Boats, beers and boozers. No.10.

We I forced myself to watch the football, well most of it, mainly as I didn't fancy the gardening! It was the usual thing of fearing the worst through out only to do to the Welsh what normally happens to us, bitter disappointment. Still I'm sure both teams should go through to the next round. Fingers crossed for the Irish teams. By the way I heard them playing 'God Save the Queen at the start of the N. Ireland game, what anthem did they play for Wales?

My last BBB blog found us in Tewkesbury. From there we headed down the Severn to Gloucester. We had a lovely day for it and the time soon passed.

The sky was blue and as on most rivers the views were a little limited but it was quiet and got us to where we were going quickly.

The character of the river changes when you get to the Upper Parting and the canal separates from the river and we headed down the East channel that is as narrow as a canal in spots and not the place to meet some of the the big passenger boats that ply out of Gloucester. We called the Lock on the radio and they told us to keep coming. There are warning to make sure that if you have to wait for the lock you make fast  with your stern line first as there can be a good current running but our call had allowed the Lock Keeper to have the lock waiting for us and we were straight in the large lock.

We quickly found a berth in front of one of the iconic warehouses and then went for an explore. We were having a couple of days here so it was nice to do a little shopping and combine it with sight seeing as it had been years since we had been to Gloucester previously.

The reason I am highlighting the New Inn is not for the quality of the beer as it didn't have much of a range and what I had a pint of Atlantic from the Cornish Brewery of Sharp's, based in Rock, was nothing to write home about. The reason it is a must to go and see is that it is the most complete example of a Medieval courtyard in with galleries in the UK. It is now an hotel coffee shop, pub and restaurant combined and actually could use a bit of TLC to make it the gem it should be.

The Inn was built in 1450 on the site of a previous pub to act as the hostelry for the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter's. It passed to the the Dean and Chapter of Gloucester Cathedral after Henry VIII and they rented it out until 1858.

The City of Gloucester has some magnificent architecture in the docks and the Cathedral and around the town. It is a great canal destination and I would recommend it to everybody to have a trip down that way.