Easy-peasy through the city (Thursday 6th August)

We had an excellent run down through Leicester today. After the rain overnight the day started a bit gloomy, but it brightened up and it’s a beautiful evening here at Birstall.

Meg and I had a walk around Aylestone Meadows before we left, crossing the old packhorse bridge over the river.


Unfortunately, with the overgrowth, you can’t get to see the side of the bridge.

It’s also very woolly on the main navigation channel, now it’s running in the natural watercourse.

Aylestone Mill Lock was nicely ready for us, a boat had arrived at Kings just as we were ready to go, so I knew the lock would be full. I also knew that the top gates don’t stay shut…

The next down, at St. Mary’s Mill, needed a drop of water in to top it up, but we didn’t have to close up. A group of contractors arrived at the bottom with a pontoon as we emptied the lock.
They’re going upstream to do some bank maintenance work.

The navigation leaves the heavy bankside vegetation as it approaches Freemans Lock, the last before it enters the city.

Freemans Lock, with a large weir alongside.
You can tell how low the river is, very little water is going over.

We struck lucky again here, two boats arrived at the bottom while we were emptying the lock.

A pretty double bowstring bridge carries the towpath over the river as it branches off at the end of the mile straight.

The channel is wholly artificial through the city, passing under several bridges. The oldest is probably Newarke Bridge.

The long straight ends at West Bridge, a couple of gentle bends see the river join then leave the channel, then there’s a sharp right hand bend into the cut again heading for North Lock.

North Lock, definitely canal again!


This canal section continues through Limekiln Lock and only re-enters the river below Belgrave Lock.

Limekiln Lock, the only one today we had to refill.
It was Barbara’s turn, too!

The tall chimney is all that remains of the iconic Wolsey knitwear brand.

Belgrave Lock, our last today as we moored above Birstall Lock

Patient angler

Moored at Birstall

We’ll take a day off here tomorrow.

Locks 6, miles 6½

Ooh, communications blackout and I’m on the naughty step!

I went over my 5Gb data allowance on my Mifi dongle on Thursday night. So I tethered my phone to use it as a wi-fi hotspot, as I’ve done before. Then ran out of data on that too! And then received a text telling me I shouldn’t be using it for tethering without paying an extra £5 a month! Slapped wrist!


Anyway, my new allowance started today, and they also gave me an extra 5Gb for this coming month, doubling my allowance, in advance of a new 15Gb contract starting next month.
So I’m alright to download Windows 10 when they let me know it’s available. That’s 3.5Gb right there…

Oh, the download has started! Pity I’m only on a 3G network not 4G. Still, we’ve got 1.5Gb already. Rockin’!
Windows 10 here we come!

Backdated posts to follow...

Steadily downhill.

The perceived wisdom is that boats shouldn’t stop overnight in Leicester, Kilby Bridge to the south and Birstall to the north are the “safe havens” at either end of the city. In common with most cities these days, though, that idea is outdated. There are secure moorings at Castle Gardens in the city centre, but there are also moorings on the towpath opposite, reportedly used without any trouble. Mags is no longer easily able to cope with the seven or eight hours needed to go through in one go, so we usually stop over at King’s Lock, about at the half-way point.

To get here the canal skirts the outlying villages on Leicester’s fringes, staying mainly rural with just a few patches of housing alongside the canal. Even amongst the open fields, though, the built-up area isn’t far away. 

We pulled over to the wharf to top up the water and empty a loo tank, then headed off to our first lock today.

John and Mags in Kilby Lock

Several of these locks have delicately balanced gates, which tend to swing open. Kilby is one such, and, after two failed attempts to get them to stay put, I left them open.
There was no-one else following us from Kilby Bridge, three boats had already left ahead of us. So it was likely that an upcoming boat would get there first and take advantage of the empty lock, and so it worked out. We met a crew at Double Rail Lock, the next one down.

We had an uneventful trip, steadily working our way down the locks and meeting a few boats coming up. We’d agreed to leap-frog, taking it in turns to go ahead and set the next one while the remaining boat closed up, which worked well.

Heading past Wigston 

We’d been told by C&RT that the pound below Dunns Lock was low. Apparently some local oiks managed to jam a paddle open on Whetstone Lock, the next down, and sent all the water downhill. The waterways guys had been steadily refilling the pound, but it had still not yet recovered to it’s normal levels.

It actually wasn’t bad at all, about a foot down but we’ve negotiated shallower water. Moored boats near Blaby Bridge demonstrated the need to stay in the middle…

It was here that we collected a volunteer lock-keeper, who joined us for the rest of the trip.

Pete walked ahead and set the last four locks for us, making it a very quick second half.

Mags concentrates bringing Seyella out of Gees Lock

Blue Bank Lock, Pete the lockie on the right hand side

We usually stop above Kings Lock for the night, but today dropped down to the moorings below as we were travelling in company.


