Into Loughborough.

We had lunch with my folks in The Waterside yesterday. We enjoyed it; a pretty standard menu, but the food was plentiful and well presented. The puddings were good, too…

Later, brother Andy and nephew Luke arrived, bearing half-a-dozen bags of logs, so they were very welcome. Andy also brought a half-inch allen key so I could unscrew the valve fittings from the bottom of that radiator with the hole in it. After a few beers and a good chat he obligingly took the radiator away. He runs a fabrication business so it’ll go in his scrap metal skip.

All in all a very good day.

This morning we left the moorings above Mountsorrel Lock, dropping down the lock and following the river to Barrow.

The backwater weir bringing in the river below Mountsorrel Lock 

Between the two villages an eviction was taking place. A group of “travellers” had set themselves up in a field alongside the river recently. Apparently horses wandering on the main road alongside have been a concern, so the decision was made to move them on.

Police watching as the trespassers move out…

Just the cleaning up by the farmer/landowner now, including what looks like an abandoned caravan!
Not your average diddycoys, these. Some pretty fancy motors, there!

Heading towards Barrow upon Soar 

We pulled up at the services at Barrow Boating to fill and empty, chatting to Alex and the couple off NB Manderley while we were waiting. Then we toddled along Barrow lock cut, dropped down the lock and back out onto the river.

Pleased to see the 48 Hour moorings above the weir have been reinstated.

Service wharf at Barrow Boating. The Canaltime boat moored there moved off just as we arrived.

Barrow Deep Lock, complete with traffic light advising of river conditions!

Rejoining the river under Barrow Road Bridge. The river has made a long loop out to the west, almost to Quorn.

Another fine stretch of river, the last for a bit as we join the cut through Loughborough at Pillings Flood Lock.

Pillings Flood Lock, open both ends at this time of year

Pillings Lock Marina has had some financial difficulties recently, and it looks like they’re losing moorers, too which won’t help the cash-flow.

Spaces in the marina

Watched by a heron’s beady eye….

We followed the cut through Loughborough, mooring just before Chain Bridge.

I made a trip to B&Q, just the other side of the road, and managed to find a replacement radiator, same size, same pattern as the one I took off. Some antifreeze to top up the header tank once I’ve got it fitted and two gallons of cheap engine oil completed the first leg of shopping. After dropping that off I returned over the road to pick up some groceries from the handy Aldi.

Someone’s been busy with a paintbrush on Chain Bridge…
At first I thought it might be Latin, but Google Translate put me right. It’s Romanian, “I love 10 metres above Heaven” whatever that means… It must be significant to someone.
I'm glad to see that our European migrants are adopting our own cultural practices!

Locks 2, miles 6