River

Here we go, then.

After the narrow canals, the openness of the river can be disorientating. Floating things come in a wider range of sizes.

The hazards come small, medium, large and XXXL.

The locks are operated by specialists.

Moorings are less frequent, and a bit of an issue. You can't just stop anywhere as you can, for the most part, on the canals. But we managed to tie up outside the Hampstall Inn, which welcomes boats.

Rivers are often used as metaphors. That first stretch connects, by one means or another, to most of the seas and rivers in the world, and who knows what you'll meet along the way? Today we walked up to a church in Stourport, and there we met Philip and Joan. Joan had worked in Brazil, and knew some of the folk we knew from there, and then together they had worked in Nepal, alongside my cousin Val!

Back at the basin we chatted to Ian and Judy on NB Ossie, who we'd been moored next to for a night back at Kinver. They were giving Ossie a thorough clean, which put Erin Mae to shame. But it was good to talk about all sorts of things, especially river boating – their experience was really helpful. Nice to chat, guys – hope we meet up again sometime.

You meet all sorts boating. Today, as we went down through the two staircase locks to leave Stourport Basin, it was largely Sunday gongoozlers enjoying the sun – and the boaters' attempts at getting where they wanted to go.