Three villages and an autumnal feel

We moved from Sileby to Mountsorrel on Friday, luckily able to slot into the one remaining gap on the moorings near The Waterside Inn.

It was cool, damp and overcast, definitely an autumnal feel to the air, so Mags convinced me that I should light the fire. It gave me a chance to christen the new chimney..

Well, it shifts the smoke, anyway!

We’d planned “a bit of a do” in The Waterside on Friday evening which is why it was important that we got moored here. A really good night, a brothers and sisters gathering with additional nieces, nephews and partners thrown in for good measure.

A formidable looking bunch, aren’t they.

I’m afraid to say that I enjoyed myself a little too much, and was a little fragile on Saturday…

We stayed put over the rest of the weekend, catching up with jobs aboard, and Meg and I having a mooch around the village.

The name of the settlement has two possible origins; derived from Mount Soar Hill, as the village lies on the river beneath the granite outcrop of Castle Hill, or a Norman source, from the time of the conquest. Hugh Lupus, nephew of William the Conqueror was awarded the site overlooking the river for services rendered, and built a castle here with commanding views over the surrounding countryside. The tenancy of the castle was later given to Robert le Bossu, Earl of Leicester in 1151, who was Henry II’s Chief Justice of the Peace. It’s likely he would have known the village of Montsoreau, in North-West France overlooking the Loire Valley, a similar geographical location to our Mountsorrel.

The castle was short-lived, however, being demolished in 1217, just over 200 years after construction. It found itself on the wrong side during civil war against King Stephen, and was destroyed as a consequence.

The castle site, only the earthworks remain

The village gained steadily in prosperity following the granting of a Market Charter in 1292, and by the 18th century was an important trading centre for rural products.Glove making was also a thriving business.

As part of the agreement to hold a market, the village was also allowed an annual fair “on the eve and morrow of St John the Baptist and 5 days after”. During this period any unlicensed house could dispense alcohol free of duty. I bet there were some good hangovers…

The market fell into disuse, and the right to hold the fair (and the disorder caused by the unregulated drinking) was rescinded in the late 19thC.

Mountsorrel Market Place, with the Butter Market.

This dates from 1793, built by the then Lord of the Manor Sir John Devers, who purloined the 15thC Market Cross, moving it to his estate at Swithland Hall.

A replica of the original stands at the junction of Loughborough Road and Sileby Road.

There's another monument along the ridge of Castle Hill, a memorial to those lost during The Great War.

It’s built from blocks of the local granite, and there’s a bronze plaque which encourages visitors to refrain from “sitting, standing or lounging”

A shame, because the views from up here are impressive…

Quarrying became an important industry in the sixteen-hundreds, and grew rapidly to provide the burgeoning towns with kerbs and setts of the hard pink granite from which the ridge above the village is formed. It still forms a major part of the area’s economy, and the extensive Buddon Wood Quarry, producing crushed granite for roadstone, is the largest of it’s kind in Europe.

Mountsorrel Granite

Old and new…

Cottages on The Green

The Grapes on Leicester Road used to be a coaching inn

 

Back to the boat past Soar Valley Boatyard

The boatyard opened after WWII, on the site of a woodyard on the weir stream around the lock. Originally repairing and building wooden leisure craft, it’s now mainly permanent moorings.

We left this morning after a lazy start, down the lock and off towards Barrow upon Soar.

Mountsorrel Lock and The Waterside, venue for Friday’s jollities 

The weir stream below the lock

Below the 1860 Bridge there’s a new housing development complete with a small marina grandly named Mountsorrel Staithe.

Not sure about the Dutch gables….

A few years ago there were places on the Soar where the coots and moorhens could walk across the river on the Floating Pennywort. An intensive clean-up operation has removed most of this invasive species, but there are still isolated patches remaining.

We watered up at Barrow Boating but the Elsan disposal was bunged up, so that’ll have to wait. A call to C&RT confirmed that they were aware and someone was on the way, so I‘ll check the situation tomorrow and maybe break out the poo tank trolley.

We’re moored on Barrow Cut, between Barrow Boating and Barrow Deep Lock. I was just setting up the satellite dish and a familiar boat came into view. Familiar only from blog post pictures, we’ve only seen NB Chance once, in passing, up at Willington.

Doug and James pulled in a little further up and joined us for a cup of tea and a chat.

Doug and James and the fine NB Chance 

Great to finally meet you two, hope you didn’t get too wet later in the afternoon. We’ll make sure to catch up properly later in the month.

