Spiritual Succour, Goodbye to Stratford - and a Ferret?

Thursday 31st July, 2014 at Luddington
We have lingered too long in lovely Stratford!  We really must get going today as our 14 day River Avon Licence runs out on 8th August and we need to get to Tewkesbury by then! Our last morning here dawned bright and clear.

Since this was to be our last day here, M said she would like to attend the morning prayer service in Holy Trinity Church on the opposite bank. As the nearby little chain ferry was not yet open, we set off together to walk back into Stratford, across the old tramway footbridge and then back along the other bank past the RSC Theatre.
On the way, we photographed MM on the opposite bank next to the park.

At this point M went on to the church to seek spiritual succour, whils R went back into town in search something more physically sustaining (ie: Costa!).
When M entered the church, at first she thought the service wasn't taking place after all, as it was filled with tourists as usual. However, she eventually found the service being conducted in the Lady Chapel - and it turned out that M was the congregation! Stephen, the Vicar, and his three lay assistants were very welcoming and shook M warmly by the hand at the end of the service. Five of us in total!
Afterwards, M walked back to Costa and after buying (you guessed it!) just a "few bits" at M&S, we returned to MM knowing that it was time to leave.
We turned upstream initially to the water point and then, after filling up with water, went on upstream through the old tramway bridge (now a footbridge) to take a look at the upper reaches.

Then we turned downstream again, through the bridges and past our old mooring spots; taking a last look back at theTheatre as we passed. We were very sad to leave but we will cherish the memories of our time here.

The sun has shone on us every day and it truly felt like we had a lovely holiday in this very special town.
M said that it felt strange being on a river again; the last time was two years ago. The wide locks felt huge and vaguely intimidating. Luckily, we shared the first couple of locks with another boat also going downstream.

We moored up for the day at Luddington, a hamlet with no shops and no pub according to the guide books. There was a brief shower of rain and then nb "Jessica" moored behind us.
R was working on the computer, glanced up and nearly fell off his stool - he was being watched!

It turned out that "Pam" the ferret was on holiday with his owners on "Jessica" and was being taken for his daily exercise. He was very inquisitive and wanted to come on board MM for a look around.

M asked if he might bite; Cathy, his owner, said no - but he might lick you to death. Sure enough, he was very gentle and allowed us to stroke him. Apparently he sleeps 18 hours a day, but he is very active when he is awake and needs lots of exercise.
Today: 3 miles, 2 locks and 3.2 hours.
Trip: 93 miles, 87 locks and 92.7 hours.

Tourists in Shakespeare Country.

Monday 28th to Wednesday 30th July, 2014 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
We planned to spend the next two days exploring Stratford, but first we had to move MM as our three-night permission to moor opposite the Theatre had expired.
R thought that there might be nice moorings a bit downstream and a short stroll on foot confirmed that this was so. Only 300 yards downstream we found another lovely spot, next to a park and opposite Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was baptised and where he lies buried. This is such a beautiful and peaceful place.

We took the quaint little chain ferry across the river at the vast cost of 50p per head.

It was installed in 1937 and is the last surviving chain ferry in the country - powered by "one man power" - turning the handle!

On the other bank, we walked back towards Holy Trinity Church through another small park containing some very majestic trees.

One in particular caught our eye (some sort of maple) and it was so large that M had to lie down to try to get it all in the photo.

Holy Trinity Church was a delight. Shakespeare and a number of his family are buried in front of the altar and there is a memorial to him on the wall above which was made within only a few years of his death, so it is believed to be an excellent likeness. The feather quill in his hand is replaced each year on 23rd April (the date upon which Shakespeare was born and also the same date upon which he died) by the Head Boy of King Edward VI School. It is believed that Shakespeare went to this school and it is still teaching children today.

Below the statue is the font in which Shakespeare was baptised and copies of the parish records showing his baptism and burial.

By now it was lunchtime and we found a very unusual restaurant with a 1940's theme called "The FourTeas".

The charming waitresses were dressed appropriately...

And there was even an Anderson (Bomb) Shelter in the garden where you could have your tea.

We walked on to Hall's Croft, the house of Susanna, Shakespeare's elder daughter, and her husband, Dr Hall. It is a fabulous house with a magnificent "magnolia grandiflora" growing outside the front door.

We were particularly impressed with Susanna's epitaph, a copy of which was in the house.

