Seven members of Kingswear rowing club ventured to the Midlands for a change of scenery.

Setting off from Stourport the team, rowed down the River Severn to Tewksbury and then up the river Avon to Stratford upon Avon.

Weather conditions were not always ideal but the intrepid rowers did not let it deter them.

Supported by Graham Sowerby in a 17ft river launch, the team took it in turns to take half an hour rest every 2 hours and top up their food and liquid intake to keep the journey manageable.

They completed 74 miles with 23 locks over 6 days.

At one point, they were stuck in a lock on the Avon without a key. Steve Ainsworth came to the rescue with a hammer which he ingeniously used to lever the wheel a tooth at a time in order to open the lock and complete the journey.

The team are now back on the Dart and look forward to planning another adventure next year.

Kingswear Rowing Club have several waterborne social events coming up including a row up to Tuckenhay on the 3rd June.

Anyone wanting to get involved with the club download and complete an application form the club’w web-site, www.kingswearrc.co.uk.