A Couple of Days at Hanbury Wharf

Wednesday 19^th April

In Vines Park

We are off down to Droitwich today, so we had breakfast then walked down the canal.  We did a couple of caches on the way, one we found and one we didn’t.  We got to Vines park and Kev and Smuggs stayed in the park and I went to the shops for a few supplies then when I got back we had a picnic in the park as it is another dry sunny day.

We walked back up the canal and back to the boat.

We are staying here tonight then on the move tomorrow.

Yesterday Tuesday 18th April

Today we are off to Hanbury Hall, it is less than a 2 mile walk from the canal and a National Trust property.

Cache hanging in tree

Hanbury Hall

We set off along the road and there was a cache on the way, we had a look but couldn't find it,so we carried on and went down a lane to Hanbury Park which takes you to Hanbury Hall.  Just before we entered the park, there was another cache and we had luck in finding this one, it was on a star hanging in a tree.

Dining Room

Lovely Staircase

We crossed the park and came to Hanbury Hall, it is really impressive.  Thomas Vernon, a highly successful London laywer, built Hanbury Hall in 1710 as a country retreat - a place for entertaining and an opportunity to express his wealth & his taste.

Having my lunch

There was a tour of the downstairs of the house shortly after we got there, so we joined that and had a look around.  After 1pm the house is open to anyone and so after then you can go back and have another look and also go upstairs.

Entrance to Ice House

We then went and had a look around the grounds, there are lots of separate gardens, fruit garden, vegetable garden, walled garden to name a few and a lovely formal garden called The Sunken Parterre which was designed by Royal Gardener George London.

Looking down on the formal garden

There is also an ice house in the grounds so we went and had a look at that then it was lunch time.  We brought a picnic so we sat on a bench by the Orangery and had that.

The Sunken Parterre

There was a tour of the gardens at 2pm so we joined that and it was really interesting and had a nice stroll around.

In Snobs Tunnel

There is a tunnel in the gardens called Snobs Tunnel, apparently it was so that Gardeners could go from one side of the garden to the other without being seen by guests.

We then had an ice-cream before we left.  Mine was Plum made from local Worcestershire plums and Kev had Rhubarb made from Rhubarb gown at Hanbury Hall and they were both delicious.

We then walked back to the boat and had another look for the cache in the lay-by and found it this time but sadly it was on the floor and broken, so we replaced it where it should have been the best we could and carried on.

It was a great day out at Hanbury Hall, really worth visiting.

We chilled out for a bit then John and Sharon turned up with Smuggler.   Smugs is staying with us for a couple of weeks.  We left Smugs in our boat and we went up to the pub where we are moored.  It does a great carvery and we weren’t disappointed, it was really good.  We had a nice meal then went back to the boat for coffee.  John & Sharon then said bye to Smuggs and went home.

Dunhampstead to Hanbury Wharf (Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

Carpet in the Woods!

Coming to the Tunnel

We stayed put yesterday and went for a lovely 4 mile circular walk to Trench Wood and Nature Reserve and did some caches.  Out of the seven we did, we found five, so not bad.  It was a lovely walk through the fields then up into the woods which were covered in bluebells, they looked like a carpet.

In the Tunnel

And out we come

We are on the move today, it’s dry but overcast and quite chilly.  We are only going less than two miles again today to Hanbury Wharf as tomorrow we have a visitor coming for two weeks, Smuggler, John & Sharon’s dog and this is a good place for us to pick him up.  We left the mooring at Dunhampstead and then went through Dunhampstead Tunnel, it is only 230yds so a nice short tunnel to ease us in gently as we have lots more to do on our trip and much longer than this one!

Droitwich

We chugged on and soon we were at Hanbury Wharf where we moored up.

Vines Park

We had some lunch, then walked down to Droitwich via the Driotwich Canal. It had been raining while we had our lunch but cleared up, so we walked down in the dry.  We had a wander around the shops and did two caches, went for a coffee then headed back through Vines Park and backup the canal.

We just got back to the boat and guess what, it started raining again, that was lucky!  We are just chilling out now by the fire as it is a tad chilly.

Moored at Hanbury Wharf

Tibberton to Dunhampstead(Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

Passing Oddingly Church

We are on the move today and the sun was shining as we set off.  We are only going a couple of miles to Dunhampstead.  The main Bristol to Birmingham railway line runs right by the canal in places.  We passed Oddingly which has a lovely little church by the canal and chugged on.  The canal was very quiet this morning.

My Rhubarb Gin

Soon we were mooring up in the visitor moorings at Dunhampstead.  We had the pick of the spaces as we were the only boat there.

Fir Tree Inn

We chilled out for a bit, then walked up the road to the pub The Firtree Inn.  It is a really nice pub and we had a lovely lunch.  They also have a gin menu with about 12 gins so plenty to choose from.  I had Tiger gin and then Warner Edwards Victoria  Rhubarb Gin and very nice they were too.

We then walked back to the boat in glorious sunshine and in time to watch the qualifying for the GP and will just chill out for the rest of the day.

Moored at Dunhampstead

Worcester Marina to Tibberton (Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

Leaving the marina behind

In the first lock for today

Cache we found at the lock

We are off today after going back to Weston for a couple of days.  We filled up with water then chugged out of the marina and along the canal to the first lock for today as we have twelve to do before we moor up.  We had a bit of rain early in the morning but by the time we were ready to leave it had stopped and was dry although very cloudy.

