Cruise from Glen Parva (Leicester) to Foxton and back.
It was the 21st March and snow fell as we pulled our mooring pins. Now why doesn’t that surprise me. Heading east and then south to Foxton we have a date with a photographer who wants a story on Balmaha and on Sunday we shall collect mother in law for her Mother’s Day cruise back to Leicester.
Pausing at locks to attend to paintwork and clear the chimney gunge from the roof ensured we looked our best but fender cleaning isn’t our forte and lock wall slime turns an interesting colour when it dries on scuffed black rubber.
It’s always an education when passing Bush Lock. The graffiti, floating debris and state of repair change weekly. Just recently someone nicked the racks to lift the top gate paddles.
It’s ground paddle operation only until new style locks are fitted.
Yellow jacket official said there were teething troubles with the new lock design and it may take a couple of weeks before they’re finished.
We stopped for water at the British Waterways depot at Kilby Bridge and checked the state of the pumpout facilities.
BW occupy a large site here with cottages and workshops, all rumoured to be up for sale in the future.
Unfortunately it has a dodgy pump-out card reader. You can waste a good half hour by walking to the pub, buying cards at £6.50 each and taking them back 10 minutes later for refund when the machine refuses to punch them. Make that ¾ of an hour, if the sun is shining straight onto the LCD display as you try to read the instructions.
If there are any doubts about the speed limit on the canal in these parts, we have reminders – it's exactly 6.43kph. We checked our speedo between the white markers painted on the water outside BW's offices and it was spot on.
Young yellow suit (BW fella, no pictures please) had recognised us from the Dunn’s Lock area; he takes an interest in canal weirs. He takes the weeds, branches, bikes and trolleys out of the water and stack them on the canalside so that the local nightlife can throw them back in again. Isn’t that called recycling?
Wish I’d asked him what these new black boxes on the side of the canal are for, last saw one in a film a few years ago except it was bigger, smooth and shiny. Something to do with aliens.
We knew we were nearing the end of winter when we saw the new lambs – ah bless.
Oh dear, there’s another one of these black shiny things at Kibworth Top Lock. A different kind of alien in these parts?
Funny how a locked box makes you curious Couldn’t get any of our keys to fit it.
Just as we settled down to lock-free cruising we hit (almost) Saddington Tunnel going south
and although it’s short (800yds or so), it’s crooked and we have near misses with the tunnel sides everytime we go through.
and the cow on the left asked “Shall I push her in?”
We’ve fallen in love with the Leicestershire countryside but it seems there are other things on Mark’s mind.
There’s an old pub at Foxton called “Foxton Locks Inn” (10 months old)
and now there’s a new one – “Bridge 61” to the right of the old stable block (opened April).
so no excuse for a thirst in these parts.
Of course we didn’t drink, much. We were there to collect mother in law and meet a certain photographer lady. More about that another day.
Called into Foxton Boat Services to buy spares plus oil and filter for the first 250 hour engine service.
Found the van but where is Sam?
Returning to Leicester we couldn’t avoid the remains of a sheep at Kibworth Top Lock.
But just as we completed the farm animals page in our I-Spy book we found another one trying to jam the gates open. Could this be the first signs of sheep flu?
There obviously aren’t enough park benches along the Grand Union, so in these parts you sleep on the balance beams. Or is it a case of “No one is going through this lock until I say so”
Lots of attention at Kilby Lock. Must be something I said because everyone was booing.
28th March - Double Rail Lock – caught my first fish. It fell out of the brickwork as we were dropping in level and landed on the gunwhale. Just about to pick it up and rush off to the local angling club to pay my dues when it flipped overboard into the lock water. Gudgeon I think, absolutely huge, at least 3” long.
Big excitement today. Not just clumps of weed or floating branches, no, complete trees on the cut near Bush Lock. Can't blame the nightlife for this, it's been windy these past few days and completely messed up my steering (as M-in-L can testify, as she was sat in the bow watching the scenery as we careered along).
BW were in good spirits and had almost finished their work by the time we arrived. Pity we had a deadline or would have stopped to help saw the logs to fit our stove.
GOSSIP
My local spy informs me that there are plans to build a new marina on the Glen Parva to Aylestone stretch. With two plans submitted there is a chance of success. Using local gravel pits means most of the work has been done and access from the Blaby bypass should ensure Glen Parva-ites remain undisturbed. My spy also reckons the sell-off at Kilby Bridge is linked to a proposal that BW take on the County Arms as a new operational base. That one seems a bit far fetched but one just never knows. A water point in that area would be most welcome and increased boat traffic through the city wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The next challenge is our first trip to the south coast (well, the Basingstoke canal), stopping at Calcutt to meet nb.Megan and locating nb.Hyperion somewhere on the Warwickshire Ring to share ‘new boat’ stories.