It was boat cleaning this morning ready for our visitors. Richard’s son, James, and his girlfriend,
Maisa, were coming for the weekend. The
place needed a good clean but it really doesn’t take long. I usually start at one end and work my way
through (the same as I do when packing the boat up to go home). Richard does the hoovering and then, Bob’s
your uncle, we have a sparkling boat again.
James and Maisa arrived about 12.30pm and after lunch we set off back to
Offenham Lock and the Fish and Anchor moorings.
It was a lovely afternoon but sadly it wasn’t too last. We went through the lock and the lock cutting
where we had moored on Wednesday and onto the moorings. There is room for two long narrowboats with
maybe a small motor cruiser as well. The
rain started shortly after we arrived and continued – it was still raining when
we went to bed. We shared the mooring
with a boat called Purple Emperor. We
thought it was brand new but apparently it is 25 years old and just had a
repaint – it looks amazing. I took this
photo in Stratford as I thought it looked so lovely.
We had booked an early dinner at the pub and paddled over about
6.30pm. We had a lovely meal. This is James’s pizza which almost beat
him!
Another paddle back to the boat where we played Scrabble which, as
always, Richard won. I don’t like
playing Scrabble with his as he always wins!
Offenham derives its name from the Saxon King Offa, who once resided
here. Offa was King of Mercia, a kingdom
of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of
Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of
civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald. King Offa was famous for his dyke - a large
linear earthwork that roughly follows the current border between England and
Wales., who is traditionally believed to have ordered its construction.
Although its precise original purpose is debated, it delineated the border
between Anglian Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys. The Dyke, which was up to 65 feet wide
(including its flanking ditch) and 8 feet high, traversed low ground, hills and
rivers. Today the earthwork is protected as a scheduled monument.
3.59 miles
2 locks
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