the dog, as usual.

Today, after breakfast, Liana walked Honeypie while John added oil to our leaky gearbox, then took Annie back through Sandfield Bridge to the CRT services by the CCT shop. Once we had emptied loo cassettes and filled with water (with a coffee at The Stables while we waited!), we headed for Slimbridge, taking our time. 

The busy Sandfield and Fretherne Bridges are powered, after which you parallel Frampton village, reaching its church just before Splatt’s Bridge. The bridge keepers have to open Splatter Bridge and Cambridge Arms Bridge manually. The Cam feeder now has a fancy new house next to it, replacing the old chalet. 

Our Pearson’s Guide shows visitor moorings before and after Patch Bridge, on the towpath side. However, CRT visitor moorings are actually after the bridge on the other side. Overgrown before the bridge on the towpath side, we moored after it, on decent piled moorings, which are not signed as CRT visitor moorings. There is now no chandlery selling gas next to the Black Shed cafe, either. Michael Pearson, take note, please.

Later, we tried out the Black Shed cafe (ok), chatted to holidaymakers visiting Slimbridge, watched the Olympics and turned the music volume up when thunder frightened Honeypie!

Tuesday August 3 at Slimbridge 

Today has been sunny, so we have walked through sheep pastures and beside a field of maize and the length of Slimbridge village.  Sadly, the church was closed, while there was little in the post office, apart from snacks and a few cards.

Back at Patch Bridge, we treated ourselves to lunch again. Liana  had ok loaded chips and coffee. John had a cold can of Guinness with a good steak and kidney pie, new potatoes and peas with gravy …. Ah!

John popped the engine on for dishwasher, the two loads in the washing machine. We read and baked in the sun while the clothes dried. Various interesting craft passed us by. Later, we walked Honeypie down to the closed World Wildlife Trust Slimbridge Wetland Centre, while the normally busy road was quiet. There is a good-sized car park for our daughter Jo when we all visit tomorrow.

It’s a hard life, but someone’s got to do it!