Then on to New Place, the very grand house to which Shakespeare retired. Unfortunately, the Reverend Francis Gastrell who owned it in 1759, hated Shakespeare's works and became irritated with people knocking at his door wanting to see Shakespeare's house. He tried to use these interruptions as an excuse not to pay his property tax and when challenged by the council, he simply pulled the house down, saying that they couldn't tax him on a house that didn't exist. Sacrilege! So now, there is just a beautiful garden to mark the spot where the house once stood.

Shakespeare's birthplace, however, does survive and is furnished in contemporary style. It includes the workshop where his father worked as a glove maker.

The extension on the right was added by William in his later years when he inherited the house, and he turned it into an inn called the "Swan and Maidenhead".
The original window from the room in which William was born has been preserved, including all the thousands of messages and names scratched into the glass over the years.

In the room where he was born, we were talking to a young guide when a Chinese family walked in. He greeted them in Chinese and they were most impressed with his accent and asked him how long he had been studying Chinese. His answer was - three weeks!
A beautiful evening sky rewarded us for all our trekking round the town.

On Tuesday, we gave our feet a rest and took the open-top tour bus round all the places that we had visited yesterday and out to Anne Hathaway's Cottage. It was surprising how much more we learned from the excellent commentary on the bus.

Although Anne was born and grew up there, the "cottage" was never "hers". Also, when she lived there, only the right half existed and then only as a single storey "hall" house. It was greatly extended by her brother after he inherited it years later. The furniture inside includes two of the contenders for his "second best bed" that William left to his wife Anne in his will.

As the "best bed" would have been reserved for guests (to show off their wealth and status), his "second best bed" was probably their marriage bed - and therefore the most appropriate to leave to his widow. The kitchen floor is original and would have been the one on which Shakespeare walked when he visited to court Anne; it was polished shiny by the the footfall of four hundred and fifty years.

We spent most of the day at the cottage. There are extensive gardens with orchards, an arboretum and a sculpture garden; there are traditional flower beds, a kitchen garden, an avenue of sweet pea bowers, orchards of old fashioned apple varieties, pears, greengages and a lavender maze. M was in her element!
We also chatted to an Elizabethan who was reciting poetry and turned out to be very keen on narrowboats! He did a special "performance" for us of the opening lines of "Twelfth Night" (M's favourite).

We had a cream tea in the tea room opposite before reboarding the tour bus that took us past Mary Arden's Farm (which felt like coming home again) and then back to Stratford.
On a  whim, we decided to eat out in the evening. Fortune led us by chance to what must be one of the best places in town - Marlowe's, rebuilt in 1595!

The atmosphere, service and food was all first class.
M asked if we could have one more day, just to do quiet things like reading. So on Wednesday, we had a quiet day. Truth to tell, we are both reluctant to leave this lovely town.
Apart from a brief visit to Waterstones (R is running out of reading material!) and the mandatory visit to M&S for a "few bits", we stayed on MM enjoying the sunshine.

In the mid afternoon we were passed by a Gondola complete with Gondolier and wind-up gramophone! Were we dreaming?  Had MM floated off to Venice without us noticing?

We did consider going to see "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the RCS in the evening but thrift, and the fact that it was apparently in modern dress, led us to decide against it.
Three blissful days with just 7 hours on the engine for power.

A Visit from Richie and a Coincidental Meeting.

Sunday 27th July, 2014 in Stratford-upon-Avon
Apart from a few late-night revellers from a wedding party nearby at the Stratford Rowing Club, it was a quiet night and we both slept well. M took R an early morning coffee in bed, drew back the curtains and remarked that he was fortunate indeed to be blessed with such a view of the Theatre opposite, not to mention the bevy of gorgeous, slim young ladies rowing energetically past his window. What a lucky fellow he is!
To our surprise and delight, our good friend Richie from Kingsground sent us a message to say he was coming over to see us.
We managed to do a quick trip to M&S for a "few bits" (actually "an awful lot of bits'' complained R as he staggered back to MM with two huge and heavy bags full) before Richie arrived with Dylan, his lovely "grey ghost" Weimarana hound. It was lovely to see them and to spend time having a catch up.

We put out our "director's" chairs and were enjoying a soft drink with Richie when we spotted a couple standing next to MM, leaning in and calling M's name.
M immediately recognised Julia, who works at HSBC in Reigate and with whom she has often talked about narrowboats when in the bank. Julia and her husband (another Robin) have done a good deal of narrowboating themselves and were in Stratford for the weekend. Walking in the park, they had recognised MM - what a coincidence!
M showed them over MM and we talked boats for some time before they went off with renewed enthusiasm for another boating holiday.

