The Leicester Line

 

This time last year we did a similar route along this stretch, the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, when it was much busier. We were the only boat going up Watford Locks, whereas last year we were in a huge queue. 

We moored close to Watford Gap services on the M1 and strolled there for our tea one evening. It’s nice to watch the traffic going so very fast.

This time we ventured down the Welford Arm, a narrow almost ditch like stretch, which is a feeder from the reservoir to the mainline's long summit pound. Welford is the highest part on the GU. We moored on the visitor moorings before the basin. We had the BEST ploughman’s lunch we can ever remember at The Wharf Inn, before heading back down the arm to moor on the main line.

This part of Leicestershire is so very pretty, rolling countryside and very few villages, so stocking up with provisions is essential.

Several times we’ve been kept company by kingfishers, who seem to travel a long way with us.

 

The birds in the area seem very hungry and I’ve needed to keep the bird feeder well stocked. We had a nuthatch visit for a whole weekend, it didn’t actually live up to his name & just ate from the seed feeder!! Plus, along with the usual regular assortment of tits we had a green finch too.

 

  

We spent a couple of days on the Foxton visitor mooring, where our friends Maggie & Dick visited. Although we descended Foxton Locks mid week, there were still lots of gongoozlers and helpers to push the lock gates open. There’s an amazing view from the top of the locks. One evening we stood on the viewing platform overlooking the disused incline-plane watching the rabbits, bats as the sunset and then listening to the selection of owl calls.

We moored right outside the modern Foxton Locks Inn, on a 24 hour mooring, where the beer was £1 dearer than at the nice little locals pub, Bridge 61, on the other side of the canal. Easy to guess where we spent the evening and it looked so pretty at night.

 

A few photos of me at Brauston Marina, sitting spinnning with my drop spindle, outside their laundry waiting for the bedding to wash & dry.

Where have all the children gone?

We have been travelling for more then half of the summer holidays, through big towns like Wigan, Leigh, Rugby, & Stoke on Trent and have been struck how few children we’ve see out & about. Our hearts were lifted when we saw these kids in the playground of the tiny primary school in Brinklow!!!!!

We spent the long bank holiday weekend at Weston upon Trent. We had planned to travel on the Friday, but we encountered a long lock queue and decided to call it a day once we were down. We had a lovely hedge to shelter us from the sun as it was very hot. Our friends Colin & Mavis came to visit for the day while we were there.

I sat in the shade spinning as I took part in an ‘average spinning’ competition. I had to time my spinning sessions and submit the total minutes. I’m afraid I wasn’t the average spinner. Once we headed off on Tuesday I hadn’t got my spinning on my wheel completed, so I decided to start a second 100g batch on my ‘Turned on the Cut’ drop spindle. I literally spun every moment, taking the boat down in a lock (once below the cill), while waiting for locks to fill & empty and while we cruised.

 

We strolled along a disused railway line to visit the narrow gauge Amerton Railway. 

Apart from seeing the ugly children at the school and all the other scarecrows, we hiked up the motte & bailey at Brinklow. John also picked lots of apples & blackberries which we stewed.

 

 

It’s been lovely travelling along some new stretches of canal that we’ve not been on. They are all very scenic with rolling countryside, the southern end of the Coventry Canal to Hawksbury Junction and north Oxford Canal. There were an amazing amount of aqueducts through Rugby.

Crew gone home

Lance came to stay for a week, the first time he’s been without his big brother & sister.

We filled up with diesel and got a new gas cylinder at St. Mary’s Marina before heading south and we saw a swallow family in the elsan disposal room.

 

At our second lock on the Rufford Branch there was a queue when we arrived. The swans and their 5 cygnets (that we’ve know since the hatched) nipped into the lock as soon as the gates were open.

 

We were held at Barton Swing Aqueduct, that goes over the Manchester Ship Canal. We were pretty excited as the chap said they were going to open it, but there was a technical hitch and ended up letting us over. We had to do a bit of gardening as the landing was full of stinging nettles and brambles. We picked a good few blackberries.

 

Lance helped John bottle the elderflower wine. It’s much sweeter than previous batches, probably because he used some sultanas too.

 

Lance loved going through Preston Brook Tunnel.

 

Heather came to pick Lance up from Little Leigh. We met at The Leigh Arms pub that’s right on the River Weaver and were treated to watching the Daniel Adamson (Danny) steam boat go through Barton Swing Bridge.

 

The next day John and I did a circular walk along the Trent & Mersey Canal, over the two tunnels & back along the River Weaver. There was a narrow boat descending Saltersford Lock, it looked so tiny in such a huge lock. The lock keeper told us he was preparing the lock as the ‘Danny’ was going back down stream. We just had to watch the Danny.