Getting to the other side of the river is easy in Evesham.
Our departure from the shallow moorings at Offenham caused us no problems. The water looked a little shallow immediately to the side of the boat, but seemed deeper again a little down stream. I let the current push us down stream a boat length or so before using the bow thruster to push the bow gently in to the current. There were no grinding noises or bumps as we turned.
Two boats had gone past just before we set off, so I was optimistic that we might catch one of them when we reached Evesham Lock. Before we reached the lock we went under the grandly named Simon de Montford Bridge carrying the Evesham Bypass, and then under a railway bridge - there is another at the other side of town.
As it turned out there was a boat waiting at the lock, but it was neither of the ones I'd seen. We joined them on the lock landing, and then went through the lock with them.
We moored up on the town moorings, which is between two road bridges. There are also flood-safe moorings nearby, but those had more tree cover, and there's hardly any rain, never mind floods in the forecast.
We crossed the river on one road bridge to get in to town for lunch and to look for the sights. The Almonry is mentioned in all the guides, and is also the tourist information office. It is a very interesting looking building of some considerable vintage.
Unfortunately, a notice on the door told us that Almonry was now closed for a major refurbishment project, and that the tourist office was relocating and would be open in a week or so. I was a bit cross that this hadn't been mentioned on their website (it has since been updated). Perhaps they will replace the tin roof during the renovation.
We explored the nearby Abbey grounds. We were only a day or two late to see the Almonry, but the Abbey had been demolished in the time of Henry VIII. The bell tower was retained.
Boards around the grounds told the story of the area. Evesham is named after Eof, a swineherd who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary. The only other character of that name I know is Ctrl-D - used to mark End Of File. Most of the boards also mocked us by mentioning that more information was available in the Almonry.
The Battle of Evesham was a significant event in the Barons' War in the thirteenth century. Simon de Montford had been holding King Henry III hostage. He lost his life, as did his son and a large number of his supporters. The line of the bypass passes close to the presumed battle site, perhaps prompting the name for the bridge.
Evesham is sited in a loop of the river, so by walking away from the centre in the opposite direction to the way we came in, we were able to reach the bank again. A peaceful path brought us along the river with several kingfisher sightings. I was surprised to see a cord across the river and then realised that this was another crossing - a chain ferry.
I immediately wondered how we will cope with this obstruction when we bring the boat this way. The ferry was already on its way to the far bank with a single passenger. Unlike the chain ferry in Stratford, this one seemed to have no mechanism - the ferry operator simply pulled the boat across with a gloved hand.
The chain seems to have been replaced by a length of rope for the bulk of the crossing - perhaps easier on the hand. Once the ferry had reached the far side, the operator wound a winch similar to the one we had found at our side and the rope disappeared in to the water. I have since read that three blasts on the horn is the standard signal for boats to request passage.
We continued our walk and crossed the river on the other road bridge to return to the boat.
Evesham has a small theatre called the Henrician. While we were in town the only event was a concert featuring Robert Vincent. He was new to us but that was all the more reason to go. We weren't cross that we'd gone, and we enjoyed the show enough to buy some of his CDs.