Monday May 18th – Monday May 25th 2026
We thought we would never make it back onboard after a very busy few weeks at home with family events, getting the house ready to put on the market and my painting holiday (which was wonderful). However, Sunday night we made it back to Droitwich Spa Marina. We had hoped to get underway on Monday but, my broken ankle slowed things down somewhat. We did a big shop to store ship and then John drove the car to Brinklow Marina and got the train back to Droitwich Spa. This is because we will not be returning to DSM as we are relocating Jenny Wren to Brinklow Marina as it is about an hour closer to home. It will open up other areas of the network we wish to explore. As John didn’t get back until 3.30pm we decided to stay put and move early in the morning before John started work.
It was a sad farewell to Nick and his team at the wonderful Droitwich Spa Marina. They have looked after us very well and will always have a warm place in our hearts as Jenny Wren was launched there. We cleared through the Three Hanbury locks. John had to do the locks leaving me at the helm. Once clear of Hanbury Junction we carried on for an hour while John worked but as the rain was falling we moored up until John finished and the forecast was more optimistic. While John worked I tried making beetroot humous (supposed to be very good for you apparently). It tasted fine but I wasn’t able to get a super smooth finish using my string opperated blender. I’m now looking at compact food processors as this will be useful onboard, especially if my humous phase continues!
Once John finished work, we set off again mooring eventually by The Bridge at Tibberton. We resisted temptation and had supper onboard.
Wednesday was another working day for John so we didn’t set off until 3.00pm. We had a few hours of cruising with 8 locks. I even managed to get into a couple without knocking the boat. Small improvements in my helming skills! We moored up after bridge 16 (Ivy Bridge) opposite Sixways Rugby Ground on the outskirts of Worcester. It was a nice sunny evening and we enjoyed drinks outside. It was wonderful to see all the spring flowers and new wildlife around us as we travelled.
Once John Finished work on Thursday we set off for Worcester. It was hot and we made our way down the locks stopping at Bridge 5 for John to nip to Asda to get a few bits and pieces. We had a problem with the penultimate lock and John had to go fishing off the front of the boat to find out what was stopping the lock gate fully opening. It was a tyre. Once that had been removed we were able to continue on to moor at the visitor moorings just below the Commandery.
It was a hot day and we set out to explore Worcester starting at The Commandery. A very interesting building that has been used a variety of ways over the centuries. The original use was as monastry hospital, it was used by the Royalists during the English Civil War and latterly as a school for the blind and a printing works. No visit would be complete without a stop at the cafe. We enjoyed a coffee by the canal which was very pleasant.
Next we went to Friar Street. This is a historic street with its timber clad buildings and includes the National Trust Property Greyfriars. We had a look at the garden but decided against the interior as it was so hot and would be tricky with my crutches.
Our final stop was the Royal Worcester Museum. This was fascinating showing the history of the porcelain making in the city and the development of techiques over the years. There were some stunning pieces on show. After a quick lunch we headed back to the boat as it was incredibly hot and the broken ankle was starting to complain. We sat outside and enjoyed watching and listening to the sites and sounds of the city on a Friday night.
As we have discovered with narrow boating, you simply can’t plan too far in advance. Our plan for this trip was to go through the Diglis Locks onto the River Severn and head down to Tewkesbury. From there we were going to head up the River Avon to Stratford-upon-Avon. This is a trip we have been trying to do since our first trip out of Worcester in 2022. For a variety of reasons (usually lock closures) we have not been able to do this. Having booked our slot on through the lock (it has restricted opening times) we headed down, just before we went into the lock we discovered, from another boater, that a lock was out and, yet again, we were to be thwarted in our endeavours to travel this route! So, somewhat disappointed and frustrated, we had no choice but to turn around and head back the way we had come. It was a very hot day and we were so looking forward to a lock free day on the river, instead we retraced our steps back up all the locks we had come down over the previous days.
So we needed a new plan. This was complicated by the fact that we had arranged to meet Henry, Ellie, Daniel and Ada at Pershore to celebrate John’s 60th Birthday on Friday. We decided the best bet was to head towards Birmingham again even though this meant doing the Tardebigge flight of 31 locks again in predicted temperatures of 32 degree plus!
On Saturday we made it as far as the Bridge at Tibberton. We consoled ourselves with the thought of a pint at the pub. When we got there it was closed down again. Clearly not our day. There was another pub in the village not far away so we walked up to this. Although we sat in the garden and were glad of a drink, it wasn’t a pub we would be revisiting and were very glad that we hadn’t planned to eat there.
The temperatures remained high as we started again on Sunday making our way nearly to Stoke Prior, mooring in one of the pounds on the Astwood flight of locks. It was a beautiful spot and we managed to get some washing done. We stopped at 1pm and sat in the shade of the pram cover at the stern of the boat. We were relieved that Henry was able to join us early to help us up the Tardibigge flights and we made arrangements to meet at the Queen’s head at the bottom of the flight on Monday evening. This was a massive help.
With the temperature soaring and 9 locks to get through, we got up early on Monday and were underway at 6.30am. It was lovely and cool and we made it through the locks before the heat of the day kicked in. We were alongside by 10.15am and we sat in the Queen’s Head pub garden in the shade with an iced coffee. We stayed for lunch. Being a bank holiday the pub was packed. Although tempted to stay there for the afternoon, we returned back onboard and went back to meet Henry for dinner when he arrived. We had a nice meal and returned back onboard. Olly Owl, the Cafwin Cruises boat we hired a couple of times before Jenny Wren was built, had moored behind us. We had already decided that an early start was the best bet tomorrow. The crew of Olly Owl said they were leaving at 6am. We decided we would leave at 5.30am!
| Total Miles: | 23.2 miles |
| Total Locks: | 27 |
| Waterways Traveled On: | Droitwich Junction Worcester and Birmingham |
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