Being unable to afford another night’s stay in Upton Marina without re-mortgaging the cat, Sunday morning found us crossing our fingers and ringing DIglis River Lock at Worcester to ensure it was all OK to head North again. All was fine – apart from the weather which was by and large fairly miserable.

Thinking we had some sunshiny photos of Upton on the computer from a previous visit, we hadn’t taken any pictures while wandering around the Jazz Festival. There weren’t any on the computer either, which either means they’ve gone AWOL, or the previous visit was much longer ago than we thought.

A fairly dull (weather) and dull (lack of nice scenery) transit took something like three hours, without any incentive to get the camera out either. Locking up through Diglis River lock we thought we’d investigate the river moorings before going up the canal locks (known to be hard work) into the basin, only to come back to resume the journey up the Severn. So passing the old Holbrooks Worcester Sauce factory (always far superior to Lea & Perrins), we found what looked like suitable accommodation between the railway bridge and the rowing club/horse race course.

It being – by now – a vaguely pleasant late afternoon – Skipper went exploring and pronounced himself well satisfied with the towpath, and the embankment gardens above, even if the pedestrian bridge wobbled too much for him.

Being just five minutes walk to the centre of town and ten minutes to the cathedral, we thought it would probably do too.