On Saturday we moved on from Kegworth to Loughborough, leaving before 10:00.
We'd moored on the lock cut, at the end of it the navigation rejoins the river, on a fine broad reach heading towards Zouch.
Arriving at Zouch Lock we had a pair of boats coming down, so that saved me a job.
At the end of Zouch Cut there's a series of weirs to control the river levels, two conventional, fixed ones followed by a rotary flood control sluice.
Heading past Normanton on Soar, the steeple of St. James rising above the trees.
The canal and river separate again outside Loughborough, the river runs around the town to the east, while the canal heads through.
Bishops Meadow Lock.
I'd just missed out on sharing the lock with a boat ahead, but a chap filling up on the water point gave me a hand with the paddles and gates.
Bookends!
One more lock to do, Loughborough Lock, and I was surprised to see one gate open invitingly.
The couple ahead had kindly chosen to wait for me to join them.
We moored near each other near Chain Bridge and had a chat. They actually live in Australia, although he's from Cornwall. But they're taking a couple of years out to continuous cruise over here before going back to normal life.
Taking a day off yesterday allowed me to get a bit of shopping in and do an engine and gearbox oil change. I do the engine every 250 hours, but the time interval has got longer now I'm not running the engine when we take a day off.
We had a few spots of rain overnight but it had faired up this morning. It was gone 10 by the time we got going, but we were in no rush.
Leaving the very quiet Belton Road moorings.
I'd planned to get into Pillings Lock Marina around 11:00, giving me time to get set up before I went to get a hire car. But I thought we were going to be delayed a bit...
Just room to squeeze through...
Arriving at the marina it was a little challenging getting tied up, with the blustery wind and the short pontoons, but I've done it before (it's often windy here) so know the moves.
We'll be here for a few days now. Family visiting.
Locks 3, miles 8½
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