POSTCARD FROM GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Bob Barton takes up a new hobby of waterway spotting, is tempted to run away with the circus, goes to jail and discovers where a hit record producer was born

- Bob Barton

Trainspotting has never interested me (why collect lists of numbers?) and I find bird spotting too competitive. On a short break based in Gloucester, I took up the hobby of waterway spotting.

Waterways – canals and navigable rivers – are features of the landscape we tend to take for granted. They are quiet and peaceful, attract a variety of wildlife and it’s fun finding reminders of “olden days”. They take us from the humdrum to hidden corners, often on our doorstep. Hardly any equipment is required. You don’t even need a boat, just a comfortable pair of boots and a map. A curious nature helps, too.

It was impossible to miss Gloucester’s biggest water feature: its inland docks. I was told they’re the farthest inland in Britain. Where the River Severn meets the city, 15 huge Victorian warehouses rise above the water. These stately monuments to the era of sail and horsepower were once full of produce being traded around Europe. In one of them, the Llanthony Warehouse, the National Waterway Museum (0303 040 4040, canalrivertrust.org.uk) brings this romantic age to life. When I first visited in the 1970s, the docks had an air of dereliction and decay but now – what a contrast. A variety of bars, cafes and restaurants have sprung up, providing ample people-watching opportunities as well as sustenance.