After closing up behind us Pete joined us for a brew and a bacon butty, it was the least we could do after the help.

The river, after running alongside the navigation for a couple of miles, splits here. One branch joins the navigation channel below the lock, alongside a medieval packhorse bridge. This channel then swings past two mills, presumably built to take advantage of the waterway, before the two unite above Freeman’s Lock. From there we head into the city proper, the river joining and leaving the navigation several times in the next couple of miles. That’s for tomorrow.

Locks 9, miles 5½

A Tale of Two Rivers…

Since leaving Wistow this morning we’ve been following the valley of the River Sence. Rising on the flanks of the 720 foot Life Hill near Billesdon, it’s joined by Billesdon Brook then heads just a little west of south to Wistow where it turns to the west, finally joining the Soar near Blaby. I hadn’t realised till checking out the source of this Soar tributary that there are two River Sences in Leicestershire, this one and another over the other side of town, rising in Charnwood Forest and heading to Atherstone to join the Anker. The latter is much bigger… The name is probably Celtic in origin, “shining”.

We’d acquired a couple of long scratches on the right cabin side, the result of an encounter with an overhanging bush yesterday. But a rub with Carnuba wax before we left this morning polished them out. I’d just finished when John on Clarise came past, so I packed up the gear, started the engine, untied and followed down to Newton Top Lock.

Leaving our mooring just up from Wistow.  

The most popular moorings here look out over Wistow Park, the church being the only survivor of the small settlement here.

Wistow Moorings

Heading south you can choose from two spots along here if there’s space, with a fall-back where we stopped last night. But coming north if there’s no room it’s a fair way till the next opportunity. Unless you want a muddy towpath under trees near Bridge 80.

The first three locks are close together, keeping us busy. Then there’s a longer pound to two more, starting with Bottom Half Mile Lock. (Guess how far it is to Top Half Mile Lock…)

The wind was picking up to nuisance strength by now, and it caught John unawares as we waited for the lock to fill.

Above Bottom Half Mile Lock


To avoid the same problem in the short pound below, the steerers decided to stick together…

… and got in the lock without touching the sides!

At Tythorn Lock our steady progress was temporarily interrupted with a boat coming up. We were just getting into the chamber after they’d moved out when I heard a shout from up the canal and saw the boat across the canal, the chap off the tiller running back and a small black head in the water. I dropped my windlass and ran back, hoping that it wasn’t the small child I’d seen aboard. But it wasn’t, it was a cat called Moggy. It swam across the cut and climbed out among some reeds, meanwhile the boat was reversed and pulled in on the offside where Moggy was coaxed back with a judicious shake of a box of cat treats.
By this time Barbara, bless her, had dropped both boats down and opened the gates. Mags was waiting for me to embark.

Last Lock for the day, Bumblebee Lock

Poor struggling water lilies in the murky, muddy water of the canal

The A5199 crosses the canal on a fairly new concrete bridge, there aren’t many that are wide enough for two boats to pass!

We pulled in beyond the bridge after a steady 3 hours. Tomorrow, after a visit to the services, we’ll be heading into the urban fringe of Leicester, once again sharing locks with Clarise.

Hi Malcolm, yes shame to have missed you. Hope you’re keeping well.

Kevin Too, less of that, my son! Bus pass indeed!

Locks 7, miles 3½

A busy (birth)day…

I got the second and final coat of paint on the right side gunwale yesterday. In answer to Gary’s question, I used Craftmaster undercoat, which seems to have done the job. If I hadn’t liked it I could easily have overcoated with gloss black. Oh, and sorry to disappoint about the bunny…

We missed the blue moon the other night, but last night we had an orange-tinted one, crossed by bands of cloud.


This morning we were on the move at 08:45, yes, I know, that’s early for us! But we were meeting a Tesco delivery at Black Horse Bridge between 9 and 10, and had a half mile of canal and a swing bridge to negotiate first.
We arrived handily at 9, but Tescoman didn’t come till 09:50. Ah well, at least I got the right cabin side washed and leathered off, and the tiller bar brassoed while we waited.

We spent a few minutes putting away the frozen stuff, then, leaving everything else piled in heaps set off down to the junction. It was breezy in the basin, so I’d decided to use the water tap opposite the Foxton Locks Inn rather than the one at the end of the bottom arm, but was beaten to it by a boat coming around the corner. So, after coming through the pedestrian swing bridge we did a 270° turn and pulled into the arm entrance. It’s a shorter distance to the bins and the elsan disposal here anyway.

The junction and basin at the bottom of the locks suddenly got very busy, so when we’d finished, rather than try to turn under power against the gusty wind I took the bow rope and pulled the boat around till we were facing the right way. And then we were off.

