Silver Saul 17th June

We left Gloucester Docks on Thursday morning, after Alison had done the laundrette run. While there she got chatting to a lady who sings alto in Tyndale Choral Society.. Catherine,  you really cheered a boring chore. 

We really enjoyed the Nelsonian paint job of this boat across the way:

We moved all of 200m through Llanthony Bridge to deal with the Black water tank and water point.  We then crossed to the other side of the canal to wait for our visitors (and trot to the shops for supplies). This all involved turning the boat twice - lucky the canal is so wide! 

Actually, Alison got distracted on the way to Sainsburys, by the ruins of a medieval priory, that we had no idea was there, back when we lived in Gloucestershire. 

Part of the medieval range was ruined so some Victorians built a farmhouse on top.

Here's the herb garden:

By the she got back, our friends from way back,  Julie and Julian Gobey,  had arrived, bearing flowers, wine, photos from way back when!  To make the day possible, Julian had driven to Saul Junction, cycled back to Stroud, and then the two of them caught the train to Gloucester. 

Which meant we could cruise down the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to Saul. We had the most amazing time, gossiping and catching up the whole way. Forgot to take photos again!

At Saul, we were thwarted before the footbridge. It was stuck closed due to a power cut.  So instead of finding a nice mooring and dinner on board, we had to turn around and head back down the line. So that J and J wouldn't have a mile walk back to their car, they said their goodbyes before we did that. What a super day.

And night, too.

Saul Junction was the point that the Stroudwater Canal crossed the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal on its way from the Thames to the River Severn.

The Canal and River Trust has a Silver Propellor scheme, to encourage Boaters to visit the Silver Propellor locations, which don't get enough traffic. We've previously been to the end of the Montgomery, Winsford, Runcorn, and Froghall Tunnel so this is our 5th location. At 20 we get a plaque.

We've loved seeing so many different craft but this took the cake:

Saul Junction is also the home mooring for the Willow Trust's trip boats. This is a Christian charity aiming to improve the lives of disabled and seriously ill people. More info at www.willowtrust.org.

Thursday evening we put in a call to RCR, the waterways equivalent of the AA. There is still a stubborn, if small, leak in the engineroom. The engineer arrived early and he and Andrew fettled things. Hopefully sorted, we were sent on our way with instructions to keep an eye on it.

So this was our chance to get all the way to Sharpness.  A roasting hot day, where the only breeze was on the water. Beautiful!

On the way, we passed the last remnants of the Severn Railway Bridge, which was knocked down in the 1960s due to too many barges getting swept into its piers in strong tides.

and how it used to look:

We were also caught up to by the Willow Trust boat out on a jaunt, so we pulled over to let them thrash by. Lots of jolly waving as they went by and again when they passed us already on their way back to base.

The turning point before the arm down to the River lock

This is a Ship Canal, so it's really, really wide and deep. The speed limit is 6mph instead of the usual 4mph.

Nb Vegvisir with a bone in her teeth!

The other surprise is how clear the water is:

 

River Severn not far away. The banks were stabilised by sinking surplus barges on the banks.

You can just see it in line with the wind turbine. Not known if this is true of all the hulks, but this one has a dedication:

We then return back to Saul Junction. Jules had told us about a good bus service from nearby Whitminster, and about the phenomenon that is Saturday's Stroud Farmers' Market, so tomorrow to market to market we shall go.