Our final visitors this afternoon were our Sue and husband Trev, come to say goodbye before heading south to pick up their flight back to NZ. It’s been great to see you, have a good trip back, see you in another couple of years.

Locks 1, miles 2

Cobwebs and Carpentry

The day started really foggy up here, much like the A249 in Kent. It’s amazing that no-one there was killed.

A bit quieter up here…

With the moisture in the air the work of the local spiders was readily seen.


Remarkable little beasties, aren’t they.

Late morning we had NB Windsong head down the lock, Roger and Pip’s fine boat was built by Beacon Boats, and the company is having a gathering in Barrow upon Soar this weekend.

Roger and Pip

You wouldn’t have thought they’d be shy, would you! Have a good weekend, folks.

I got stuck into converting a stack of decking boards into a winter platform for coal and wood, and was all done by just after 2 o’clock.

What do you think?
I’ll be able to get 10 bags of smokeless on there, and it’ll double as a sun deck in the summer!

The chair I picked up from the Candlestick Factory at the mill, part of a load of second-hand stuff they were getting rid of. He wanted £3 for it but I knocked him down to £2…..
It’ll be handy for Mags when she wants to spend time with me on the back while we’re cruising. She’ll be able to take the weight off and still see out.

Locks 0, miles 0

Loughborough shopping, Sileby chilling.

Yesterday we left our quiet mooring near Sutton Bonnington, heading for the throbbing metropolis that is Loughborough.
Another fine start with wall-to-wall blue skies, which gave way to broken cloud in the afternoon.
We didn’t have the opportunity to share the first two locks today, but did pick up a partner for the last one, Loughborough Lock.

Fine cruising to Zouch (Zoch!)

Leaving Zouch Cut
The flood control weir with an automatic rotary gate is on the left, the reeds obscuring part of the road bridge mark the position of the conventional weir carrying the river around the lock.

The river and St. James Church, Normanton on Soar

The river takes a tortuous route around to the east of Loughborough, passing through Stamford on Soar and Cotes. The canal through the town starts just below Bishop Meadow Lock and runs for 4¼ miles before rejoining the river at Pillings Lock.

Bishop Meadow Lock

Moored just beyond Chain Bridge

Loughborough is handy for shopping, mooring on the wharf gives good access to the town centre, while here there’s B&Q and Aldi just across the road the other side of the trees on the right.

And it was B&Q that I wanted….

Eight lengths of pressure-treated decking will make a 2x1 metre platform for coal and wood.

I can’t go back there now. I was looking at the timber when this old guy in an apron came up and said “Do you want decking?”
I got in first….
You must have heard that one, eh.

This morning we set off back out into the country, passing warehouses and factories built when the canal was opened in 1794.

Must be cracking views from the loft apartments.

Millers Bridge, at the edge of the town, has good moorings, although the narrow towpath can be busy with walkers and cyclists. But you wouldn’t want to be moored behind this chap when he starts up his donk….
It had eased a bit by the time we went past.

Still on the artificial cut, the brick-arched bridge is a dead giveaway.

Back on to the river above Pillings Lock
More flood control weirs on the right.

A fine wide reach leads to Barrow upon Soar and the potentially awkward Barrow Bridge.

Looking towards Barrow
I say awkward, but it’s no problem in this weather while the river is very quiet. When there’s a flow on it can be a different story…

Barrow Bridge
There’s a right turn to get to this point, then just beyond the bridge a left takes you to the lock while the river, coming from ahead, tries to push you back into the bridge. A doddle today, there’s hardly any flow at all.

We had to wait below Barrow Deep Lock for a couple of day-boats out of Sileby Mill boatyard to come down, assisted by a volunteer lock-keeper.

Barrow Deep Lock
It was a works outing, Meg got a good fussing from female members of the crew.

We topped up our water tank a and emptied a loo and rubbish at Barrow Mill, then had the chance to admire the back gardens of the affluent on the edge of the village.

A lot of work in this one…

…whereas this one’s low maintenance, so long as the ride-on mower doesn’t pack up!

Siesta time

The impressive 1860 Bridge approaching Mountsorrel
This imposing structure has a single span of 90 feet crossing the river, and was built to carry a spur line to the granite quarry above Mountsorrel. The railway line has been replaced with a conveyor belt.

We were able to share Mountsorrel Lock with a small motor cruiser that caught us up, but then parted company at Sileby Lock as there was a boat already waiting to go up. We weren’t bothered, we were mooring just above the lock anyway.

Sileby Lock

Just the small weir for company tonight. Lovely.

