The Long and Winding (Road) River..

We had an enjoyable afternoon yesterday, Dad and Ann came over to see us, and bring some bits and pieces that I’d bought and had sent to their home.

So yesterday evening I set about installing 2x1Gb memory modules in my laptop. One turned out to be faulty, so it’s got to go back.
Then it was time to play with the PDA I’d bought on ebay. Got everything I wanted installed, but Sue had to help me this afternoon to get the GPS bit configured. No excuse for getting lost now!

Another cold, frosty night gave way to a grey, murky morning, with damp in the air. Showers before we set off at 09:00 made hard surfaces slippery, requiring careful footwork on locksides. But as the temperature rose the ice thawed, making it much safer. In fact, the day wasn’t too bad at all. Grey all day, with odd spits of rain, but fairly mild.

and they were true to it’s name. Each lock we came had either gate paddles or gates left open, orWe set off about ½ an hour after a hire boat heading back to Redhill. The boat was Lazydayz, even both. We passed them at Zouch, so at least got past that irritation.

Convoy into Barrow Deep Lock
The broad reach after Barrow upon Soar

Normanton on Soar Church
Seagulls or Treegulls??
A long way down in Kegworth Deep Lock

Redhill Marina, site of next year’s IWA National Festival.
Down the remainder of the Soar and out onto the Trent, the change in direction of the river flow was immediately apparent. Pushing against the flow is a lot harder than going with it!

Going against the flow

Up Sawley Lock, the easy push button operation being welcome after handling the heavy gates of the Soar's broad locks, and then along Sawley cut to moor opposite the marina entrance.

Out of Sawley Locks. Note the traffic light, indicating that it’s safe to use the locks.
This has been the longest day either of the boats has done for quite a while, but we can sit back and relax now, and hope that BW get Derwent Mouth Lock finished as planned for re-opening on Monday.

We wanted to get here, off the rivers, because the weather is turning wet over the weekend and we didn’t relish being stuck with the water rising.

Locks 10, miles 15½

The good weather continues as we plod down the Soar

Yes, another day of blue skies after a sharp frost. We’d better make the most of it though, it’s due to turn wet on Saturday.

I took Meg for a walk around Watermead to Thurmaston, and popped in to see Dave and Dylis (I hope I spelt that right!) at Raynsway. We last saw them, heading north on their boat TRUNDLE, at Swarkestone in September. I didn’t stop long, Dave was involved in sorting out one of the boats in the marina that had sunk overnight!

We were away from Birstall a bit after 11:00 this morning, on to Thurmaston Lock passing dredging operations en route.

Away from Birstall
Dredging near Raynsway Marina entrance.
Just south of Junction Lock we passed another boat coming the other way, the only one seen moving for a couple of days. A 20 minute pause at Cossington Lock while Sue and Vic sawed up some large pieces of firewood, then on through the lock.

Junction Boatyard looks as chaotic as ever
Cossington Lock.
It’s a lovely spot, this, but marred by the proximity of the A6. In fact you can hear the road for most of the next few miles. The river north of Cossington is a lot cleaner, the detritus that floats down from Leicester doesn’t get much further than Junction Lock. There are beautiful broad reaches, bracketed either end by narrow meanders.

Someone’s feeling festive…. Bah, Humbug!
Sileby Lock was a little exciting. With the water levels in the red zone, the flow from the two weirs was fierce. It made leaving the lock a bit tricky. But both boats made it without mishap. Just another 15 minutes saw as at Mountsorrel, where we moored at around 14:00.

We’re staying here tomorrow; Dad and Ann ara coming over with the mail and the bits and pieces I’ve bought on ebay recently. I get to play with my GPS equipped PDA! Exciting or what! (I should get out more….)

I couldn’t find anyone to supply a new LCD screen for my Fuji camera, so I posted it off to Fujifilm to repair this morning. Paying extra to fast-track the repair means I should have it back next week. Here’s hoping…

Locks 4, miles 6

A surprise visitor and a damaged camera. (The two aren't related!)

Another cold night left a thin skin of ice on the canal. But the sun was bright and the day looked promising.

Last evening’s rain had raised the water levels by 3 or 4 inches at the lock. The marker was in the green last night.

I walked down to Aylestone Mill with Meg, and noted that this lock, like Kings, was against us (empty) and the bottom gates left open. So I resigned myself to a harder trip today, having to close the gates before filling the locks would slow us down a bit.

But I reckoned without our surprise visitor. Maggie, who lives in Leicester and moors the family narrowboat NB Forever Young at Crick, is a blog reader, and spotted that we were heading down through the city. So she hopped on her bike, windlass in hand, and volunteered her services for the day.

The assistance was very welcome, with Maggie cycling ahead to set up each lock the cruise through to Belgrave Lock was a breeze.
Here she said goodbye, having set up 6 of the 8 locks passed today. She cycled most of the way, just hitching a lift with Sue and Vic for the 1½ mile section between Freemans Meadow and North Lock.

Through the city. Maggie is on No Problem, we’ve got the bike! Castle Gardens mooring on the right.
Here’s a man on top of his job….

