Here we are in Bradford-Upon-Avon, which as I have mentioned before, is not the famous Bradford or the famous Avon. After the herculean efforts we put in yesterday, it was a short cruise this morning to B Upon A where Nick and Margaret could catch the train back to London. When I say our efforts were herculean, you will of course remember that the fifth labor of Hercules involved creating and using a canal to move a load of organic fertilizer. While we are not shipping dung, just a boat, Hercules did not have nearly as many lock gates to deal with, so I think it all evens out.

I must say, King Augeas was pretty stupid letting all that valuable animal manure pile up in his cowshed and then letting Hercules wash it away down river, when he could have been spreading it on his fields to fertilize his crops. The farmers of the greater Bradford-Upon-Avon area are far more thrifty, and we entered the town to a stench of freshly spread cow manure. Perhaps this is what the Romans meant by rus in urbe.

There are pleasant visitor moorings (apart from the smell) a short walk from the center of town, and an even shorter walk to flush toilets. This means another day without having to pump out the holding tank.

So, along to see the sights, starting with the 14th Century Tithe Barn and Movie Studio.

The barn was used for agriculture from the 14th to the early 20th Century, when after a couple of transfers it ended up in the hands of English Heritage. Today a crew was setting up lighting for some film or TV show about the Wars of the Roses.

Actually, since the banners have a Tudor rose on them, it looks like we have the season finale when Henry VII founds the a dynasty of much more interesting monarchs. It’s worth noting that when Henry Tudor was born his mother was a thirteen year old widow, which just goes to show that being the child of a teenage single mom in the 15th Century did not necessarily restrict your career choices.

The tithe barn roof.

Are you ready for a bad pun?

Here’s another bad pun

B Upon A is quite a pretty town, rather marred by not having built a bypass and pedestrianized their shopping streets. However, if you can dodge the cars there are some sweet buildings.

This one was Paula’s favorite.

Most of them seem to be pubs or tea rooms.

The Swan dates back to 1500.

The gold postbox means a local resident won a gold medal in the Olympics or Paralympics. This was for Ed McKeever in the Men’s Canoe Sprint Kayak Single 200m in the 2012 Olympics.

Finally, fun in a local wine merchant.