Passing Wyre Piddle on the way to Pershore.

Wednesday 6th August, 2014 at Pershore.
More rain overnight but we awoke to a lovely morning. R made one of his "smiley face" egg and bacon breakfasts; M has declared that she has got to like them so much that it's tempting to have one every day - but it would do our waistlines no good at all!
We needed to restock the fridge and there is a large M&S food shop near the station. We made a point of walking through the Abbey Park for the last time; it's a real credit to the local council with a super water playground for the kiddies and an old fashioned lily pond. The flower beds close to the Bell Tower and around the grave of Simon de Montford are beautifully tended.

The Bell Tower is all that remains of Evesham Abbey, thanks to Henry VIII. It is a handsome building and it has a beautifully melodic carillon that plays after each hour chime. Beyond the Bell Tower are two parish churches, side by side.

Back on MM, with the fridge re-stocked (and R's arms two inches longer), we finally set off. A quick stop at the water point to fill up found us moored alongside Stuart and Dawn on nb "Green Man". It was so nice to see them again and we promised to keep in touch.

The journey down to Pershore was a delight. The river is beautiful and we had it pretty much to ourselves. We passed only three boats all day - and finally we saw a kingfisher, the first this summer!
Fladbury Lock is interesting - the top gate paddles were very fierce and we went to the assistance of a hire boat coming up who were in danger of flooding the front of their boat with the plume of water thrown up by the paddles.

Beside the lock are two markers showing the flood levels in 1998 (bottom) and 2007 (top). The 2007 marker is at shoulder height above the lock! Frightening!

Wyre Lock is unusual as it is diamond shaped - although the reason for this unusual shape is not immediately obvious.

We couldn't help smiling as we passed the village of Wyre Piddle - yes really! Apparently the local rugby ground is called "Piddle Park" - one wonders if a visiting team goes home announcing they have been "piddled on"? This board was advertising the local chippie - "Piesse of Piddle"!

Moorings are at a premium at Pershore, so we were lucky to find a nice spot opposite the park. Unfortunately, we did not have time to explore the town as we need to get down to Tewkesbury tomorrow.
Today 11 miles, 3 locks and 5.0 hours.
Trip: 117 miles, 98 locks and 108.8 hours.