Really pleased that the Tardebigge flight opened at the end of August – this allowed us to go south, round the Droitwich Ring, on to the River Severn to Worcester, and back up the Worcester and Birmingham Canal back to the marina.
The Tardebigge Flight was relatively easy with five of us – one driving, two on the lock, two going on to prep the next one. We only passed three other boats on the way down, none on the way back! The Queen’s Head at Tardebigge bottom lock does excellent food – we had great pizzas for lunch on Tuesday (2 for 1!) and a fabulous meal on Saturday night (book well in advance!).
The Eagle and Sun at Hanbury Junction was closed for refurbishment – opening in October. We turned onto the Droitwich Canal at Hanbury and were pleasantly surprised how lovely Droitwich was. There is a useful Waitrose close to the canal, but the waterpoint is hard to find and harder to stop at!
We paired up with another boat to go down through the double locks on the Droitwich Barge Canal, then turned on to the River Severn. It was great going down the river – a very different experience from being on the canal! The marina provided us with a useful guide to navigating the river.
Worcester was worth a visit – cathedral, old city, Elgar … We ate dinner at an independent restaurant called The Olive Branch – exceptionally good food at a reasonable price. Also found a lovely coffee shop called Black and White Kitchen. Worth stocking up with supplies in Worcester, as there is not much chance further north! Overall, a great route to do in the week. Looking forward to next year and exploring further north!
J, G, G, D (the artist), C, H, L and S