Two impressive buildings, a wooden boat being cut up, a poser and flagrant fishing

The rain forecast for today held off until 8pm which worked well for us. From Pershore I took the car and bike to Evesham, left the car there and cycled back. Then we cruised to Evesham and were tied up by 6pm.

A mile after setting off from Pershore we came to Wyre Lock and its impressive grist mill.

Grist is merely wheat before it is ground to make flour.

Another imposing building we passed was Wood Norton Hall. The Avon Navigation Trust's (Nicholson-sized and spiral bound) guide to the River Avon describes it - accurately - as a hotel and conference centre and gives one or two historical pieces of information but ignores its main significance to me and hundreds of other BBC staff who passed through "ETD Wood Norton" as part of our training. (ETD: Engineering Training Division.) When I was there, for two periods at the beginning of the 1980s, I looked at the narrowboats cruising past and promised myself that, one day, I would be doing that. Well, that day came a couple of years later when we moved a boat from Tewkesbury Marina to Cowroast Marina. Today's cruise was only the second time we've been past. (My 2012 Nicholson does mention the BBC's association with Wood Norton, but it is out of date. The BBC left years ago.)

At Sankey Marine, upstream of Chadbury Lock, work was being carried out on an old wooden boat.

It looked like it was being cut up, but with care. Perhaps it is being restored.

Approaching Evesham a kingfisher posed nicely for us. This is the best I could do with the camera.

We are on the Town Moorings in Evesham, just below Workman Bridge. All along the moorings are signs in English and Polish forbidding fishing unless you have a permit from the council, and are under 16 or disabled. Seemingly flouting the rules was someone who appeared to be older than 15 (yes, that is a fag in his mouth), who didn't look disabled (yes, I know not all disability is visible) and who I had earlier heard speaking in an east European accent. He was fishing with a lure a few feet from one of the signs.

Let's hope it doesn't rain too much tomorrow as we navigate the eight miles and four locks to Bidford-on-Avon. Shall we take up the Herbies' suggestion of stopping at Offenham en route? We'll see.