Lin – September 2025
We had another great, relaxing and fun week on Watermark at the beginning of September with family and friends. We headed first to Birmingham and moored up in Gas Street Basin, spending time exploring the city, eating, drinking and watching the world go by. Pity we hadn’t booked to see an event at the arena, but we’ll definitely do that next time!
As well as plenty of good pubs along the way, we found a great bakery/deli in Hockley Heath called Wedges Bakery, which is well worth a visit. We also spent time in Dickens Heath and had a really good day in Stratford. There was a perfect mix between fabulous countryside, enjoying the peace, beautiful views and wildlife, and exploring lovely villages and towns. We did so much in the week and everyone had a brilliant time!
Jill – Summer 2025
There was a particular day on our recent trip on Watermark narrowboat that summed up the variety and uniqueness of a canalling holiday. So here’s my story of a day in the life of Watermark:
Lots of things were in our favour (dry days, long & light evenings, an experienced & energetic crew etc) so we had made very good time from Alvechurch, where Watermark is based, to Stratford upon Avon. It only took us two and a half days (it’s about 19 miles by road…). So we were able to spend a night moored in the picturesque Bancroft Basin, outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Once the tourists leave, Stratford becomes a different place and it was a peaceful mooring spot despite being in the centre of town.
Next morning, we took the short walk around the basin to join a backstage tour of the theatre, complete with lots of lurvie stories, a view of the technical set-up for the next production, and a chance to handle some of the costumes. We then had lunch in one of the local theatre restaurants before returning, via the supermarket, to the charms of the canal.
The not-so-leisurely afternoon involved working our way up 15 locks, spread across a couple of flights, and returning to the open countryside. The facilities on board Watermark allowed us to have showers and then cook ourselves a meal. As the sun set, we realised we had aligned ourselves for a lovely reflection in the canal: and then the bats arrived! It’s not often you can sit at your dinner table and watch bats swooping over the water just 3-4 meters away…