Thursday morning and a change of plan.  Having come up four lock on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal on Wednesday evening, on Thursday morning we decided to go back down onto the River Severn and go up to the junction with the newly (last year) opened Droitwich Canals.  It took us nearly two hours to descend the four lock, including the two large Diglis Canal Locks.  Having got back onto the Severn Graham attempted tp pick me up on the lock landing, which proved a bit difficult as a Black Prince Boat was moored there unloading a film crew, who had been making a short educational programme for Children's BBC.  Eventually managed to get back on the boat and whizzed along to the Droitwich Canal Junction.

Being overtaken by the trip boat on the R Severn

Went through the two wide Hawford Locks onto the Droitwich Canal and cruised along to the next lock.  The water is very green with algae and the sides are full of reeds.  Saw a boat going through ahead of us but not close enough for them to spot us and wait to share locks.  Eventually caught up enough for them to see us at the third lock and they waited in the fourth.  We then shared the rest of the eight lock the Netherwich Basin where we moored for the evening.  Lovely moorings at Netherwich Basin.  All pontoons in a locked enclosure, but just outside is Vines Park, which was a good place to walk the dogs and seems to be well used by the people of Droitwich.  There was a bit of a community feeling going on at the moorings as there is really nowhere else to m oor at present.  Therefore everyone was gathered at the same place.  Met a lovely group of people on a fibreglass cruiser, Bill and Reg and their wives who set of from Saul Junction on Wednesday for a three week holiday.

Came round a very sharp bend to be faced straight away with this bridge.  The boat in front got it wrong and had to reverse, which gave Graham a bit of a clue and we manged it without incident!

It's very reedy so limited places to moor!

Day two on the Droitwich Canal and the map we have is not accurate as the course of the canal was changed during the restoration due to parts of it having been built on.  There are several more locks than the original canal many of them newly built.  We followed Bill and Reg this morning sharing the barge lock, which is the last wide lock and then following them through.  They got a bit stuck in the first lock because of their fenders and also lost one so had to stop and fish it out.  Made for slow progress but we all got through eventually.

 Locks 1-3 up to Hanbury Junction are the only locks on this section that are original.

Hanbury Junction and back onto the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

We are now back on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal moored above Astwood Locks.  Tomorrow weather permitting we have Stoke Locks, flight of six and possibly Tardebigge flight (30 locks).