Craycombe Turn to Pershore

Our mooring last night.  I have to confess that there was a slightly busy road behind that row of trees,  we sat in the sun and all the washing dried but you never lost the sound of traffic.  

Didn't disturb our sleep though and in the evening David walked almost up to the top of an attractive hill that's out of sight.

Craycombe Turn moorings

A dull day to leave after warm sunshine of the afternoon before.  Past pretty trees, lambs in meadows and youngsters in canoes having a lot of fun as it's getting towards the end of term I suppose.  

If you look at WaL's nose in the picture you can just about make out a bank of wild Honeysuckle

Just imagine the perfume.

Sweet cheeky face.

 Here's the first of four of these catamaran type canoes, the children were having heaps of fun, the adults I fear less so as we approached....
But all was fine.

So onward to Fladbury Lock.  It really is a wonderful setting here, this part of the mill is the first sight you get, then the lock and then as you exit the lock the other buildings associated with the old mill come into view.

No real problems here, none that we aren't used to now, that is to say getting in is not the issue, getting out again is for us at 70ft.  Someone was shortsighted in lock building along here, why not just make them 72ft long instead of what feels like 68ft?
Some of the cills are the same shape as the gates, some are straight across the lock, most are unseen but felt on the rudder....
Here at Fladbury, we positioned WaL diagonally across the lock and when it had emptied, slowly and carefully on one paddle, I heaved on the centre rope to assist the birthing, we have done similar in the past with calvings!

Back of the lock side Mill 

Fladbury Mill was operational until the 1930's, I felt it looked a bit rundown, as if it needed a lottery grant or millionaire or maybe the National Trust to buy it and restore it for visitors to see working.  Well that might just be me.

Lovely old buildings, then that.... not my taste.

A nice change from dreaded Canadian geese here, its a Greylag goose, who snubbed me at the last minute.

The next lock was at Wyre Piddle.  This house below gets todays prize for the ugliest seen, to my mind looks like an office building, the white one next door wasn't much better.

Wyre Piddle has the last of its kind of Diamond Locks, no bad thing either to me, we crept in.  I gulped silently.  We knew this one could be trouble, this is the lock where Sarah and Andy had fun and games on their boat but for different reasons last week or so.... 

Want a laugh?  Read this  HERE

Looks huge.

Oooooooh suddenly not that big..... 

Loadsa room, hang on..... look where the cill marker is!!!

Seems alright, just got to get out.

I was a pulling on the bow rope hence its a mess, David Lewis  (boater sharer) HATES messy ropes don't you dear?

Charles Showell a traveller and writer in the 1900's said Wyre Mill "Was the ugliest, of which the Avon is ashamed", so that told them. 

An easy run down into Pershore.  A huge long run of moorings on the recreational ground, we always try to get on an end to be out of the way...  it beautifully worked out that there was a car park at this end too, plus a beautiful Sweet Chestnut tree too in full bloom

Pershore moorings.

Supper was seafood starter of leftover salmon and crayfish, then a second entre of bresola rocket and parmesan, we were to have had the sea bream tonight too but I said "Non, demain"