Breakfast done and no faffing this morning as we wanted to be away before the blue hire boat. No offence to them, but we didn’t want to be waiting or for them to feel pressured at locks. As we pushed off there was no sign of life from them.

All the sport fields were full, parents shouting encouragement to their youngsters on the football fields and gentle applause for runs on the cricket pitches.

Our run into Worcester was easy, a Viking Afloat boat yesterday had set most of the locks for us, only one had drained overnight. The last two locks down into town were both empty and as I was just starting to fill the top one a chap with a BWML shirt on came and asked if I’d seen a boat. A moving boat, no we’d not seen anyone else moving. He was relieved as I’d saved him quite a walk to try and find it, they must have gone down onto the river.

The last two locks are deep and Mick could only just reach to close a bottom gate and then only just enough for me to step over. Sidbury Lock was to be our last narrow lock for sometime.

Just under Mill Street Bridge we pulled in and tied up on the rings. Two boats were moored there, one very antisocially on the water points. We made sure we pulled backwards, sorted out our boat covers, poppering them back into place, the kettle put on, time for lunch. From here we’d walk down to have a look at the river level and the moorings, then stock upon a few items and fill with water. But just as the kettle was about to boil a C&RT chap stopped to talk to Mick. He informed us that where we were moored wasn’t a mooring and that we’d get a ticket if we stayed there. Yes there were signs at the waterpoints, Max stay 30 mins, but nothing that we’d seen nearer the bridge. We’re not sure if this was official or something that has come about locally over time after complaints by locals, who knows, we just couldn’t stay there.

The kettle was taken off the gas, hose hooked up to fill the tank and Mick walked down to check on the mooring situation on the river. With the tank full we pushed off again towards the last two locks down onto the Severn.

These are big brutes! Wide and heavy. I went ahead to open the lock below whilst Oleanna dropped to the level of the intermediate pound. A very nice chatty Volunteer Lockie appeared from nowhere and helped with paddles and gates. We were having difficulty opening the bottom gate when she noticed water still bubbling up from one of the ground paddles. She tried dropping the paddle but still it bubbled, possibly something stuck in it. So we pushed extra hard and eventually managed to get the gate open, she’d see if she could fix it once we were out on the river.

Turning left, we headed down stream to where the floating pontoon moorings were. An hour ago there had been space for us, but in the mean time two cruisers had filled the gap. So we slowly turned to face up stream and came in very slowly along side a narrowboat moored at the end of the pontoon. ‘Hello, anyone on board?’ A lady popped her head out, yes we could breast up. She took our bow rope and passed it around her T stud. NB Chrysalis had just come up from the Avon and would next week be heading back down stream on the Severn.

After lunch the rain had stopped so we walked along the river, crossing at Worcester Bridge and headed up to Sainsburys to pick up a few bits to keep us going and a newspaper. However where our paper should be there was an empty space! We should have come out before eating. Shopping done I checked google maps, there was a newsagent across the way who, thankfully fulfilled our weekly paper requirements.

To celebrate getting onto the river we stopped off on our way back and enjoyed some chilled medication, Blackcurrant Sorbet and Salted Caramel. Very nice they were too.

The two cruisers had moved off so as soon as things were in the fridge we untied and moved up the pontoon giving Liz on NB Chrysalis her day light back. Tomorrow we’ll head down to Gloucester before anything can possibly happen to the river.