End of the navigation, and whatever happened to the weather!

Well, the end as far as we’re concerned. Smaller boats can go further up the restored section, but boats of our length can’t turn around up there.

And would you believe, after the heatwave of only a few days ago, that the outside temperature is now 14°, there’s a chilly north-westerly blowing and I’ve resorted to lighting the stove! I was starting to regret buying that bag of smokeless a couple of weeks ago, now I might regret not buying two!

We arrived at Snarestone on Monday, mooring in the open about a quarter mile short of the tunnel.

Looking down on Market Bosworth Station, just a little way from the moorings closest to the town.


On Sunday Steve and Angela passed by, pulling in and spending an hour with us chatting, before continuing on to Snarestone.

Then Monday morning we were on our way ourselves.

More bank protection work going on.

We only just managed to scrape past, dragging the bottom as we crawled by.

The canal is very shallow at the sides along here, made worse by the levels being a bit down after the prolonged dry spell.
  

Photo-bombed by a duck!


Congerstone has a short length of moorings on rings just past Bridge 47.
Like most of the villages around here, it has a church and a pub, but no shops.

There’s a sharp left turn at Shackerstone to line up with the aqueduct crossing over the River Sence.

Mind the floating reed beds!


Over the aqueduct.

The bridge to the left used to carry the railway up to Ashby, Shackerstone Station, now the northern terminus of the Battlefield Line, is hidden behind the trees.

Across the fields to the east is the village of Barton in the Beans. An unusual name, but derived from the traditional produce of the area, broad beans . It actually used to be Barton in Fabis, the Latin for the broad bean is Vicia Faba. The broad bean has been replaced with acres and acres of rape.



Remains of a Norman Motte and Bailey just out of Shackerstone.

Gopsall Wharf was built for loading coal boats, and would be handy for a Tesco delivery if it weren’t for the height restriction barrier on the car park…

Another half a mile saw us pulled up, as I said, short of Snarestone.  

It’s open here, but the trees ahead indicate the start of the cutting before the tunnel. There are 48 hour moorings there, but overhung by the trees and gloomy.

We did move down to the moorings though, yesterday lunchtime, to meet visitors who came over to spend the afternoon with us.

Me, Andy and Donna, Mags, Meg, Sue and Trev over from New Zealand

Sue feeding the ducks

She loves any animals…

We had a great afternoon and evening, supper was provided by Steve’s Fish Bar up in Measham and very good it was too. It’s useful having a car and driver at hand…  Well done Andy!

It’s been getting cooler these last few days, and today we woke up to rain, with a distinct chill in the air. We hung around till 11, hoping for an improvement but it didn’t seem to be getting any better so we untied anyway and set off through Snarestone Tunnel.

The 250 yard long tunnel is high and wide, don’t forget that this was intended to be a broad canal, linking up with the Trent at Burton Upon Trent.

The ceiling gets a bit lower at the north end, though, where it’s been partially relined.

Emerging back into daylight there’s a short wooded cutting then open fields between Bridges 60 and 61.


The moorings, between Bridge 61 and the winding hole, were pretty full, so we winded, reversed and filled the water tank, then reversed again through the swing bridge and moored. Its a lot more open here anyway, not that there’s much sunshine to see…

Since Market Bosworth Wharf – Locks 0, miles 7