THE RIVER AVON, FLOODS AND FAUNA.

 

Tewksbury Abbey

Week 4 Worcester to Pershore 30 miles 3 locks

The trip from Worcester to Tewksbury was busy for me, as I decided to use the time to do some cooking for the next week. I made a lasagne, a curry and a chocolate cake, plus a full Sunday roast. I was interrupted once to help at one of the big big river locks, which are all manned by lock keepers, but I am required to hold the boat steady at the front using the bowline, which is slipped through a metal runner in the side of the lock, whilst the Captain does the same using the stern rope. The big locks do tend to be quite gentle when filling or emptying, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

We got to Tewksbury, and it was then I remembered how difficult it could be for me to get off the boat, this is due to the high sided moorings and terrible ladders, but there was nowhere else to moor, we could have gone through the lock and on to the Avon, but the moorings there were full, so we had to stay put.

However, my love of beer overcame my nervousness of getting off, or more importantly getting back on. The Captain very kindly jury rigged me a step to make it easier, and off I got. The pub had won, are you surprised??

Tewksbury is a lovely town with a good selection of shops and pubs. The abbey is also well worth a visit, but as it was late afternoon we headed straight to the Cross House Tavern, an interesting micropub, where lager is a dirty word, and the beers are served straight from the barrel. There was a good dark on for the Captain, and I found a quite palatable hoppy APA. (American Pale Ale)

https://www.facebook.com/Tewkesbury.pub/?locale=en_GB

But I needed a lager ,so after checking the local Wetherspoons ,The Royal Hop Pole, had something for the Captain (which it did) we headed there and sat in the garden enjoying the sun and a couple of good pints, before heading back for roast beef with all the trimmings. I got back on the boat without a thought, strange what a couple of pints can do for your nerves.

Monday was given out to be very wet, but this changed slightly, and the Captain decided that we would not wait but head off that morning. We were able to join a hire boat in the lock, which was fun, and had plenty of gongoozlers watching our ascent on to the River Avon.

The Avon is not part of Canal and River Trust, so we had to buy a weeks license from the Avon Navigation Trust, it cost £55 for a week, this was plenty for us.

Monday turned out to be a day for nature, we had Common Terns wheeling above the boat, their sleek white bodies and forked tale make them a very attractive bird, a bird we have not seen before, a Curlew took flight as we passed, its long curved beak making it hard not to recognise, sand martins swooped and darted round the boat, catching flies and bugs on the wing for their young. In the woods we spotted our first Roe Deer with its rabbit like white tail and large ears. A lone Buzzard soared on the thermals, and also new to us, a Cuckoo flew by with its grey stripped breast and pigeon like head. The Captain also spotted our first kingfisher, I was well miffed because I missed it.

Roe Deer

We moored above the second lock of the day, just before the rain started.

An early start next day, as once again it was forecast to rain heavily in the afternoon. Only 2 locks for me to do, but they are the big river locks and manually operated. At the first lock, which has a swing bridge in its centre, we were helped through by 2 very nice volunteers from the Avon Trust, not lock keepers as such, just in the right place at the right time. Then Pershore lock and the good moorings at the side of the park.

Pershore Tree

The rain held off until we were safely moored and sat in the boat, but oh boy, it came with thunder and lightening and hail. It lasted what seemed like forever, and a culvert in front of the boat only just managed to keep up with the torrent of water coming down it.

When the rain eventually stopped we decided to walk into Pershore across the park. There is a small Asda here and an interesting indoor market, and of course a few pubs. Unfortunately from our previous visits we couldn’t remember any decent real ales pub. So we settled on the Angel Hotel which sits on the river. A nice olde worlde interior, with low beams and stone floors but expensive, over £11 for 2 pints. So on to the Millers Arms, much more in our price bracket, and the food we saw come out looked and smelt very tasty.

https://angelpershore.co.uk/

https://www.millersarmspershore.co.uk/

We called in at the Asda for a few bits, and then had a quiet night on the boat, before setting off bright and early for the next leg of our journey.