Caught in the Floods Again!!

Just like in 2012 on the Thames at Wallingford and on the Rochdale Canal at Todmorden, we have been marooned by flooding.  We hope it is only temporary and that we will be on the move again tomorrow (Saturday).

On Thursday we left Pershore in persistent rain that varied from a heavy drizzle to a weighty  downpour.  And so it continued until late in the evening.  We cruised in the rain to moor on purpose designed flood mooring poles at Evesham.

The lock at Wyre Piddle (no, I didn't make that up) is diamond shaped.  No idea why this is so, but it does not make locking comfortable for two narrowboats each too long to fit against one side of the diamond.

And here we are above the lock passing Tiddle Widdle Island (and I didn't make that one up either).  The river is narrower now.  The very shiny roof on Leo is due to the rain.

Fladbury Lock has a very long and fierce weir beside it.  The building is an old mill.

The green signs by the side of the lock mark previous flooding levels, the highest being in 2007.  We should have taken this and the rain as an omen.

Approaching Evesham we passed Hampton Ferry which is propelled across the river by a man pulling on the chain stretched across the river.  Fortunately they lowered the chain for us to pass.








Once in Evesham we moored and watched the river rise overnight by a metre and a half.  Another boat, Abigail, came down to breast up with the two of us on the only flood poles available.

Pas Mèche moored on the inside next to the poles with Leo alongside.  You can see the metal walkway beside the poles which soon disappeared under water.

Lots of logs and other debris came down the fast flowing swollen river and accumulated between the boats.

In the morning some nice chaps from the Avon Navigation Trust came to see us to make sure we were OK and provided this scaffold plank so that we could get ashore.  The service the ANT has given us  has been excellent.  It is only a small charity which runs the river navigation but they have been far more helpful than when we got stuck on the Thames two years ago.

Here is the view from across the river with our three boats moored alongside and the brown river zooming past.

From the Workman Bridge into Evesham we saw these other boats similarly protected on private moornings but with no means of reaching the boat.

We walked up above Evesham Lock and Weir.  As you can see the weir was pretty full and fast flowing.

And the lock was nearly under water.












 

Evesham is not such a bad place to be stuck.  It has necessary shops for supplies and some lovely old buildings.

This is the Almonry once occupied by the Almoner of the Abbey.  It is now a museum.

This lovely half timbered  building now houses the Nat West Bank.

The corner of the building looks as if it has moved at some time and needed support.















The river has now fallen a metre or more from its highest point and we are hopeful that we will be on our way towards Stratford tomorrow morning.  It will be harder going because the river is running a lot faster than before, but hopefully it will be safe.