Tuesday 23rd September
Barrow to Junction Lock
Moored at
Barrow-upon-Soar
Navigation Inn,
Barrow
Our first port of call this morning was the sanitary station
5 minutes upstream, where we performed the necessary tasks. There seem to be permanent moorings right
outside the facility, which makes tying alongside a bit of a challenge. Our hose only just reached. We nearly had to
use the new one, which is still in its box!
Dutch houses at
Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel Lock
Mountsorrel Lock was in our favour. There are moorings above this lock, but the
A6 is very near, so we have never stopped to visit the place. There are a few
pubs, shops and churches, so maybe next time.
We paused just below Sileby Lock and went across to visit
the chandlery. We had lunch on board.
Sileby Mill
When we were ready to leave, a boat was coming down in the
lock and a cruiser appeared behind us, so we shared the lock with the
cruiser. We also shared Cossington Lock
with them, but they moored before Junction Lock, on a high bit of piling. This
looked difficult to get on or off, so we carried on through the lock and moored
above it, where there are rings and piling.
New since last time was an “upgraded” towpath which was now
smooth tarmac, and formed part of a Sustrans cycle route into Leicester. The bikes were going at speed and Hugo was
rushing back on board from time to time.
The bikes eased off when it got dark, but at about 1030pm
there was an awful noise of a fight from the stern of the boat, with Hugo
yelling at the top of his voice. We
couldn’t open the side doors to look because the piling was too high. Hazel put the light on for the back deck, and
opened the door. Hugo rushed in, but his assailant had gone. On the floor there was a lot of grey fur, as
well as some reddish fur, and we think it was a fox. Hugo was limping badly with a lame right hind foot. He wouldn’t
let us go near him and swore at us if we got too close.
We locked his flap and kept him in for the rest of the
night.
4 locks, 5 miles. 2hr55
Wednesday 24th September
Junction Lock to Birstall
Hugo was still limping this morning and would not let us
look at his foot, so we decided to take him to a vet.
We checked with another boat moored a few boat lengths away,
but they do not have any animals on board. As we were half a mile from the
nearest dwelling, we were even more convinced that it was a fox. What we need is one of those trail cameras
they use on Springwatch.
River Wreake junction
We set off past the junction with the River Wreake, where
there was a new footbridge (Sustrans), and past the Hope and Anchor, where we
had had a meal last year on our way to Newark by car. Then came the Watermead
Country Park, which would be a good mooring next time, followed by Thurmaston
Lock.
Thurmaston Lock
We moored just above Birstall Lock, and made an appointment
with the vet for tomorrow at 1115. (No spaces today) We went to explore the
shopping possibilities. We found the
vet at the top of the hill, a bit too far to carry the cat. We booked a taxi for 1100 at the White
Horse, a few yards from the boat.
Back on board we had a very peaceful night.
Moored at Birstall
1 lock, 3 miles, 1hr15
Thursday 25th September
Birstall to Leicester Abbey Gardens
We visited the Co-op for some essentials, and returned to
the boat.
We put Hugo in his carrying cage and went to the White Horse
pub to rendezvous with the taxi at 11am.
At the vets, Hugo had a pain killer injection and another with an
antibiotic. We were supplied with pills
to continue his course of antibiotics. We also bought some treatments for fleas
and worms. Expensive cat! Very good service and pleasant staff.
We left straight away, continuing our journey south into
Leicester. As we went through Birstall Lock we discovered that there is a
nature reserve right there where we could have gone for a walk.
Belgrave Lock and
National Space Centre
We passed the National Space Centre (must visit one day) and
Belgrave Lock. At Limekiln Lock there were a dozen guys drinking beer and
speaking Urdu. There was considerable
leakage from the bottom gates, so it was difficult to get the top gates open.
One of the chaps came to help push the beam, but it needed Hazel to nudge the
gate with the boat to get it open.
At North Lock we met a Christian guy who works for a local
charity.
We were wondering whether there would be space for us on the
pontoon at Castle Gardens, as it has been crowded in the past. When we arrived,
we were the only boat, so we had it to ourselves.
James went to great lengths to put our plank out as a ramp
up to a dustbin, where Hugo could get onto the wall and into the park. Hugo showed his independence by finding
another way up, involving a five-foot leap. His leg must be improving!
In the evening we took our instruments round to the Black
Horse, where there was a singaround session. We sang Banks of the Ohio, Well Well Well, Waterloo Road, and
Long Way Down. There was a group of
people at one end of the room who were not there for the music, and they made a
lot of noise. It made it impossible to sing anything quiet. It was a great evening, with friendly
people.