Lunch was with Richie and Dylan in the shade of the weeping willow tree, sharing a bottle of wine and watching the world go by.
A brass band suddenly struck up from the bandstand behind us and they entertained the crowd for a couple of hours. M was amused that they started with a well-known Rugby song (to which M knows all the naughty words!) and ended with the National Anthem!

Richie left to drive back to Enslow about teatime; it was so nice to see him and spend some time with him.
We had considered playing the tourist after he left but were so relaxed and happy that we decided to postpone that until tomorrow. So, we spent the rest of the evening under the willow tree relaxing (or in R's case sleeping!).

No movement again today, although we will have to move tomorrow as these moorings are time-limited.

One of the Best Mooring Spots in the Country!

Friday 25th and Saturday 26th July, 2014 in Stratford.
Yet more sunny days.  On Friday, M took the early train home and, after waving her off with (a) a tear in his eye; (b) a sigh of relief or; (c) a cheer (you decide!), R had second breakfast in Costa and girded his loins for the tasks ahead.
Actually, it all proved to be quite easy. The lock down on to the river is a wide lock and one's performance is watched critically by huge crowds of "gongoozlers" (those who sit and watch at locks, half hoping to see you mess up). However, the narrowboat moored immediately in front of MM was also going down on to the river, so we paired up and went through the lock together. As there were four "crew"on nb "Keynsham", R was able to take it easy as they worked the lock for both boats.

Once on the river, they turned downstream whilst R turned upstream to the local marina to do a much needed pump-out. Once the poo-tank was empty (hooray!!!), R sailed back down past the RSC Theatre.  All the moorings opposite the Theatre were taken, so he started to moor up a bit downstream when, fortunately, nb "Tom Bombadil" left the mooring immediately opposite the Theatre and R quickly moved in.  It felt appropriate that one Tolkien themed boat should take the place of another!
This has got to be one of the best mooring spots in the country - right opposite the RSC and all for £5 per night!

R definitely deserved a reward for finding such a brilliant mooring and so took himself off to see Henry IV, part 2 in the evening. Before going in to the performance he took a photograph of MM from the balcony of the RSC.

On Saturday morning, R caught up with some work for Peter and Capture before exploring the centre of Stratford. At teatime he met M at the station and both went for afternoon tea in a lovely old tearoom that we had seen earlier.
Back at MM, there was time to relax and watch the activity on the river and the hundreds of people in the park. We put out the picnic chairs and treated ourselves to a gin and tonic.

Many passers-by stopped to admire MM and M's flowers and we had long conversations with some of them. In particular, Robert and Tammy from King's Lynn wanted to know all about narrowboats as they were seriously considering getting one for themselves. M took them for a tour inside and while they were on board, R noticed a little Taiwanese lady crouched down, peering through the windows. She spoke very little English, but R invited her on board to have a look around and she thanked us in the most charming manner, repeatedly thanking us by bowing to us with clasped hands.
We also got to know Stuart and Dawn with their friend Carolyn on nb "Green Man" moored up behind us. Their boat was brand new, only on its second outing. We shared a bottle of wine together as the sun went down.

As a result, dinner was a bit late, but the Theatre provided unexpected entertainment in the dusk. Opposite us were the dressing rooms for the actors, who don't appear ever to draw their curtains and so we were vastly amused to see a procession of kings, noblemen, knights in shining armour and other sixteenth century riff-raff going up and down the stairs between their dressing rooms and the stage.

We felt that we had almost seen the play - and it was all for free!

Three Days: A Very Short Distance, 1 lock and 6.7 hours
Trip:  90 miles, 85 locks and 82.5 hours

Posh Piddles!

Thursday 24th July, 2014 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
We now have a small problem! Because the boatyard yesterday was not able to offer us a "pump-out", our waste tank is on "red alert" so we can use it only for emergencies. Therefore we are now availing ourselves of the offices (and facilities) in Costa, M&S and, best of all, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre! M says that we have reverted to "posh piddles!" Last night, we walked across to the Theatre for a final call of nature before bed, but timed it rather badly as we arrived during the interval so had to wait until the play resumed as it was standing room only in the loos!
After breakfast, we walked up to the station to buy M's ticket for tomorrow. She wants to go home for the night tomorrow as Adrian is coming to stay and going out to dinner locally with some of his old school mates.
A quick visit to M&S to use their facilities and then on to a very Elizabethan Costa.

It was jolly hot, so we both had iced lattes and cakes - very refreshing.

