Avon Ring 2018

Toby and Sarah Went to Gloucester

2 Comments

There was a little shower of rain, but nobody stepped in any puddles (or marina basins) on this particular visit.

We set off from Sharpness to return to Gloucester, but this time we’re going to stop off in Gloucester to see the sights before moving back on to the Severn.

Just outside Sharpness are the remains of an incredible bridge. Completed in 1879 it used to have 21 spans, and crossed both the Severn and the canal. The span across the canal was a steam-powered swing-bridge, 200 feet long.  Sadly it was destroyed in an accident involving two oil tankers in 1960 most of the remains dismantled later – you can read more about it here.

The original Severn (railway) bridge

From one wreck to another – next stop was at the ‘Purton Hulks‘. These were new to Sarah and I, but my Dad being a keen photographer had heard a lot about them, so we thought we should at least have a look and see what we could make of it. I think Dad would love it here – we expect him to visit before too long!

Purton Hulks

Sarah did a quick top-up of our water supplies whilst I took a few very amateur photographs, and then it was back on towards Gloucester, through the various swing bridges. We played around a bit with the new camera, and tried to get a timed selfie going through a swing bridge – the timing failed, but the photo wasn’t too bad. Sarah’s looking up to keep an eye on the bridge – hence the facial expressions!

This swing bridge is high enough that it doesn’t need to open for us, but Sarah’s keeping a close eye on it just in case!

We stopped off for a pump-out, which seemed to take forever, and then it was another couple of hours before we started to enter the outskirts of Gloucester. If anyone fancies their very own light-ship, this one is up for sale!

The lightship ‘Sula’

We took our more modest boat up to the modern looking pontoons opposite some new restaurants and bars. The docks area around Gloucester is the scene of a lot of redevelopment at the moment and they’re doing a good job of keeping the feel of the old warehouses alive whilst still modernising everything.

Oilver safe and sound in the moorings at Gloucester

They also have their own waterways museum, so we had a little meander around there, and took the obligatory selfie shot…

Toby and Sarah, circa 1830

Tomorrow we head back on to the Severn towards Worcester.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Toby and Sarah Went to Gloucester”

  1. What a historical trip! Wish my school history lessons had been as interesting.

  2. Who IS that rough looking bargee standing beside Sarah? Looks as if you had a really interesting side trip.

Comments are closed.