Pershore

Left Eckington Bridge at 9:30 and continued northwards in a gentle way arriving in Pershore at 12:30 after 6.5 miles and 2 locks. The scenery continues to be attractive but without any specific sight being worth a photograph.

Tug pushing empty barge

Unusually there was a bit of commercial traffic, a large pile of earth was being moved by barge along the river. Two tugs were being used to pull the loaded barges to Pershore and return the empties to near Nafford Lock, a distance of about 4-5 miles.

The other sight of great interest to us as birdwatchers was a very clear view of a cuckoo on a power line - my first. Naturally everybody in the UK must have heard them, but they are much more rarely seen.

Pershore Abbey - the nave formerly continued to the left

We have spent the afternoon looking around Pershore, an attractive small town with an indoor market. Its main claim to fame is the impressive Abbey church consisting of the Quire and Norman tower of the former monastery church, the large nave having been demolished centuries ago. We were lucky to get a guided tour taking us to the top of the tower with much of interest including the bells, a mechanical carillion (like a musical box) that plays tunes on the bells, 17th century graffiti, and a superb view from the top.