We made it! - onto the Trent and Mersey Canal

We awoke this morning to brilliant sunshine which was a bit of surprise considering the forecast last night.  Checking the flood gauge below the lock we realised, after all the heavy rain during the night, the river had risen 6 to 8 inches and was well into the amber. Anyway, we set off with the flow and were soon up to an impressive speed.

On the approach to Kegworth Deep Lock we managed to turn the corner and not land up in front of this very impressive house .
After leaving Kegworth Deep Lock the flood gauge had risen into the red telling us the River Soar was now in flood.   A quick call to British Waterways in Newark confirmed this.  They also very kindly checked the conditions for us on the River Trent and they quickly rang back to confirm that, even though the River Trent was high, it wasn’t expected to go into flood until Saturday which meant we could get through to the Trent and Mersey Canal fairly safely.

Leaving Ratcliffe Lock we came across this BW crane barge which had keeled over onto it’s side and taken the adjacent pontoon with it.

The large expanse of water which makes up the meeting place of the Rivers Soar and Trent, the Erewash canal and the Cranfleet cut to Nottingham.

‘Chance’ in one of the duplicated Sawley Locks.  They are mechanised so Doug had a rest from paddle winding and gate opening!

Approaching the attractive village of Shardlow with very threatening skies.
A few miles further on we were delighted to come across the people on nb ‘Muriel’ who told us that they read our blog and who very kindly asked how Oscar was doing.  It’s really nice to meet people who take the trouble to read about us.  

Doug looking satisfied with his work.

This is our mooring this evening just outside Swarkestone and we’re being rained on very hard.  Having said that, we’ve had a remarkably good day weather wise with only a couple of short heavy showers.  As we finish this blog we’re in the middle of a thunderstorm but thankful were back onto canals! 

It’s surprising where you can get to.

This morning Mark from MGM very kindly took James to Leicester Royal Infirmary for his weekly blood test while Doug went to Asda at Thurmaston for a “big” shop.  After all these domesticities were out of the way Mark trimmed the bathroom door which had swelled a bit.  A quick fill with water and shopping stowed away we were on our way at 1:15.

Due to the impending very wet weather, which is promised this week, we want to get off the Rivers Soar and Trent and onto the Trent and Mersey Canal for safety’s sake. So this afternoon we got 4 hours of cruising under our belts and have moored up above Zouch Lock.

Here are some pics. taken today:

A very nice development of imposing houses around a small marina  (probably for their private use) just outside Mountsorrel.

Approaching Barrow upon Soar we came across some very nice properties on the riverside.  This one has it’s own castellated defences and cannons poking through the wall!

Further along - these people could go into competition with Kew Gardens.

This is Barrow Deep Lock – without the water.  We had an impromptu photo shoot here with a very keen cameraman on the bridge.

At Loughborough these bottom gates of the lock didn’t hold in much water for us and it took quite a time to fill the lock.

Out from the canalised section of water through Loughborough and we were back onto the River Soar proper -wide and deep water in which we …………

let ‘Chance’ of the leash!

Just before Zouch (and our mooring for the night) we passed by the rather elegant river frontage properties of Normanton-on-Soar:

Doug would like this one.

And this one is more up James’ street!

If we don’t get too much rain tonight and the rivers don’t go into flood we hope to make it on to the Trent and Mersey Canal tomorrow!

A Long Day through Leicester

We had a very long day (for us) today.  We started from our overnight mooring at Kilby Bridge and, 17 locks later, ended at our boat builders, MGM, at Thurmaston on the River Soar.  Luckily, we’d agreed to team up with Roger and Maureen on nb ‘Ramyshome’ - and a winning combination it proved.  Doug took to his bike and went ahead to set the locks while Maureen tirelessly opened and closed gates and paddles (some of them really heavy). Roger and James just steered the boats! Rather frustratingly, nearly all the 17 locks today were left with their bottom gates open and paddles raised by the boat ahead of us. Very poor form.

