What a day!!

We set off early from Oddingley so we would have this afternoon spare in Worcester, arriving at the top of Offerton Locks at 0800 we met a cheerful dog walker who happily informed us that the pound below the locks was empty, "Bone dry" he said merrily. I found the lockie, "I don't start until half eight" he told us and promptly disappeared. His son then appeared and, windlass in hand, started to let water down because, he told us, fish were dying in the dry pound. His next statement made it clear that he has a great future in B.W. upper management," I don't give a toss about the boaters but there are fish stranded down there." At least water was now going down. When the lockie reappeared he said it would be 1130 at the latest before we could move. Just after midday he let us go into the top lock. We only got stemmed up in one pound, letting down some more water got us afloat again.
From there to Bilford Top Lock we trickled slowly along with only the occasional scrape on the bottom, my fault, I got within three foot of the towpath. After Gregory's Mill Bottom Lock we were in the Lowesmoor Pound and that was fun, just over tick over and scraping all the way. I'm not one to complain but the bottom end of the Worcester and Birmingham is nothing short of diabolical, shallow, reeded and unloved, of course when we become a charity it will all change, yeah, right!
Anyway we made it into Diglis Basin and pinched the last mooring spot and on checking my e-mails Waterscape tells me that Lincomb Lock on the Severn will be closed until the week-end, lucky we're not in a hurry to get up to Stouport.

Watch this space.............