Gloucester & Sharpness Canal

We had a pleasant weekend in Gloucester. On Sunday we shopped in the morning and visited the waterways museum in the afternoon. Then the rain fell. Fortunately it stopped in time for us to go out for a chinese meal. Another place we can recommend - the Gourmet Oriental. It was very good tasty food and the restaurant itself was attractive although its surroundings are perhaps less so. For some reason there are very few restaurants in central Gloucester so we were lucky to find this one.

Today, we left our moorings at 9:15, travelled under the lift bridge at the south end of the docks, and stopped to pump out the loo and fill the deomestic water tank. Next stop was a large Sainsburys on the edge of town conveniently located next to the canal. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal has virtually no shops along its entire 16 miles length and so we needed provisions for 5 days.

On the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal

After lunch we moved off again down the G&S canal. It is very different to most other UK canals being built in 1827 towards the end of the canal era as a ship canal designed to allow ocean going merchant vessels to reach Gloucester avoiding the dangerous lower reaches of the Severn. When it was built in was the widest and deepest canal in the world.

The G&S from Gloucester Docks has only one lock, that to lower ships down to the Bristol Channel at Sharpness from where they could sail to Bristol and beyond. We wont be doing that one - though narrowboats can make the journey to Bristol provided they are accompanied by a qualified pilot (and have nerves of steel).

The green light allows us to proceed while Parkend Bridge opens

Typical G&S bridge keepers cottage - the portico and Doric columns are original

What the canal lacks in locks it makes up for with swing and lift bridges. There are about 16 in total, each operated by a bridge keeper as they are not suitable for boater operation. This must a considerable expense in manpower especially as all commercial traffic on the canal has ceased.

We have now moored at Saul Junction where the currently closed Thames & Severn canal branched off to Lechlade and the Thames.