Easter Cruise - Spring 2024, Week 8

 Monday 15th April - Ivy bridge to Ivy bridge

This morning we woke to heavy rain and strong winds.  At one stage there was a heavy hail storm leaving hail lying on the towpath and at another stage there was a huge thunder clap.  We had two options this morning.  We could either stay where we were and see the storm out or join nbPriceless and carry on down 2 locks, turn the boat round and come back up again. 

As there was a lull in the wind and rain we decided to join nbPriceless and do the locks together.  Here we are approaching the first lock, a little gusty but nothing too bad.

Waiting at the second lock, the wind is beginning to strengthen again, and I learnt that our companions had changed their plans and were continuing on to Kilby Bridge.  We let them go first and then we attempted to turn the boat.  Finally succeeded on the third attempt with Dave helping using the stern rope to haul the boat round against the wind.  Quite a hairy 30 minutes, but at last we were able to carry on back up the locks and moor in the same spot but facing the other way.  Phew!

We spent the afternoon walking to Wistow Rural Centre.  We passed the little church of St Luke.

The churchyard has an interesting feature, the gravestone of Christopher Gardner in the shape of a miniature church who died aged 8 years old of Scarlet Fever on 20th September 1924. It was made by his father George Gardner a stone mason by trade who left his family to fight in France in WWI.

Then we walked on to the Rural Centre where we had a browse around and tea and cake in the cafe, very nice indeed!

2 miles, 2 hrs, 4 locks

Tuesday 16th April - Ivy Bridge no 78 to Bridge 73/74

After some deliberation we decided to make a move and head back towards Foxton Locks.  It was still quite windy on this lovely mooring but it is very exposed and we thought it might be less windy below the locks.

Leaving our mooring with nbOlivella and Jane behind us and heading for the first of 5 locks for today.  

Across the fields you can see St Wistan’s Church.  This tiny church never had the status of a parish church but evolved from a shrine chapel dedicated to a local saint.  Wistan was murdered in 849 at nearby Wistow. His body was taken by his followers to be buried in the royal mausoleum at Repton in Derbyshire passing through the village of Wigston en route. Where the body was believed to have rested overnight a small shrine was set up to honour the prince who was later sanctified after reports that miracles and healings had taken place during visits to his burial crypt at Repton.  By 1086 the small commemorative shrine in Wigston had become integrated into a chapel served by its own separate cleric. In late medieval times the shrine was the centre of an annual pilgrimage held on the anniversary of St Wistan’s murder, the 1st of June, when the whole village took part in the celebrations and worship of a jewelled figure of the saint in the north aisle of the chapel.

Adjacent to one of the locks is Bridge House Barn, a unique wedding venue made up of enormous tipis and accommodation in converted stable blocks, glamping pods and tents.  It did look rather impressive.

We continued through the final lock and made our way to a delightful open mooring within easy reach of Fleckney village.

2.5 miles, 2hrs 6mins, 5 locks

Wednesday 17th April - Fleckney to Foxton Visitor Moorings

A delightful mooring with sheep and some tiny lambs our only companions.  Lovely to wake in the morning to the sounds of baby lambs bleating.

We soon reached Saddington Tunnel, just over half a mile long.  The tunnel is not quite straight, because miscalculations during its construction required some "adjustment", but you can clearly see the end of the tunnel.  There are a colony of bats living in this tunnel.

We passed a working boat with its stabilisers down in the canal, it is doing some work to side of the canal and towpath.

We moored at the Visitor Moorings below Foxton locks and walked up to the village of Foxton where we had lunch at The Black Horse beside the canal.  Very good food. Saw these in a field on the way back, they look so cute!

4.5 miles, 2hrs 6 mins, 0 locks, 1 tunnel

Thursday 18th April - Foxton Visitor Moorings to North Kilworth Wharf

A lovely sunny morning, so we moved the boat forwards a little and filled up with water before moving onto the bottom of the Foxton locks.

We had to moor at the bottom of the locks so that Dave could go ahead and check in with the lock keepers.  I took the opportunity to clean the solar panels!

Dave on the left and Rob on the right, our volunteer lock keeper,  who worked us up the flight of locks.  

Ella in one of the locks being lifted up by the water, a lovely view of the solar panels, I’m so glad I cleaned them!