‘Chance’ and ‘Ramyshome’ at King’s Lock just on the outskirts of Leicester – very pretty.

‘Chance’ and ‘Ramyshome’  at St. Mary’s Mill Lock – not so pretty.

Approaching Freeman’s Meadow Lock with its very large weir on the right.  The large construction on the extreme right is Leicester City Football Club.

‘Ramyshome’ and ‘Chance’ starting the “Mile Straight” through the centre of Leicester.

At North Lock on “Frog Island” we watched a professional graffiti artist at work.

Lime Kiln Lock was interesting. Due to water leaking out of the lock faster than it was going in it took an army of British Waterways men to help us open the gate! We were lucky to find them there at the time, anyone wanting to use this lock will find it impossible to open it on their own and need to call British Waterways, in order to get through we are told, it is hopefully being repaired next week?

We have to mention that the pound between Lime Kiln Lock and Belgrave Lock was the worst we’ve ever experienced.  It was a mass of black, stinking sludge with both floating and submerged debris.  We proceeded very slowly and, miraculously, neither boat got anything caught in the prop.

Safely tied up on our overnight mooring at MGM boats.  We’ve got one small job that their going to help us with tomorrow.  Also, James has to go for a blood test in Leicester and after that we will then be on our way.

Market Harborough to Kilby Bridge

Yesterday(Monday) we awoke to fairly heavy rain, which kept up for most of the day.  We were invited for coffee and cake on nb Eleventh Heaven– and superb cake it was too – thank you Les and Chris.


James, Les, Bill, Eileen and Chris (after all the cake had been eaten)

Around 11:30am we left the Wharf at Market Harborough to make our way towards Leicester.   We waved our farewells to nb’s ‘Eleventh Heaven’ and ‘New Dawn’ – a brilliant, quality time we had with them on Sunday evening / Monday morning – thanks again guys!

We stopped at Debdale Wharf for fuel and after that we soon came upon Saddington Tunnel.  There was more room than the picture appears to give but this Leicester Section needs some attention soon.  We moored for the night just before the start of the locks at bridge 74.

Leaving at 10am this morning the weather was much better. Dry all day with even the odd spot of sunshine, we had 12 locks which would take us down to Kilby Bridge.  Doug got out his trusty, rusty foldaway bike for the day to make the job a bit easier.  The second lock is rather romantically called Gas Pipe Lock. I wonder why?

You just can’t get the crew these days!

Following hard on the heals of the wonderful Hawthorn blossom this year are the yellow water iris. Dotted in large clumps along the canal they present a real treat.

Quite a few of the lock gates would not open wide enough to get out through one gate but this one was the worst.  In each case it was something under the gate and not debris floating behind it.

Lunch in the lock.  We weren’t holding anyone up as there was no one around – we felt quite lonely today.

The Leicester section of the canal system was closed due to lack of water about a month ago!  Today it was flowing over the top of the gates.
We arrived at Kilby Bridge about 2:30’sh to find the moorings virtually deserted.  We moored up and took a walk into Wigston (about 2 miles to the town centre).  On our return Maureen and Roger on nb ‘Ramyshome’  had moored up behind us. We’d caught up with them in Market Harborough and agreed to team up with each other to travel through the Leicester locks tomorrow.

Staying in Market Harborough

Yesterday (Sunday) we had planned to leave Market Harborough but, as we received a text from Chris and Les on nb Eleventh Heaven saying that they were making their way to Market Harborough today with Bill and Eileen on nb New Dawn, we decided to stay put and meet up with them.

We went into town in the morning to get a paper and some shopping and spent the afternoon doing a few jobs on the boat and enjoying a rare bit of sunshine sitting on the bow (or at least Oscar did!)

Oscar enjoying the good weather.