Then the highlight of the day - the Theatre for Henry IV, part 1. Despite its rather unpreposessing exterior, the Theatre has a very stylish and atmospheric auditorium, dark wood panelling and old fashioned lamps. One feels that the Bard would have approved. We had excellent seats in the central stalls close to the stage. As we anticipated, the production was superb, fast moving, always gripping with brilliant costumes and magnificent acting. Anthony Sher as Falstaff was outstanding and the sword fight between Hotspur and Prince Hal at the end was astonishing - each wielding two proper steel "long" swords and going for each other for two or three minutes. The swords might not have been very sharp, but they could easily break an arm if they made contact.
Productions of Shakespeare's works don't come much better than here at the RSC and we knew that we were enjoying the very best that the world has to offer.
It was teatime when the performance ended, so after wandering around the gift shop, we walked across the park outside the Theatre admiring the floral displays.

We slowly made our way down to the river to reconnoitre the moorings there opposite the Theatre; we hope to move MM down there tomorrow. There was a great deal of activity on the river, which was full of canoes.

On the way back, we were treated to a beautiful sunset behind the Theatre.

No movement today, we stayed moored up on the canal just outside the basin.

Stratford At Last.

Wednsday 23rd July, 2014 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
We had fallen asleep last night with the curtains drawn back in order to be able to see the stars, which were lovely. One very agreeable result of this beautiful weather is that we sleep with the windows open and often the curtains left open (on the water side).
We were reluctant to leave our "Tudor Haven" at Wilmcote, but after a breakfast of kippers, we started off early as we have 16 locks ahead of us down to Stratford. On the way, we passed Judith and John's "Share" boat nb "Rufford" looking resplendent in this new colour scheme.

The first eleven locks in the Wilmcote flight were pretty and very rural with large fields of wheat ripening alongside.

The little bridges across the canal are unique to this waterway and promised great adventures as the grass-covered paths on either side disappeared into off the trees, inviting one to follow.

We had only planned to do these first eleven locks, but we needed water, diesel and a pump-out, so we went on to Valley Wharf Boatyard who, according to the guide book, offers all three services. We moored up on their service bay, only to find a large "No Diesel" notice pinned to the pump. Ah well, not a problem, we have enough diesel to keep going, but the "poo-tank" is getting very full - so we will just have a pump-out.
Sorry, they said, our pump-out is broken. Rats!! So it seemed wise to continue on to the centre of Stratford.
On the way, we met several passers-by, in particular a lovely family from the Wirrall: Barry, Clare and their two lads Ben and Alex. They all took a great interest, helped with the gates and went away resolved to have a narrowboat holiday soon!

The outskirts of Stratford, as one approaches on the canal, are not inspiring - mostly light industrial units, but were we in for a surprise! Unsure if we would get a space in the hugely popular canal basin in the centre, we moored up just short of the entrance and walked the last two hundred yards to reconnoitre. Wow! A fabulous sight lay before us, Stratford at its very best in the summer sunshine, the canal basin right in the middle surrounded by parkland, flanked on one side by the final lock and the river Avon and on the other by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Hundreds of people were strolling about or having picnics on the grass - just a magical sight.
First things first, we went to the Avon Trust Information boat and asked about diesel and pump-outs and the availability of moorings. They directed us to the local marina for services and explained about licences (you need a special licence for the River Avon) and mooring.
Just round the corner was the local marina and the office was in a building with a large name over the door that had M's heart racing:
Pashley Cycles!
Pashley Cycles are hand made here in Stratford, they are the Rolls-Royce of English bicycles and the marina office is their retail outlet. You can imagine that all thoughts of services were banished from M's mind at the sight of a complete shop full of nothing but Pashley Cycles. Heaven!!

However, if M sold all four of her existing bicycles, she would still be less than half way towards the cost of her dream bike - a Pashley Sovereign in British Racing Green with gold insignia. It was with great difficulty that R eventually managed to coax M away with the promise of a cold and delicious ice-cream from a very Shakespeare themed boat in the basin.

We sat for a while just enjoying the sights and sounds of the river and looking across to the moorings opposite the Theatre. The town centre is a delight with many charming buildings and stunning floral displays.

We intend to spend a few days moored on the river opposite the Theatre, although the moorings there are time limited, so for now we will stay a couple of nights where we are.

A visit to the theatre box office confirmed that the current plays are Henry IV Part 1 and Part 2. Not perhaps our first choice, but we understand that Part 1 has comical moments with Falstaff, so we have booked seats for the matinée tomorrow afternoon.
Today: 4 miles, 16 locks and 5.8 hours.
Trip: 90 miles, 84 locks and 75.8 hours.