A Cunard Style Cruise!

Monday 18th to Thursday 21st August, 2014 on the Droitwich Ring.
Three years ago, even before MM was launched, we rather rashly offered a four-day, three-night "Cunard Style" cruise at a promise auction to raise funds for M's choir. Two friends (and fellow choir members), Debbie and Adrian, paid a very handsome sum into choir funds to purchase the offer. Due to diary problems, work committments, etc., it has taken three years to find a suitable date - but today is the day! Their bed was made up, the fridge was stocked, the champagne was on ice and M suitably attired to welcome them in style.

It was lovely to see how excited they were and, after guzzling the champagne, we set off up the first of the locks.

The plan is to do the new Droitwich Ring, starting with nine miles and twelve locks on the Worcester & Birrmingham canal, then turning on to the new Droitwich Junction Canal, which only opened in 2011, and down the Droitwich Barge Canal back to the River Severn - another seven miles and sixteen locks, before going back to Worcester down the River Severn. Total distance nineteen miles and 29 locks - but including four canals, two rivers, one tunnel and one very tight eight foot by six foot culvert - just six inches larger all round than MM!  A route which is small but beautifully formed, one might say!
As we went through the first few locks, our new "crew" quickly got the hang of it. Even on a "Cunard Style" cruise, the guests need to earn their keep!

The first night we moored at Tibberton, which the guide books said had an excellent pub called "Speed the Plough". We went there for a drink and (to be charitable) let's just say that it appears to have changed hands, sadly all too often the case with canal pubs these days.
At Hanbury Junction, we turned on to the new section of canal and were helped down through the first three (original) locks by a Canal & River Trust volunteer. These locks are the only ones on the whole English waterway system where the "side ponds" are in operation. When emptying the lock, the water is first emptied into the side pond, then when filling the lock the side pond is emptied back into the lock - so only half a lock-full of water is used for each cycle thus saving a lot of water.

The two locks that followed are in the form of a "staircase" where the bottom gate of the top lock is the top gate of the bottom lock, with no distance or "pound" in between the two locks. These locks were brand new and very nicely made with attractive brickwork and coping stones.

When you are in the bottom lock of the pair, the gate from the lock above is quite intimidating when you look back, as it is double the normal height.

Soon after came the passage beneath the M5 motorway. Luckily, a culvert had been created to carry a small river called Brody Brook under the motorway. The culvert was just eight feet wide and there is six feet of headroom - just enough to fit a "normal" narrowboat through. MM had less than six inches clearance over her roof.
If the culvert had not been there it is unlikely that the new ring could ever have been opened as it would have been too expensive to dig a new tunnel under the motorway.

M's day was made when, as we approached the culvert, she spotted an "Eddie Stobart" lorry on the motorway above.  It was named "Juliana" - one more to tick off the list!
We moored in Droitwich for the second night and went for a walk around the town. The town was literally built on salt - wells provided sources of brine containing two and a half pounds of salt per gallon (more than ten times the concentration of seawater). The trade made the town rich, but also led to problems with subsidence and therefore many of the houses sit at crazy angles. In the centre of town is a beautiful park on the canal including a replica of the salt barges that used to bring in coal and take out the salt.

While many of the building were quite attractive, it seemed a bit run-down and not very well looked after.

The next morning, we set off down the Droitwich Barge Canal with its wide-beam locks. This part of the canal has been navigable for some years but the reeds have encroached on both sides making it very narrow in places. Memories of the film "The African Queen"!

Finally, we came to the last lock on the canal and the junction with the River Severn. On the river, we had to go through only one lock. All the River Severn locks are manned and the lock-keepers insist on someone holding on to a rope at both the bow and the stern - so as we approached the lock, M walked along the gunwhale to the front and took this picture of the other three of us up the back.

Back at Worcester, we moored up on the river bank and decided to go out for dinner in the city as a special treat on the last night of the cruise.  As we were walking along the river towpath, we passed a trip boat full of people in fancy dress. One gentleman was dressed as Captain Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean and at first, we thought that it was Johnny Depp because the costume, likeness and mannerisms were remarkable.

It turned out to be a professional "look-alike"; clearly he was very good at his job!  But it was easy to assume it was Mr Depp, as he is in the area at present, making the new "Alice in Wonderland" film.
We walked along the river towards the Cathedral, pausing for a group photo for the album with the Cathedral in the background.

We had dinner at a splendid restaurant on the riverfront called "The Quay", where we all had their "special of the day" - a selection of fish for four, including two bottles of wine, all at a very reasonable price.

On Thursday morning, Adrian was joined by a friend, who clearly thought that breakfast was meant to be shared.

Later, we walked into the city, pausing to pay homage to the local hero Edward Elgar, who was born and grew up in the city. M was incensed to see that a disrespectful pigeon had "pooped" on his head!

Finally, we walked round the Cathedral, which is magnificent and probably survived Henry VIII's Reformation purely because it contains the tombs of King John and also Henry's elder brother, Prince Arthur.

In the early afternoon our guests, Debbie and Adrian, left to return to Surrey. It was a lovely four days and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.  They said they had a super time, which made us very happy.
For four days: 19 miles, 29 locks and 16.1 hours. 
Trip: 229 miles, 142 locks and 167.2 hours.