Evesham to Pershore

Last evening we enjoyed listening to the bell ringers practicing and we thought that they were the best we have heard yet while cruising. It maybe because they have eight bells with lovely mellow tones.  It was very blustery with a greyish looking sky this morning, so we donned the wet weather gear, life jackets and boots before setting off. The water was so clear here that we could see the bottom of the boat, submerged plants growing up and many little fish nibbling the greenery off our hull. Our first lock was at Chadbury with a little mill standing beside it that was partially hidden by trees, so no picture of that. Next we came to Fladbury Lock and this lovely house over by the weir. Fladbury Mill (below) forms a grand residential building standing on a little island between the weir and the lock but doesn’t appear to have any vehicular access to it though.

The top green marker on the building to the left of Fladbury Lock is the 2007 flood line! This must have been rather frightening for those living alongside it.

We passed Wyre Piddle which boasts a micro brewery, and it’s quaintly named Tiddle Widdle Island nearby, to arrive at the plain looking square shaped Wyre Mill which is now used by a sailing club. Wyre lock is a rather awkward diamond shape and requires ropes fore and aft to stop the boat buffeting about while the paddles are opened. With all these locks the exit gates are to be left open, so climbing down onto the boat is rather daunting especially in the deep locks. We did however manage to share two locks with another boat therefore making less work.

After eleven miles we arrived at Pershore and got moored up just before the rain began hammering down, so we put the kettle on and had a rest, luvly jubbly. In the afternoon when the rain had stopped we looked around the town which is beautifully enhanced with many tubs and hanging floral displays. There are numerous little specialist shops, an indoor market, leisure centre, an Abbey, a Tesco Metro and an Asda. The streets are lined with various styles of grand Georgian houses and there are several pubs.