On to the next lock we go

Sitting Around!

We were soon through there and on our way to the next one.  The canal was quite quiet at first, just a boat behind us and one in front so unfortunately a lot of the locks were against us but they are not very deep so they don’t take long to do.  The first few were close together and then a few spaced apart then the last six were in a flight so nice and close to each other.  At the top of the first two locks there was a cache so we quickly had a look around and found it quite easily.

One more to go

Tibberton Church

We worked our way through the locks and soon were at the bottom of the last six.  A couple of boats came down so it didn’t take us too long to get to the top.  We chugged on along the canal under the M5 motorway, around the corner and moored up at Tibberton.

We had lunch, then went for a walk up to the church in the village as there was a cache nearby and we haven’t been there before.  We found the cache easily then had a look in the church which is only small but really nice then we walked back through the village back to the boat.

We are staying here tonight then chugging on tomorrow.

Moored at Tibberton

Worcester Pontoon (River Severn) to Worcester Marina (Worcester & Birmingham Canal)

Chugging to the lock

We are moving on today.  We set off about 10am and I walked up to the two big locks which take us into the basin.  The first lock was set for us so I opened the gates, telephoned  Kev and he brought the boat around and into the lock he came.  I shut the gate and opened the paddle and up we came. 

In Diglis bottom lock

In Diglis top lock

There was a boat coming down the other lock so we came out and they went in and we went into the other lock and up we went and after a bit we were out into Diglis basin and onto the Worcester & Birmingham canal, back on the narrow canals, hurray!

We stopped at the water point then went onto the first lock.  It was empty so in we went and we were soon through there.  We chugged onto the next one, Blockhouse lock, unfortunately this one was full, so I emptied it and then we came in and soon we were up and out.

Onto the narrows we go!

In Sidbury Lock

Reversing into the Marina

We chugged on along the canal.  We are mooring at Worcester marina for a couple of nights as tomorrow we have to go back to Weston-Super-Mare as I have my annual mammogram.  Last year we moored in here as well and Kev drove in but then we had to turn around in the marina and reverse into the space, so this time Kev reversed in and very good he was too. 

We saw the chap from the marina and he showed us our space and said it would be better if we drove in so guess what Kev had to turn the boat around and drive into the space.  We had to laugh as he made such an effort to reverse in, then had to turn around anyway!

We are staying here until Friday,  having a walk around the shops this afternoon, then getting the train tomorrow morning to Weston, staying overnight with Davina then coming back to Worcester on Thursday.  On Friday we will be on our way again.

Moored in Worcester Marina

Upton-Upon-Severn to Worcester (River Severn)

We set off this morning to Worcester and it was another beautiful sunny and warm day with a lovely blue sky.  It will take us 2 to 3 hours to get to Worcester but a lovely day for a chug.

Leaving Upton on a sunny morning

Coming to the footbridge

We passed a couple of boats coming down the river but you never see many boats and there is not much to see as you are chugging along as the banks are high and mainly lots of trees, but the river is really calm and low so can’t ask for much more!

Coming to Diglis Lock

Nearly Up!

We chugged on and then we were going under the foot bridge at Worcester and going into Diglis lock.  There are two locks here, a big one and a smaller one, today we went into the smaller one.  We hooked onto the cables and up we went.  It didn’t take very long and soon we were going out the other side.  We stopped at the water point to get water and then chugged on to the visitor pontoon outside the locks which take you onto the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.  It looked full so we weren’t hopeful that we would get a space but there was one so in we went.

We tied up, had some lunch then went for a walk along the river and up to the shops, we had a walk through there then out onto the canal and into Diglis basin where we stopped at the café boat and had a coffee sitting in the sun as it was such a lovely day again.  We then walked back to the boat.

We are staying here on the pontoon for a couple of days, then heading up the two locks and into Diglis basin and onto the Worcester & Birmingham canal, we are looking forward to getting on the narrow canals again.

Moored at Worcester

Day in Upton

Church of St Peter & St Paul

We are staying put today so had breakfast and the sun was shining again.  We decided to do a nice walk this morning and fit in some geocaches on the way.  We set off through the town and soon came to the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and there was a cache there which we found quite easily.  It is a lovely church.  We then went on to our next one which was off would you believe it Minge Lane!  That made Kev chuckle!  

Minge Lane!

We found that one as well, then crossed the road and went down a lane and found our third cache of the morning. We don’t usually find all of them so we were quite chuffed. 

  

River Severn

We then went down a bridleway and walked along there for a bit and I somehow fell over a branch and hit the deck, I went down like a sack of spuds!  I didn’t hurt myself only my pride so on we went and got our fourth cache of the day.  We then followed a path through the fields and after a while we came to the River Severn and the Severn Way.  There was another cache there and believe it or not we got that one as well.

Walking the Severn Way

It was such a beautiful morning and very warm, so we ambled along by the river and soon came to the last cache we were doing today, but unfortunately even though we searched high and low, no luck for this one, but never mind we did well today.

Upton Ham

We then came to Upton Ham which is an area of special scientific interest and walked all through there and eventually it brought us back to Upton and the boat.

We had lunch then went for another walk over to the marina as it was too nice a day to sit indoors.  We sat outside at the marina and had a coffee and a lime and soda then wandered back to the riverside and did our usual Derby and Joan sitting on a bench for a while.

We are just chilling out tonight then off up to Worcester tomorrow morning.