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This section describes the canal from the site of the old Hardwick bridge to Patch Bridge.
The first section beyond Hardwick is rather dull. To the E can be seen the Cotswold escarpment, with farmland below the canal in the foreground. On the W bank, the river is invisible below its flood defences, and the hills leading to the Forest of Dean form the background.
Just before Parkend Bridge on the E bank are the Castle Tea Rooms. These are busy at Sunday lunchtimes, and occasionally for wedding parties. There are also a few very large cruisers tied up here, some on brokerage.
Parkend Bridge serves a minor road leading to the Anchor at Epney about a mile away. The Anchor has gardens backing onto the river, which are pleasant in summer. There are often salmon fishers to be seen in the river here. The pub is nothing special, but serves reasonable ale and food. Opposite it is a yard whose owner has an interesting collection of vintage trucks and tractors. There are permanent moorings below the bridge: visitors are better tying up just above the bridge. Moorings here are quiet, although the stretch of canal here is popular with fishermen as towpath parking is feasible.
On the E bank below the bridge are a couple of wooden summer houses. There were at one time many more of these along the canal, but most have now been demolished. A large dutch barge on the E bank sells BBQ charcoal.
The crane at R W Davis's boatyard can be seen from a long distance and marks the junction with the Stroudwater canal just below Junction bridge. Before the bridge, the W bank is popular for mooring. The E bank is for long-term moorers only. Behind the long term moorings is a fine old church, part of the Whitminster estate.
On the W bank just before the bridge is the Wicliffe School rowing club building. It has a wooden landing stage, used on most days, so don't be tempted to tie up to it. There is a pleasant walk following the bank behind the club to the Ship Inn at Framilode. The grub is quite good value, and there are usually two real ales. The pub backs onto the disused arm of the Stroudwater Canal near its former junction with the Severn. It has a large garden and a children's play area.
Junction Bridge carries only foot traffic and is operated by the keeper with a long handle. The bridgekeeper also operates the footbridge across the arm of the Stroudwater canal to the East. This is only normally accessed by boats with permanent moorings (administered by the Saul Junction Boat Club). It extends for about 500 m to Walkmills Bridge, the current limit of navigation. There is a winding space near the end which will take boats up to about 53 ft long.
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The Stroudwater Arm carries much of the flow from the River Frome, and there can be a heavy cross-current at its junction with the G&S in wet weather. Opposite the junction is the remains of a lock leading to the derelict western section of the Stroudwater canal. There are no plans to restore this stretch, although the first 100 m or so are in water. Beyond this, there is no trace of the canal for a km or so, at which point it re-emerges fairly intact and weed-choked for a further km to the location of the former lock into the Severn near Framilode church.
The Stroudwater was predated by another canal, the Kemmet and Cambridge. This carried loads along a line close to the Stroudwater's at its western end, before diverting near the M5 junction 13 towards Stonehouse. The K&C was lockless, but loads were transferred from a lower to a higher level somewhere near Fromebridge Mill close to the A38.
Just beyond the Stroudwater junction is R W Davies's boatyard. There are few facilities for visiting boats, the yard specialising in boatbuilding (very fine boats, but at the expensive end of the market, generally with vintage engines) and repairs. There are usually a few long-term moorings available on the boatyard's frontage. Opposite the junction, the canal widens into a basin. There is a water point, usually marked by fishermen. The Willow Trust operates two wide-beam boats from here, used to give popular trips to people with disabilities.
BW have completed a new sani-station on the west bank just north of Sandfield Bridge. This houses a shower block, toilets, self pump-out (tickets from the adjacent bridgekeepers), as well as the Cotswold Canal Trust Heritage Centre. The latter is open most weekends and replaces the old but trusty adjacent portacabin. The mooring outside has access for disabled persons. The trip boat Perseverance is run by the Cotswold Canal Trust. It operates throughout the summer from the Heritage Centre and does Santa Cruises near Christmas.
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Sandfield Bridge is only a few hundred m beyond Junction Bridge. In winter and at quiet periods, this bridge is remotely operated from Junction Bridge (wave at the TV camera!). A few hundred m beyond the bridge, APC on the E bank sells red diesel at competitive prices. There are three other sources of diesel on the canal:John and Brioni's nb Stokie which is usually at Sharpness, the filling station near Hempstead Bridge and the Black Shed at Slimbridge being the others. APC open daily, and on Saturday mornings to 12:00 (all day Saturday and Sunday mornings in Summer).
The flour mill just beyond Adlac is the former Cadburys factory. The covered loading wharves are still in place, where narrowboats used to load to deliver chocolate crumb to the Bournville facory on the Worcester & Birmingham canal. There are long term moorings opposite, and visitor moorings back towards Sandfield Bridge.
Fretherne Bridge is just beyond the flour mill, with a water point on the E bank just before the bridge (next to the BW car park). The bridge has recently been replaced with a wider span to accomodate a footpath, and a new keeper's building constructed. The towpath just beyond the bridge is a handy mooring place for visiting Frampton-on-Severn and the Bell Inn. (Cross over the bridge to the E bank and follow the road for a few hundred m to the village green.)