Clocktower

It took longer than we thought to cover the four miles or so from Kidderminster to Stourport. It starts with a mixture of industrial ugliness, attractive housing and sandstone-set locks.

Soon the country opens out, leaving behind the sandstone that has been with us since well before Kinver. Then the outskirts of Stourport close in. We tied up for lunch and I went in search of a new capo for my guitar at Worley Strings & Things.

Nicholson's guide makes the Stourport basin complex sound quite scary, for a relative newbie, and this added to anxiety I'm feeling about going on to the River Severn. So we walked down to look at the basin, and found some very helpful people in the Limekiln Chandlers. We were able to ask them about a leaking central heating header tank, top up with diesel and get advice about moorings.

By this time it was getting later, so we decided to postpone the excitement of going on to the river, and tied up in the historic basin, dominated by its clocktower.

There's a music event of some sort going on in a park across the river, that Worley's said is going to run till midnight.

The guy who sold me the capo is playing there later on. What with the funfair as well, it might be late before we get to sleep.

But then, tomorrow, or possibly Monday, the river awaits.