Rob, ex Navy and a veteran of the Falklands war, spends a day a week at these locks, good exercise and lots of fresh air.

We are beginning to see swans nesting, this one was just settling down on a clutch of eggs.

We got as far as the Laughton Hills and found a lovely open mooring with views of the hills.  We went for a walk up into the hills and back down to the canal.  This is a living milestone, the Old Union Canal Society plants living milestones along the Leicester Line of the Grand Union, they are trees with black painted steel plaques next to or in front of them.

A delightful view of the Laughton Hills, it was quite a steep climb up the hill and just as steep climb back down again, but quite beautiful.

We returned to the boat after our walk and took the decision to move on again as there was no phone signal or WiFi.  We set off for Husband Bosworth but there was no decent mooring so we went through Husband Bosworth tunnel and finally moored at the visitor moorings by North Kilworth Wharf.

7 miles, 10 locks, 1 tunnel, 4hrs 6mins

Friday 19th April - North Kilworth Wharf to Bridge 20 Skew Bridge East

A damp and grey day, so we set off early to avoid the forecast wind and rain.

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We passed Welford Junction and continued on towards Yelvertoft.  Dave did most of the driving and I gave the boat a good clean through.  As we approached Yelvertoft the wind began to blow very strongly so we found a mooring before the village and tied up for the night.

Soon after mooring up we saw this little family of ducklings, these are the first we have seen this year which is lovely.

9 miles, 2hrs 54mins, 0 locks

Saturday 20th April - Bridge 20 Skew Bridge East

Today is my birthday so we are spending the day here, going for a lovely walk and treating ourselves to some super food.

Dave gave me a kit to make my own side fenders for the boat, something I’ve always wanted to have a go at but always thought would be too difficult - now I can have a go!

When we woke up this morning there was ice on the seats on the back of the boat, we knew it was cold, but with the fire going throughout the evening I don’t think we appreciated how cold it had got!

Ella on her mooring, taken as we headed off for our walk, in the fields on the opposite side there are many cows with very young calfs, one of the cows is particularly noisy but the calfs are ever so tiny.

We walked along the canal until we reached a footpath that took us up onto Crack’s Hill and the Trig point at the top.

We then walked down the steep hillside back to the canal and then on into Yelvertoft. We called in at Sq!sitos and collected shopping before heading back to the boat for an afternoon of playing Scrabble and Lexicon, both of which I won - well it is my birthday!

A delicious birthday meal…

…and a stunning sunset to finish off a wonderful day!

Sunday 21st April - Bridge 20 Skew Bridge East to Welton Haven Marina

Woke to a pleasant sunny morning although a trifle chilly, so we prepared the boat and made our way gently towards Crick and through Crick Tunnel.  Didn’t meet any boats but there was one at the other end which had kindly waited for us to exit.

Then on to Watford Locks, when we arrived there were 4 boats working their way up the locks and we had to wait for about 40 minutes until we were able to start our descent. 

Finally into the top lock and we were on our way.  The lock keeper on the left of the photo stayed with us as we went down the locks.

We have come down the staircase of 4 locks and we need to negotiate a short pound to get to the next two locks.

Beautiful blossom between the last two locks, amazing that it has survived all the wind and rain, makes a very pretty photo.

This is Janet, our volunteer lock keeper, she has been boating for over 20 years and has more than 10 years experience as a lock keeper, but as she took a break of 5 years, on returning she has to work under supervision - not that we saw much in the way of supervision!  Many thanks to Janet and all the team that keep these locks in such fantastic condition.

6.5 miles, 4hrs 6mins, 7 locks, 1 tunnel

'

Easter Cruise - Spring 2024 - Week 7

 Monday 8th April - Yelvertoft to Welford Junction

A lovely sunny morning and very little wind, such a difference from yesterday.  The view across the fields from our mooring, beautiful.  After filling up with water we decided to move the boat as far as the Welford Arm.

A field with some very new calves in, most staying close to their mothers, but some being more adventurous!  They were so tiny.

Loved the look of these, waterfront glamping for adults, the delightful wooden cabins have their own heated hot tub, what more could you ask for?

Passing under the A14, we used to use this road when we drove to Cambridge and Ely to visit family, such speed and noise compared to our very slow sedate pace.