Didn’t want to try to turn around amongst this lot!

Mags took over the tiller while I busied myself putting away the shopping, hanging up the washing that we’d done on the way to the junction, and finally making a brew.

A boat goes back in at Debdale Wharf

From the wharf to Saddington Tunnel the canal has been designated an SSSI. Hence vegetation control has to take a back seat to conservation. As does visibility!

It doesn’t improve on the approach to Saddington Tunnel, partially obscured by overhanging bushes.


The bat boxes are still in place in the tunnel, but I’ve yet to see a bat…

But we didn’t meet any boats either, which was good. This is the last of the three tunnels on the Leicester Line. Saddington and Husbands Bosworth are fairly dry, but Crick is notoriously drippy at the north end, especially after rain.

Come on guys, get a room!

Time for a cigarette…

We often stop at Fleckney for groceries but with the delivery this morning there was no need. But I had forgotten those cup-cake cases… Nah.

Around the corner we arrived at Kibworth Top Lock, with the renovated and much extended lock cottage just above.

Kibworth Top
This section of canal, north of Foxton, built in 1797, was the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal, and was intended to link the end of the Leicester Canal with Northampton. From there it would have had access to the sea via the Nene, and a link to the Grand Junction and London up the Northampton Arm. But finances were strained and finally the Grand Junction took over the construction, modifying the route to head straight for Norton Junction. The section to Market Harborough, supposed to be part of the original route, now became a dead end.
The locks on the LNU were built to the same size as those of the Loughborough and Leicester cuts, as they were supposed to carry the same traffic. It’s these broad locks we’ll now have to descend as we head towards Leicester.

The structures were refurbished after 100 years of use…



The locks come fairly regularly now, we passed a couple of Braidbar boats in the pound between Kibworth Middle and Taylors Locks.

Swapping locks

We didn’t do too badly really, meeting boats at most of today’s five locks. We’ve had problems with water levels along here in the past, but today there was plenty of the wet stuff.

Cranes Lock, our last today

Moored not far below Cranes.

We’d been following a boat down, never getting close enough to see them but being told by boats coming up. We passed them moored a little closer to the lock, and a conversation ensued, the upshot of which sees us sharing tomorrow’s locks with John and Barbara, NB Clarice. That’ll make life a little easier.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, by the way. Who’d a thowt it, eh. Fifty-nine. Wow!

Hi Richard, Lynda. Sorry we didn’t get to meet – again! I was going to come round when you arrived but I had some cakes in the oven, then events sort of overtook me! Next time, eh.

Hey Chas, this isn’t work!

Locks 5, miles 7½

Down the locks and a Playboy Bunny on the Harboro’ Arm!

I never tire of the views around the Foxton Locks. The hundred-foot hill that the locks descends looks out over the Leicestershire Wolds, rolling fields of arable crops or grazed by black and white Fresians.

Looking north across the remains of the boat lift 

The top arm to the boat lift was dredged and the stop lock replaced a few years ago. It’s now being rapidly re-adopted by nature.


Looking down the locks

We didn’t want to get stuck in a queue so were waiting above the top lock at 09:15. I went to find the duty lockie and booked in, to be told that we’d just have to wait for two boats coming up the last of the locks and we could go straight down.

Mags in the top lock, Dave, one of two volunteers on today, posing.

I’d left my camera on board, so didn’t take any pics on the way down. Anyway, we rattled down so fast that I didn’t get much time! Top to bottom in 40 minutes! With two lockies on and no-one else in the flight it was a doddle.

Leaving behind the pedestrian swing-bridge next to the bottom arm.
Even this was opened for us by a boater waiting to go up!

We’d decided to head onto the Market Harborough Arm to moor till Monday as it’s quieter with boats and pedestrians than the main line. I wanted to get some paint on…
So we cruised down to the first winding hole, turned around and retraced our course to moor near Bridge 7.

On the Market Harborough Arm

Moored for a couple of days 
 

It took me 2½ hours (and aching shoulders…) to get the right side gunwale hand-flatted, then, after scrubbing and degreasing, I got the first top coat on.

Ready for paint…


…one coat on!
Doesn’t it give you an immense feeling of satisfaction getting that first coat on. The second doesn’t seem to have the same thrill…
I’ve decided to go matt this time, it seems to be the “in thing” at the moment. Anyway it’s easier to touch up. So I didn’t bother to lay-off with a brush, just slapped it on with a roller.
The second coat will go on tomorrow. Then I‘ll be looking for a low bank on the left as we head towards Leicester to do the same to the other side.

Oh yes, the Playboy Bunny. While I was rubbing down the primer she slowly appeared…
Tilt your head to the right… Got it?


Now come on guys, you didn’t really expect a long legged busty maiden in fishnets did you?

Locks 10, miles 2½