We had a call at 2pm to say they were coming down the locks at Foxton, which was teeming with gongoozlers, so we expected them at 4.00pm -  and, as planned, they arrived spot on time…….

Arrival of nb Eleventh Heaven (Braidbars’ show boat at Crick this year)

Arrival of nb New Dawn

Soon we were all sitting on the moorings catching up with wine, nibbles and dips before heading off to the Waterside restaurant for dinner.

The very friendly people at The Waterside Restaurant were perfect hosts and we enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal.  Certainly recommended if your visiting Market Harborough.

Bill, Les, Eileen, Doug, James and Chris.

Afterwards we went back to ‘Chance’ for coffee, port and sloe gin with chocolates kindly donated by Les and Chris as James had eaten all the chocolate on ‘Chance’!

We awoke this morning to heavy rain.  Thought we’d show a picture of an MGM “sandwich”-  made with very good quality Braidbar “bread”.

Stop press:  Oscar has just  fallen off the back of the boat into six feet of water!  Doug managed to pull him (although thought he was never going to come back up!) out with the help of a lady who was walking past. He’s fine (tail still wagging) – he’d have got very wet anyway with the amount of rain we’re having this morning.

We are all meeting on nb Eleventh Heaven for coffee and cake at 10.30am before we finally leave and set off towards Kilby Bridge in the rain!

Busy Saturday

It was all clearing and catching up today. Doug got the washing / ironing and the inside of the boat cleaned up while James swabbed the front and rear decks, checked the engine over and tightened the stern gland.  Then it was off to town to do some shopping.  Market Harborough is a great little town – the shops are good and some of the lovely buildings hark back to the Victorian and beyond (notwithstanding some grotesque 1970’s offerings, thankfully not really in the town centre).

The superb old Grammar School, dating from 1614, sits proudly in the town centre.

In the high street there is the best hardware and kitchen shop we’ve ever seen.  It’s packed to the gunwales with everything you think of and it reminded us of a sketch out of  “The Two Ronnies”! 

We had to take our rucksacks off to get in the place to start with and only one of us went in at a time as there was hardly any room for customers.  James wanted a new deck brush and the gentleman disappeared into the back of the shop for ages.  Eventually he came back with the perfect deck brush (priced at £6.95 it was a bargain).

There aren’t many of these shops left.

Definitely worth a visit if you’re in Market Harborough.

Evening in Union Wharf – all ‘ship shape’, and after all the hustle and bustle of the day…….

……..time to sit down with a glass of wine and do some Sudoku.

Arriving in Market Harborough

What should have been a bad day weather wise has turned out to be OK.   It has been very gusty at times and the odd shower but nothing too extreme.  We left our mooring by the Welford Arm having read that we’d mooring directly on the viaduct over the infant River Avon so before we left - a photo was in order:-

In a couple of hours we were at the Foxton flight of locks.  There were so few boats around we went straight into the top lock on our arrival. No queue!

‘Chance’ in the top lock with a fabulous view over the surrounding countryside.   The lock flight is in two lots of five staircases.  Going from one lock straight into the next gives the impression that your going over the edge……

Boaters’ eye view on the top staircase.

‘Chance’ in the bottom lock of the top staircase. There were more gongoozlers than boats by a long chalk.

Starting the lower staircase – there is a small pound of water here half way down the flight.  Still wonderful views to be had.

Out of the lock flight and turning right down the Market Harborough Arm.  A very dull day – can’t believe it’s June.  We were feeling quite lonely due to so few people and boats.

The 5 miles (or so) of the Market Harborough Arm was very quiet cruising, with only two hire boats coming the other way.  The wind was stronger on this section as it is generally more open than the previous stretch between Welford and Foxton.  The approach to the town is very pleasant with some nice properties to look at.

We’re now moored up safely in Union Wharf but being buffeted by high winds.  We’ve booked in for two nights and, as we now have shore power, we’re going to catch up on nearly two weeks of washing!

We have very nice neighbours again.