North Lock
IWA Commemorative Plaque at Limekiln Lock
Wolsey Hosiery Mill

Parting company at Belgrave Lock. Thanks Maggie!
A couple of miles of meandering river later and we arrived at Birstall.

Towards Birstall, NP disappearing around the bend.

Birstall Lock.
We moored just below the lock after a very enjoyable 3 hours. That’s a pretty fast run through the city; we couldn’t have done it without assistance.

Moored at Birstall
Went shopping in the village, then spoiled ourselves with fish and chips for tea. Lovely.

I had a bit of bad luck though. Crossing the bottom gates at Kings Lock this morning with my camera in my pocket, I bashed my leg on the paddle gear. I didn’t think anything of it till I got the camera out to use. I’ve succeeded in cracking the LCD screen. Without a conventional viewfinder, it’s almost impossible to use. Fuji UK won’t sell me replacement screen, but will repair the camera for around £60. Hmmm…. I’m now trying to find someone who’ll supply the screen. Maybe I won’t be able to, in which case I’ll have to bite the bullet and send the thing back to Fuji. I just begrudge them doing a job I could quite well myself, if I could get the bits.

Meanwhile it’s back to the trusty old Kodak DX3500 I’ve had for 5 or 6 years.

Just picked this up on my emails from BW….

River Soar in flood

Tuesday 9 December 2008 until further notice

The River Soar is currently in flood and high water levels mean that the river is unsuitable for boats.

Enquiries: 01636 704481

Whoops!

Locks 8, miles 6½

Frozen at Kilby, wet at Aylestone.

Flippin’ ‘eck, it weren’t half cold on Saturday night. Cold enough to leave ½” of ice on the canal! And even the bright sunny day hardly had any impact on it.

Brrr!
Andy and family arrived as planned, and we had a very enjoyable afternoon with them.

A full saloon. Sorry Luke, you’re behind Meg.

New puppy Zac is adorable (aren’t they all at that age), but got put in his place a couple of times by Meg. Mind your manners, youngster!

Andy and Zac
Pete and Lisa arrived on NB Pickles No 2 at around 15:00, having crunched their way through from near Dunns lock. Sue had spotted on their blog that they were heading our way, but we weren’t sure whether they’d move in such cold conditions. Needing water made their minds up for them!

Pickles No 2 turns up.
Although we had another frost last night, it was nothing like as hard as the one before. The temperature started to rise this morning under overcast skies, and we decided to make a move around 11:00.

We visited the water tap and facilities at the depot, then set off to the first lock. No Problem took the lead, as they intend to have the hull blacked in the spring anyway. You’d be surprised how fast ice strips the paint from the bow.

Pete on Pickles No 2
Following “in the groove”

We had an uneventful cruise to Kings Lock, near Aylestone. The ice progressively got thinner as we approached Leicester. Here there are just intermittent patches, now. The forecast was for light rain, but, although it was grey and overcast all day, we made it in the dry. It’s raining now though. That should put paid to any more ice.

What, never seen a boat before?
Moored at Kings Lock
Our plans for getting up onto the Trent and Mersey have taken a bit of a knock. Derwent Mouth Lock, the last (or first, depending on which way you’re going) on the canal is having new gates and the work was planned to be finished on Friday. They must have had problems; re-opening has been put back till Monday. We’ll have an extra couple of days on the Soar, now.

Before we left, Mike from BW rang to ask about the message I’d left on Saturday regarding the sunken tug. I confirmed the location, then he asked where we were. When I said we were at Kilby Bridge, he came out of the depot and waved from the opposite bank! We finished the rest of the conversation shouting across the cut. He went up the canal to check it out, but the contractors who are using the boat had managed to raise it. They’ll have to check the engine out though, there was oil in the water alongside the boat so it must have been flooded.

Locks 8, miles 5.

Another cracking day, onward to Kilby Bridge.

We got another bonus day today. Any day at this time of year without rain (or snow!) is good, to have a day of clear blue skies and bright sunshine has got to be enjoyed. And we did.

I went off with Sue to find a Geocache this morning. She’s well into this sport? Pastime? I’ve never been involved before. Found the cache with the aid of the trusty old GPS, Sue signed the “visitor book” while I had a root through the box to see what folk have left. There’s all sorts, key rings, hallowe’en balloons, a bead necklace…. If ever one of these gets irretrievably lost, I wonder what historians of the future will make of the contents.

We moved away from Wystowe at around 11:00, and had a fine cruise to Kilby Bridge. The 7 locks en route were passed easily. All but one were in our favour, and a couple even had the top gates open, inviting us in.

I tried in vain to get a decent picture of a kingfisher, but a robin, before we left, was much more obliging. Make good Christmas cards, hmm.














We arrived at Kilby Bridge just over 2 hours after setting off. That’s a very fast run. We weren’t rushing though. It’s just that the locks were so helpful.

One disappointing aspect of the afternoon was spotting the BW tug POCHARD, sunk at moorings between locks 26 and 27. Obviously no-one as been to check on it for a while.
I gave BW a call, but it’s a Saturday, so I had to leave a message.

