Meg visits the vet, and we all get wet.

Well, the day started well. A sharp overnight frost, but clear sunny skies. Not to last though. By noon the clouds had rolled in, the wind had picked up and it started to rain.
But first of all I took Meg up to Borrajo’s the vet in Birstall. Checked over and with boosters injected, she’s OK for another year. And she was really good, didn’t bother at all.

Yesterday afternoon a boat arrived at Birstall and moored a bit in front of us. I had a chat with the owners this morning, Gary, Donna and daughters Katy and Gemma are on a maiden voyage with NB Silhouette, from the builders (MCC) at Stenson to their home mooring at Tamworth. We agreed to travel together to share the locks (and the work), hoping that we’d get to Kilby Bridge by the end of the day.

But we were off a little later than ideal, at 10:40. We still made good time, even though most of the locks were against us, but with the weather closing in Kilby Bridge was not viable. So we decided to stop just above Gee’s Lock.

Leaving Birstall
Soar Valley Canoe Club HQ at Loughborough Road. I’ve paddled a few canoes from here as well…
Approaching Belgrave Lock, with the National Space Centre looking like an oversized chrysalis on the right. That’s going to be a mighty big moth…..

Castle Gardens secure moorings full up.
Freemans Lock and weir, with Leicester City Football Club to the right.

The trip through Leicester was uneventful apart from motoring through an oil slick between Lime Kiln and North Locks. I’d already been alerted to it by a chap on the towpath, and when we got there decided it was bad enough to warrant a call to BW. It appeared to be coming from a culvert under the road just below North Lock. Lee from the Environment Agency called later in the day for some more information, and promised to look into it. Apparently it’s not the first time, someone in one of the garage businesses in the Frog Island area is being careless (or criminal!).

I wouldn’t want to cruise this section when the river is high. There are a few large weirs that have minimal protection for boats.
Wet and cold, we arrived at Gee’s Lock just after 3:30, and tied up on the end of the lock landing. That’ll do for today, thankyou. I hope the weather is kinder tomorrow!

Gee’s Lock. Done for the day.

Locks 10. YES, 10! Miles 7¾