Thursday 25^th April 2019

We left the mooring and a very sharp left hand turn, against the river flow, brought us into the approaches to George Billington Lock. This was a lovely setting, indeed all the locks on the Avon are well maintained and the grass well-tended.  This lock was particularly interesting as it had a lighthouse on the lock island.

While we were working the lock, the rain came on, heavily, and we were soaked. Once the lock was set a random guy turned up from a derelict looking cabin cruiser that had been moored in the lock approach. There are some pretty unsavoury looking characters on the canals. He left all the work to us. Once out of the lock I waved him on to pass us and, thankfully, we didn’t see him again.

We had just a short cruise of 2 miles again, through lovely countryside. There was a section of very narrow river on a 90˚ bend, to the extent had another boat been encountered, it would have been fun.

Presently we saw Offenham Court through the trees and, soon after, the Bridge Inn where we wanted to moor. In the past, the proprietors of the pub have operated a foot passenger ferry across the river so we couldn’t understand why the pub is not known as the Ferry. There was a small pontoon that stuck out into the river, with three private moorings for cruisers and a jetty alongside the pub that was too short for us. Although it was an awkward maneuverer, we managed to get moored up, albeit with the front end tied to a scaffold pole. I was uncomfortable with taking up the whole of the pub front mooring, so Brenda went to ask if it was OK, only to find the pub was shut down. With the pub being at the end of a dead end road, we were completely undisturbed.

Mooring at the Bridge Inn, Offenham

Offenham was undoubtedly a village of two halves. Although there were older properties beside the river, the majority of housing at the end we were moored was full of 1950’s council housing and old folks terraced bungalows, whereas the far end, beyond the church, was absolutely delightful with lots of timber framed, thatched cottages. Thatch properties tend to have some kind of thatch sculpture on the ridge. In Offenham we saw a dragon, a pair of boxing hares and, unusually, a Schnauzer. Brilliant.

Offenham was the headquarters of King Offa twelve centuries ago, and toady it is one of only six English villages that has a permanent Maypole. The Maypole sits at the end of Main Street and is an impressive structure. It is 64 feet high and has coloured ribbons around it. On the road around it are different coloured squares that copy those of the ribbons. It can only be presumed that the dancers of a certain coloured ribbon, start on that coloured square.

The villagers dance around the Maypole on May Day, a shame we can’t be here. Maypole dancing is believed to have its origins in pagan times although the modern practice of dancing around the pole along with Morris Dancing is a Victorian tradition.  

The boarded-up Bridge Inn at Offenham. What a crying shame.

When we returned to the boat, there was a van with guys boarding up the pub doors and windows, so another country pub goes, probably never to reopen. We couldn’t understand why this particular pub had failed, it seemed to have everything going for it. A country village with no other pub close to a large town with river frontage. We clipped Harvey, no easy task and not pleasant for him, but he badly needed doing and looks much better for it. Personally, I think he secretly enjoys the attention. We had drinks in the front cratch and a spot of fishing, the first this year, and a steak dinner. After the recent rains, the flow in the river is a lot faster.

Weather: rain in the morning but a lovely afternoon.

Day Total: 1 lock; 2 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 1.1

Overall Total: 466 locks; 840 miles; 42 tunnels; 11 Swing Bridges; 3 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 554.7