We were on the move at 09:00, with just 15 minutes to go to Nafford Lock.
Approaching Nafford Lock, with the sluices on the right.
An inconsiderate wide-beam is moored on the left hand landing, making it difficult to pull in.
A couple of boats had passed before we got away, so I had to empty the lock before we could use it. One of the “rules of the road” is that exit gates are left open, handy to get on but a pain for a following boat. We followed a boat at every lock today, so all of the upstream gates had to shut first.
There were signs at the lock advising of commercial boats operating between here and Pershore.
They were carrying earth from an excavation just above the lock, a new marina maybe?
Push Tug Scouser returning an empty pan.
The Comberton Quay moorings look very quiet but I reckon TV would be a problem.
Comberton Quay.
Approaching Pershore there are two road bridges to negotiate. The guide says that these can be tricky if there’s a lot of “fresh on”. I can see why, they don’t lie at right angles to the river, are at different angles and are close together. A potentially awkward situation.Pershore Bridges
No problem today, though. Very little flow in these dry conditions.
Following the bridges is the very pretty lock.
Pershore Lock
I’d just emptied this one for us when another boat arrived, NB Narrowboth from Middlewich. So we were able to share the lock and the work.
The moorings at Pershore look good, easy access to the town and the Asda supermarket.
Pershore Moorings.
Only a mile further up the river is Wyre Lock, with it’s unusual diamond shaped chamber. You could actually fit three shortish narrowboats in here, with care.
Plenty of room for two in Wyre Lock
Want an unforgettable address? Buy a house in the village of Wyre Piddle.
Wyre Piddle
Just above the village the river branches around two small islands. On the left is Osier Island, named for the willows that grow on the banks. The other is Tiddle Widdle Island. Any ideas?
After Wyre Lock there’s a 4½ mile long stretch, winding along as rivers tend to.
We’d intended to stop at Jubilee Bridge, a mooring spot identified on our Nicholson’s Guide, but this turned out to be a private garden, so we pushed on to Fladbury.
Fladbury Mill
Flood markers at the lock side.
Leaving Fladbury Lock
We pulled over for the night at around 14:00 at Craycombe Turn. Although it’s alongside a main road it seems to be popular. A boat was just pulling off as we arrived, leaving us room, and the mooring is full now. Overfull in fact.
We’ve NB Petrino breasted up on the outside. We’ve seen this boat on and off for the last couple of weeks, as they’ve been following the same route as us.
We got talking to some people on a river boat just in front of us, and finished up sharing a cheesecake, and strawberries and cream with them, and half a bottle of wine. They were just out for the day from Evesham on Victoria. Very pleasant people.
Tony, Jackie and Roger leaving for Evesham. Photophobic Beryl is hiding inside.
A longer day than planned today, but that means we can have a shorter one tomorrow. Just heading into Evesham, four miles and one lock away.
Locks 4, miles 12¼
3 comments:
There was a bit on Countryfile a while back about the earth-moving on the Avon. They're using the earth to build a flood barrier, and the area it comes from is being turned into a wetland reserve.
The spoil is being moved to make flood defences, the trust had the spoil, so they are making money from it !!
Thanks Both
I wondered why they were moving muck 4 miles up the river!
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