4 locks, 4 miles, 2hr00
Friday 26th September
Leicester Abbey Gardens to South Wigston
The first job was to get an antibiotic pill inside
Hugo. We ground it up and mixed it with
his food. He had about half of it before retiring to bed.
Anabel came by bus to meet us at our mooring, and join us
for the day’s cruise to South Wigston, where she lives.
The journey south from Leicester begins with the mile
straight, where there are several ornamental bridges and fine buildings,
including one called Soar Point. The straight ends with a slight bend and a
large lock, alongside a wide weir.
Freeman’s Meadow Lock
The weir alongside
There follows a series of locks, with river sections and
canal sections, and one or two mills. We spotted an Aldi alongside the canal
above Aylestone Mill Lock.
St Mary’s Mill Lock
At Kings Lock, we spoke to the proprietor of King’s Lock Tea
Rooms, based in the lock cottage. It seems that mooring here is safe and it
looks OK. They also have an occasional music session on a Sunday afternoon, and
the teas look good. Next time?
The navigation goes through some quite rural areas, although
the housing estates are not far away.
After 9 locks we arrived at a picnic site with bollards, just before
Crow Mills Bridge 92, which is close to where Anabel lives.
Hazel and Anabel
Anabel and James
We had noticed an entry for Life Church at Wigston Magna in
our BCF directory, with a suggestion that we call them for lift from Kilby
Bridge, as they were two miles away. James tried to call, and he left a message
on an answering machine. Being Friday
afternoon, it was possible that their office was closed.
Anabel kindly offered to take us if we couldn’t get hold of
someone at the church. She left us to walk home, and we moved on a further two
locks and found a peaceful mooring above lock 31.
We managed to get another pill into Hugo. His limp was a lot less today.
We sent a message to Life Church via their website.
11 locks, 7 miles, 4hr25
Saturday 27th September
Above lock 31
We had a relaxing day doing one or two jobs. James cut the
bow well mat in half, as, up until then, it had been difficult to lift up. It was
then much easier to remove both halves, and sweep the deck, before removing the
cover to the bow thruster, and moving a few of the ballast bricks from port to
starboard.
He also had a go at sanding some of the paintwork knocks and
scratches, and applying some rust beater.
It was very quiet on the waterway: only one boat went past
all day.
Then he wrote a long letter to the BCF committee with some
suggestions about the membership directory.
As we hadn’t heard from Life Church, we phoned Anabel who
said she would come with us tomorrow. She would meet us on Kilby Bridge at
10.00am.
Later on we had a phone call from Matt, a member at the
church, who said he could give us a lift.
Having made the arrangement with Anabel, we said we would go with her
after all.
No boating today
Sunday 28th September
South Wigston Lock 31 to Kilby Bridge Bumblebee Lock 29
After a very peaceful day we set off for Kilby Bridge, one
lock and half a mile away. We stopped
first at the sanitary station to take on water, empty cassettes and dispose of
rubbish. Then we crossed to the towpath side to moor up on the bollards.
At ten o’clock we met Anabel as arranged by the bridge, and
noticed that some slurry lorries had been past, and some of the contents had
slopped over onto the bridge, causing a very ripe smell to pervade the area.
We went two miles in her car to Life Church in Wigston
Magna, where we had a warm welcome, with many people coming to say hello. The
worship group were very good, with drummer, keyboard, guitar, bass, and three
lady singers. The lady leading the service was very warm and sensitive, and was
good at explaining things, for example when someone spoke in tongues and there
was an interpretation. We shared bread and wine, and the preacher spoke about
the woman from Samaria, and how Jesus broke several taboos when he spoke to
her. This was followed by four
baptisms. There seemed to be lots going
on at this church, with events for older people, a youth group, and lots of
children for their Sunday School.
Life Church worship
group
Pastor Phil Buckley
bringing the word
Baptism
After the service
Anabel declined the suggestion of a pub lunch, as she wasn’t
feeling very well. She took us via Aldi
for some provisions and then delivered us to the Navigation at Kilby Bridge. We
said our farewells, and had a set price 3-course meal – excellent value with
good-sized platefuls.
Wharf crane at Kilby
Bridge
We slept it off in the afternoon back on board. Later on, we decided that the country smell
was too much, so we set off for a short cruise to find somewhere quieter and a
little less aromatic. We moored above
Bumblebee Lock on some convenient piling.
Bridge reflection
Peaceful mooring