Last lock today, Bumblebee Lock
Arriving at Kilby Bridge
The sunny afternoon was too good to waste, so when Sue suggested a steady 3½ mile walk, Meg and I jumped at the chance. It turned out to be a little longer, with an intentional diversion to look at the 10C St Bartholomew’s church at Foston, and an unintentional one around some sort of factory.

St Bart’s Church, Foston

The most memorable part of the walk was the MUD. Most of the fields we trekked across have been recently sown with winter wheat or what may have been turnips. Even going around the edges was pretty mucky. By the time we crossed one particularly soggy field our boots felt like those lead ones divers used to wear!

Heavy Boots.
Still, a couple of handy streams to cross gave us a chance to get most of it off.

De-mudding

Looking forward to tomorrow. We’re staying here because my brother Andy and his family are coming over to see us. And they’re bringing the latest addition to the household. Zac is a 16 week old labrador. Should be interesting…..

After she ate her tea, Meg disappeared. Found her in the bedroom. I think she’s a bit tired. I didn’t have the heart to shift her, but it looks like I’ll be changing the bedding, though!

Comfortable Meg
Locks 7, miles 3

Departures and Arrivals.........

The best laid plans.. and all that. Sue and Vic were delayed a bit longer at Debdale, but no big deal.
We had another good chat with Mo and Ness on Balmaha. What a beautiful fitout. Very light and airy, even though it has portholes rather than windows. Houdini hatches in the roof help, of course. The detailing on the carpentry is excellent.

They set off yesterday at noon, heading back towards Foxton.

Bye, Bye, Mo and Ness

So we were all on our own for a bit, until another boat turned up and moored behind us. It was Dennis, on NB ROMA. We’d been moored in the same area at Foxton, and exchanged hellos. This time we had a bit more time to chat. He’s been on his boat since 1994!

It was around 11:00 this morning that No Problem arrived, and we set off in convoy to pull in only a mile or so on to make a quick visit to Fleckney, the other side of Saddington Tunnel.

Leaving the tunnel
Then it was away, to our first broad lock since the end of October.

We dropped down through 5 locks in all today, working together and making good time. I was pleased to see that there was water in the pounds on the Kibworth flight. When we came up we had to run water down through the locks to keep Seyella off the bottom.

Pywells Lock
When we came up, the same lock looked like this….
We had a really good afternoon, it’s a psychological boost to be heading off with a destination (however vague!) in mind. The weather was a bit mixed, an odd drop of rain, a glimpse of the sun.

Mags and Sue in Cranes Lock

Mags Posing….
We pulled over opposite the site of Wystowe village, a medieval settlement that has disappeared, apart from the church. It’s a fine view across the canal, but the wind is coming from that direction too. Hey, you can’t have everything.

Locks 5, miles 3¾

Odd jobs at Saddington.

Apart from a trip to Foxton and back, we’ve been here near Saddington since last Thursday. The last few mornings we’ve woken to ice on the canal, but the clear frosty weather has made for good walking, on tracks that would normally be muddy. Meg stays surprisingly clean when it’s frosty!

Ice on the canal
Frozen mud = clean Meg
There’re lots of footpaths around here, and we’re getting to know the surroundings quite well. I only get lost about once a day, now. Across the fields past Smeeton Westerby it’s about 40 minutes to Kibworth Harcourt, with a Post Office and good sized Co-op. Or alternatively a round-about 50 minutes to Fleckney.

Christ Church at Smeeton Westerby
But it’s not all been exploring. I took the opportunity to do an oil and filter change on the engine and gearbox, and to repack the stern gland. This is the seal that prevents water coming in where the propeller shaft goes out. It’s primitive but effective, graphite impregnated woven cord, squeezed into place around the shaft by a stuffing box.

And I removed all the batteries from the compartment, to allow me to tidy it up a bit. Just the 2 good ones went back in, and we ran the electrics from them for 2 or 3 days without any problems.

Yesterday Mo and Ness on Balmaha arrived, heading back towards Foxton and the summit level. They’re stopping a couple of nights, so we had the chance to have a good long chat. We’ve not been able to before, we’ve usually just been able to wave as we’ve passed in opposite directions!

Balmaha as we go to Foxton.
We went to Foxton today primarily to fill and empty tanks as needed, but also to stop at Debdale Wharf on the way back to pick up a couple of replacement batteries. Had a chat with Vic on No Problem; they’re still there, partway through having a complete revamp of their battery and charging set-up.

Feeding the Foxton Ducks.
It was an enjoyable trip, cold first thing but the sun soon making inroads into the ice on the canal. It was mostly thawed by the time we got off, just some odd patches that remained in shadow.

Still a bit of ice in places…
But beautiful blue skies.
Through Pat’s Bridge.
The low sun highlights topographical features, like evidence of Feudal Ridge and Furrow farming techniques.
All being well, No Problem will be joining us tomorrow. Then we’ll set off north, sharing the broad locks up through Leicester and on to the Trent.

Locks 0, miles 6