Hi Maggie, sorry we missed you, didn't expect you to be aboard today else we'd have come to find you. Will see you about in the next couple of weeks, no doubt.

Locks 3,. miles 6½

A very social weekend, and swapping the cut for the river.

Our visitors arrived on Saturday morning, Simon, who travelled up to meet me at Stone last November to help move the boat down to our winter mooring was first, with his children Alice and Henry.
They’d been up in the Peak District for a week, and were on their way back home to Kent.

Then, not long later, Carol and Ellie arrived. Carol has a boat in Shardlow Marina (her third there!) but at the moment they’re up at Ellie’s house, as both water and electricity supplies at the marina were disrupted during a boat salvage operation.

Simon brought a bottle of wine, Ellie brought a cake, so all were very welcome!

Bit of a boat full, Simon with Alice and Henry at the back, Mags with Carol and Ellie at the front.
It was good to see you all.

Yesterday it was a family day, brother Andy picked us up at lunchtime and we joined the throng at Dad’s in Sileby. Sister Sue and her hubby Trev are across from New Zealand, so we had a bit of a gathering. There’ll be a few more of those in the next couple of weeks…

Last night, after being returned to Shardlow, we moved out of the town to moor above Derwent Mouth Lock, the last on the Trent and Mersey. It’s a lot quieter here, although occasionally a little whiffy from the adjacent sewage works…

It was a bit grey and cool when we dropped down the lock this morning, passing a couple of boats waiting below…

….and out onto the River Trent
It’s a bit of a crossroads here. We’re just leaving the short cut to Derwent Mouth Lock, the Trent comes in from the right and the Derwent joins from the left. Hence the name of the lock…

The Derwent is not navigable, but the Trent to the right (upstream) can be navigated past Shardlow Marina up to Cavendish Bridge.

Looking upstream, the new Long Horse Bridge connects Derbyshire with Leicestershire

Going downstream under the M1 bridge the river veers off over Sawley Weir but the navigation carries on through Sawley Flood Lock onto Sawley Cut.

Sawley Weir…..

…and Sawley Cut

The flood lock at one end and the pair of mechanised locks at the other protect the marina and moorings on the cut from the somewhat temperamental Trent.

Sawley Cut, the marina and Derby Motor Boat Club on the right, Ratcliffe Power Station gently steaming dead ahead.

It was just along here that a plastic cruiser reversed out from the right across our bow. A toot and a blast of reverse woke up the skipper, who was very apologetic when we met at the lock. I pointed out that his boat would have come off worse if I had T-boned him, but it might have scratched our new paint…

We picked up a locking partner at the locks, NB Lock and Roll was going our way, but first we had to swing around into the backwater below the lock for water and the “other services”.

Down Sawley Locks

Back on the river there’s just under a mile to go before we left the Trent for the Soar at Trent Junction.

 

The Erewash Canal goes off under the stone bridge on the left, Cranfleet Cut takes the Trent navigation off on the left in front of the yacht club buildings, the river continues on to the right, dropping over Thrumpton Weir as the Soar emerges to join the fray.

Thrumpton Weir, under the railway, as we swing right to join the Soar.

The name Ratcliffe is derived from Red Cliff, from the red sandy hill rising to the left of the river. There’s some fancy properties along here.

Red Hill

There’s a flood lock, usually open, and another marina just upstream from the junction.

Redhill Marina

The marina comprises several independent businesses, we had our cratch board and cover made here in autumn 2006.
The board has been replaced, but the cover, although modified and mended, is essentially the same.

The two blue boats in the picture above were built here, Cygnet class by Standard Narrowboats.
Standard also build the Swan class, but I don’t think this is an example…

Ratcliffe Lock is the first “proper” lock going upstream, and our previous locking partners had picked up a new playmate here, so we came up this one solo.

Ratcliffe Lock

NB Aegis, who’d shared Ratcliffe Lock, pulled over at Kegworth Shallow Lock, so we were back to sharing with Lock and Roll for the deep one.

Kegworth Shallow Lock…

…and Kegworth Deep Lock

During flood protection works the river level was reduced between the two locks, leaving the lower one redundant during the summer, but the upper one considerably deeper. A new lock chamber was built here, the old one alongside filled in with gates and gear still in place.

Kegworth old lock

Weirs above Kegworth Deep Lock

We moored about 1½ miles further on, at Devil’s Elbow. There are plenty of opportunities to pull in along here, but further downstream can be a little noisy, it’s under the flight path to East Midlands Airport. Mags refuses point-blank to stay there!

Moored at Devil’s Elbow.

I do like this river….

Locks 4, miles 8¼