Avon Ring - Festival Season - Problem?

[zimzim]

We are just beginning to gird our loins for a circuit (clockwise) of the Avon Ring this Summer.

Having done this previously in school holiday time, my cunning plan was to give it a try in early July before the schools break up.

Now I find that this coincides with a bunch of 'river festivals' (Stratford July 6-7, Evesham July 12-14, Pershore July 20).

(Sigh - so much for getting away from it all..... So much for cunning plans.)

Having previously been at pains to avoid Cropredy around festival time, I'm wondering if I should have a re-think about being on the Avon?

I can easily plan not to be in any of these locations on the actual days of their festivals, but I'm wondering if the river will more generally be ridiculously busy (and moorings even more difficult to find)?

Thoughts?

 

BTW - please don't advise me to go to the festivals - we're supposed to be fed tea and oranges all the way from China, not warm beer and hot-dogs from Bob's Best Burgers.

[Rob-M]

I would say it will depend on when you plan to arrive in Stratford. A lot of the festival boats will be on the Avon so if you come down the canal you could keep a day or two behind them.

[matty40s]

Do it anticlockwise, then it doesn't matter when you do it and locks may well be in your favour. Aim to visit a location midweek that has a festival at the weekend.

[Corixa]

We got caught up with the Avon River Festival at Stratford last year on our route out onto the Avon and onto the Severn. We did not realise it was on until we got the Lapworth where another boater asked us if we were attending it.  By this time is was a bit late to change our plans so we just carried on and hoped for the best finding a mooring. Well it was not a problem, we arrived on the Friday afternoon by which time most of the festival boats were moored up very neatly on the river. There were at least 3 moorings free on the pontoons in the Bancroft Basin.

 

We dropped down onto the river on the Saturday morning quite late but did not get caught in any festival activities and went through the first lock ( Colin P Witter ) with out any delays.

[john6767]

We will be attending the Stratford river festival.  You have to arrive Friday the latest but most I think arrive on the Thursday.  I would say there is still a good chance of a mooring in the basin if you get theee at a decent time, and then go down river and you will not see any increased traffic at all as the boat are all in Stratford until Monday

[zimzim]

Thanks all above for these helpful responses. I think with a slightly tweaked plan we will be fine.