We try a Salmon Run

Bear flag safely aboard, we made our way into the overflowing lock without further incident. As the bottom lock gates onto the Severn were opened, there was a tense moment as we made the turn to go upstream. Would we be able to make headway or would we be carried backwards by the current?

As Eddie inched us further away from the canal, Yorkie and I looked back to see the junction with the canal (marked by the pontoons) rapidly disappearing; there was no going back now.


Although we had the tough task of forging our way upstream, against a river virtually in flood, looking back at the junction, we couldn't help thinking that had we been going the other way, we might have been travelling so fast, that negotiating the turn into the canal, and not shooting past, might have been quite difficult. If anyone could do it though we felt sure that Eddie could. However, on this occasion we didn't need to put him to the test.


After the narrow canal, the amount of water in the river and the speed with which it was moving was quite awesome. However, once we were pointing in the right direction, there was no doubt that we were making progress. It wasn't fast and no doubt our fuel economy wasn't very good, but we were all happy and relieved, especially Eddie.

We began to relax and take in our surroundings. There was no other boats around and we had the river all to ourselves. When we phoned the lock-keeper at the first lock he told us it would take us a while to reach him. It was nice to be expected though and we had the bonus of having the lock ready for us as we approached it. As we got close, the lock gates started to open and the traffic lights changed to green. This made us feel very special.


The lock- keepers on the Severn are very helpful and very patient, so they get our paw of approval. After the first lock there was a very noticeable drop in the speed of the current so we began to enjoy ourselves even more, especially in the intervals between showers.

It wasn't long before Stourport on Severn hoved into sight and it was time to turn off onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal.

The next stage of our journey was about to begin - how exciting!

Lots of love, George, Yorkie, Eddie and crew xxx

We're Back Afloat

A number of us have recently returned from one of our favourite types of adventure, a holiday afloat on the English canals. We've reported on canal adventures several times previously, but every trip is different, with unique sights and experiences, so we don't think we'll be boring you by sharing our latest adventure.


We travelled the Stourport ring on our latest trip. Ungi, Fred and Jimmy had actually done this trip before, but it was 11 years ago, and our blog is not that old, nor indeed am I, Boating Bear, Eddie, as I'm only 7. I'd heard how good it was so volunteered to arrange it and, as usual there were plenty of takers.

One of the attractions of a holiday on a narrow boat is that there is plenty of space aboard. A length of 55+ feet, with all facilities, including a well-equipped kitchen and 2 bathrooms, means that our minders don't mind sharing with quite few bears and size is no object, which pleases Ungi no end, as it means he can come along too. As I'm Chief boating bear I need to go as Skipper, (and I wouldn't have it otherwise) and this year, my apprentice, Able Seabear Louis, naturally had to come too. As it was his first time on a canal boat, he spent a lot of time under instruction. Could you have a better classroom than this ...?


One of the attractions of the Stourport ring was that we could travel along the newly restored Droitwich Canal. This was very exciting for us all, and I've got lots to tell you about it. We joined this new canal little more than an hour after casting off on our voyage. There was no mistaking that we were going the right way ...


... and this is what a lock gate looks like by the way.

I'm still very excited about this marvellous trip and hope you'll find it interesting reading.

Lots of love Eddie and the crew of Maria xxx