This looked very pretty as we passed, all the new blossom beginning to emerge on the different trees, and all different colours, shame the photo didn't really do it justice.  We got to the aqueduct over the tiny River Avon and moored up for the day.  

Toby and I went for a walk across the fields and found our way down to the river which Toby was delighted with as he had a play in the water.

8.5 miles, 3hrs, 0 locks

Tuesday 9th April - Welford Junction 

Due to very high winds and driving rain we chose to stay on our mooring and watch the boats passing us struggle with the huge gusts of wind!

Wednesday 10th April - Welford Junction to Foxton Top Lock

A beautiful start to the morning, so we prepared the boat and made our way gently towards Foxton.

We passed north Kilworth Marina and then this is North Kilworth Wharf, it was like threading a needle through a very small eye, with boats moored on both sides of the canal.

The services at the Wharf were very easy to get to, again worth knowing, but we wondered why all the flags were flying at half mast?

We passed through Husbands Bosworth Tunnel and met 2 boats coming the other way, then out the other side we came through the prettiest of cuttings.  All the trees are just beginning to show their brightest of green foliage, standing out against the blue sky.

This is the picturesque Laughton Hills, sweeping down to the canal.  There are plenty of places to moor with easy access to the Kicklewell Spinney and the Hills, so we shall moor here on our way back.

We got to the moorings at the top of the Foxton Locks and moored up for the day, just in time as the rain started once again.  During a break in the rain we went for a walk down the locks and had a drink in the bar at Bridge 61.  The two sets of staircase locks were designed by Benjamin Bevin to take the canal down (or up) a total of 75 feet and comprise of two lots of 5 locks - these were built between 1810 and 1814. 

This is Richard who works for Canal and River Trust as fund raiser, he usually has a table set out with leaflets and information, but as it is either raining or windy, he has decided to be a mobile fund raiser.  

A photo of Ella taken from the other side of the canal heading down towards the now dismantled Inclined Plane.

Taken from the top of the inclined plane.  The incline was conceived in the late 19th Century to help the important East Midlands to London route (operated at that time by the Grand Junction Canal Company) to compete against the rapidly developing railways. They were steadily taking trade away from the canals and many were struggling to survive. The incline saved a tremendous amount of water and introduced the use of much larger craft. Passing a pair of boats through the lift took just a fraction of the time taken to pass the ten locks; unlike the locks it wouldn’t take any water from a summit level which wasn’t particularly well supplied. Despite this, traffic to the lift just didn’t materialise, and when this was combined with the cost of keeping a head of steam (just in case boats did appear) it became uneconomical.

The inclined plane counter-balanced boat lift had two massive tanks which could each hold two narrow boats or one up to 10 foot wide barge. Once parked inside the tanks the guillotine gates would be closed trapping a tank full of water. Then a huge winding drum powered by a 25hp steam engine reeled in the upward moving tank using a heavy steel cable whilst simultaneously letting out the cable which was attached to a descending tank.

Ella seen through the bridge on her mooring.

7.5 miles, 2hrs 42mins, 0 locks, 1 tunnel

Thursday 11th April - Foxton Top Lock to Market Harborough Union Wharf

A very lovely start to the day so moved on down the canal and put on water before beginning the descent of the Foxton Locks.  

Here is Ella waiting to go into the first of the staircase locks, it is so calm she sat quietly midstream whilst the lock was filling.

Sitting in the first lock, there was a volunteer, but he disappeared so we continued on our own.  There are already people watching, these locks are very popular with walkers and people generally visiting for the day, hope it all goes smoothly!

We have successfully come down the first staircase of five locks and are now starting the second staircase.  The paddles are painted red and white, you operate the red one first and then the white one.  

At the bottom of the locks we turned right to go down the Market Harborough Arm.  Dave went to open the swing bridge whilst I brought the boat round.  By this stage we had acquired quite a lot of people following our progress down the locks and it was lovely to see them wave us on our way.

We cruised gently into Union Wharf and turned the boat around and moored the boat on the first available mooring, very lucky.  We walked into Market Harborough and had a scout around to see what was available.  This was The Old Grammar School founded in 1607 by Robert Smyth, a native of the town who became Comptroller of the City of London's Chamber and member of the Merchant Taylors' Company. He left money for the education of poor children. However, The Old Grammar School was eventually home to fee-paying students, who were the sons of the city’s more wealthy inhabitants. In 1614 this schoolhouse was built, in accordance with Smyth's detailed instructions, on posts in the market place.  The building was used as a school until 1892. The building was designed on stilts to allow local farmers’ wives to use the covered area for their weekly butter market.

