Xilion Rose

After the excitement of the Bristol Chanel, we decided to spend a few days checking out the Sharpness / Gloucester Canal, we moored just outside Sharpness and spent the rest of the day exploring the one mile of beached barges, over 100 of these old barges were purposely beached around 60 / 70 years ago in an effort to stop the erosion of the banks that separate the Canal from the Severn River. The following day we made our way to Saul Junction, this is the location of Cotswold Canal Trust, the organisation that is funding the restoration of the Thames and Severn Canal, which will connect the Thames at Lechlade to Saul Junction, giving a direct link from the Severn Estuary to London.
After a couple of day’s at Saul Junction we made our way to Gloucester Dock’s and found a mooring right in the middle of the “action”. While we were waiting for India (our Grand daughter) who was to spend 3 days with us, we had a knock on the side of the boat, and out of the blue, a couple of old friends, Peter and Anita, asked to come aboard. It appears that they were just spending a quite weekend in Gloucester, and as Peter follows the blog, had asked Anita to “keep her eye out” for Xilion Rose, they were both very surprised to bump in to us.
With India arriving and on board, we made our way back down the canal to the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust and found a beautiful mooring within 100 yds of the Patch Swing Bridge, the nearest point on the Canal to the Wildfowl Trust. The following day was spent at the Trust Centre watching the Otters, Beavers and countless different breeds of Ducks and Swans, we even paid a visit to the “Toad and Frog House” where India was able to hold an Australian Tree Frog, mind you, she did baulk at holding a black and yellow Salamander, thinking that it was poisonous. After Slimbridge, we said goodbye to India, and then Hello to Steven (our Son) and made our way to the Rea Swing Bridge, the closest point to Stone bench, one of the best places to view the Severn Bore. We were a little disappointed, the Bore at this time of year is supposed to be at it’s highest, but due to weather conditions, it only produced about a 3 foot wave, still impressive but not like the photos that appear on the bore web site.
With Steven departing, we made our way back to the Gloucester Dock, with the intention of going through the Dock Lock and making our way to Tewkesbury and the River Avon, but this plan was scuppered when we arrived at the lock, only to be told that one lock gate was broken and not due to be repaired until Tuesday at the earliest. Apparently the Bore was so large on the Sunday Night that an uprooted tree was wedged under the lock gate.

Annie and Malcolm 

!00 old barges on the banks of the Severn

Xilion Rose in Gloucester Docks