I am Linda and along with my husband Richard and our dog Muffin we enjoy our summers on the UK's canal system

Tuesday 3 August 2021

Bancroft Basin, Stratford-upon-Avon (River Avon / South Stratford Canal) – Sunday 1st August

It was time to leave the lovely River Avon and head back to the canals, but not before a night in Bancroft Basin.

 We moved up the river to get water and just as we were finishing the trip boat came out of the lock, so I rushed round to the lock while Richard brought the boat in.  It’s always nice when the trip boat has just gone out as the lock is open and more often than not there is someone from the boat company to help.


There was plenty of room in the basin and with no wind today it was a doddle for Richard to reverse into a berth.


I could see a market and couldn’t wait to go and investigate.  While we were having lunch, we could hear two buskers playing, one to our left with a classical guitar and the other to our right playing a violin – it really wasn’t very pleasant 


We walked over to the market after lunch.  To be perfectly honest I felt very uncomfortable with so many people around with no masks on and no social distancing whatsoever.  The only things we bought were cards and fudge.  There were masses of food stalls, but everyone was queuing like they did in the “old” days.  We bought an ice-cream and sat down and listened to a guy playing a single steel drum with just a background of drums.  We sat for ages as he really was excellent.


After dinner of fish and chips – last meal out, honestly, well a take-away, we walked over the Tramway Bridge and round the park – we needed to walk off our dinner.


I was wondering about the history of Bancroft Basin but couldn’t find much on the internet other than a huge variety of goods used to come up the River Avon from all over the world via the seaport of Bristol.  To do that, boats must have gone up the tidal Severn, along the Sharpness Canal to Gloucester, back onto the Severn then onto the Avon at Tewkesbury.  The banks of the Avon at Stratford were lined with wharfs and there were originally two canal basins. The original canal basin remains to this day, the other was filled in to form Bancroft Gardens.

Today’s photos were taken on our walk round Stratford town this afternoon as the last time we were here I forgot to take any.

0.293 miles
1 lock



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