6 miles, 3hrs 12 mins, 10 locks, 2 swingbridges

Friday 12th April - Market Harborough 

We have decided to have a rest day in Market Harborough.  Dave went into the town and did a big shop and got a taxi back to the Wharf, so he didn't have to carry the shopping back up the hill.

In the afternoon we went for a walk back along the canal and then back beside the new homes building site.  Some lovely blossom coming out now in the enormous gardens coming down to the waters edge.

The building site on the outskirts of the town, apparently there are 6,000 new homes being built here, I wonder what effect it will have on the town?

Union Wharf where we turned the boat yesterday, the building at the end is an old warehouse now a pub.  The wharf was once a thriving distribution centre for coal, grain and wool.

Saturday 13th April - Market Harborough to Bridge 6 Foxton Stepbridge

A pleasant sunny start to the morning, so we filled up with water and began our way back along the arm towards Foxton.

We were following a day boat with a couple of families on it.  We stayed well back to give them plenty of space as they were letting various members of the group on and off the boat.  

This was Bowden Hall Bridge.  Great Bowden Hall lies the other side of the bridge. Early in the 19c The Britannia Inn was built to serve the canal navvies and waterway workers when the Grand Union canal was opened from Foxton to Market Harborough in 1809. In 1857, Great Bowden Hall was a development and an extension of  The Britannia Inn.

We moored up just past Brdige 6, Stepbridge and spent the afternoon walking into Foxton. 

This is the first of two swingbridges as you approach the junction.  Lots of walkers but no boats passing through. 

We walked up the locks and found two trading boats at the top.  Kat’s Crafty Craft boat where we bought a rolling pin and a new small teapot, upcycled and painted in canal artwork.  At Daisy’s Bakin’ Butty we got some cake and jelly beans!

We called in to Bridge 61 pub for a drink in the garden before walking back along the canal to the boat.

4.5 miles, 2hrs, 0 locks

Sunday 14th April - Foxton Stepbridge No 6 to Bridge 79, High Bridge

An exciting day, we are going to do a stretch of canal we haven’t done before!   We are going along the Leicester Line towards Leicester for a short distance just to see what it is like.

We left our overnight mooring and headed back to Foxton Junction.  At the first swing bridge we came across another boat, nbPriceless, who let us through the bridge and we did the same for them at the next swing bridge.  We were delighted to hear that they were going in the same direction as us so would be keen to share the double locks with us.

Fields of very young lambs, this was just one of the photographs Dave took, we did see a lot of lambs!  All was going really well until we got to the first lock, where there were two boats.  One was a training boat, whose skipper had refused to share the lock with the other boat and told nbPriceless to go ahead of them and he would go down with us.  All good for the first lock, then he announced he wanted his trainees to do the next lock on their own so we had to go on alone.  Then he turned round and went back, and we had to descend the next 4 locks on our own.  Not a good advert for canal etiquette!

Approaching the next lock, waiting whilst Dave reset the lock for us to descend.

We eventually moored on a lovely open stretch of canal, looking across the fields towards Wistow Craft Centre and Wistow Church.  We went for a walk across the fields and found the  Great Glen railway station.  It was built by the Midland Railway in 1857 on its extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin.  Passengers services finished in 1951, while goods services continued until 1962, with it finally closing in 1964. The station houses remain and are occupied by a commercial business.

The first bluebells we have seen this year, just a small collection in a spinney beside the canal.

We then returned to the canal and took a footpath across fields to St Wistan’s Church, dating back to the 12th century.

A beautiful ornate organ, splendid painting on the pipes.  Electricity was connected to the church in 1980 so that the outworn bellows of the hand-pumped Victorian organ could be replaced by a fan. 

Running beside the church grounds is the young River Sence, it mainly flows through private land. However a good stretch, between Wistow Church and Newton Harcourt Manor grounds, has permissive access and is very popular with walkers.  If you follow the river downstream it flows through Englebert Humperdinks garden at Great Glen.

8 miles, 4hrs 54mins, 5 locks, 1 tunnel, 2 swingbridges