In which we fail to visit Market Harborough

This morning we actually set the alarm clock which meant we got going a whole hour earlier than usual.  By 10.30 we were at the top of the Foxton Locks and third in the queue to go down.

This is the flight of locks we changed our depature date to avoid going down at the weekend, as they are a popular spot for gongoozlers.  But it seemed Mondays were no different.  They are pretty impressive though.

Anyway, off we set and it's "red before white" again.  All of a sudden I feel like I'm part of some street theatre performance. There are people everywhere and I seem to spend a large part of the time asking them politely to move away from this paddle or out of the way of that gate.  However, almost without exception they are genuinely interested in what we're doing and ask questions, tell their children what's happening, and many are are happy to help open and close gates.  They're having a great day and so are we.

At the bottom of the flight we have to go through a swing bridge before mooring up with the intention of just becoming gongoozlers ourselves, but the pub looks nice, and its canalside garden looks nice so before we know where we are we're ordering lunch.  Just as it arrives the heavens open and we have to make a dash for the covered seating.

Afterwards we walked halfway up the flight again, stopping at the shop to get a "Foxton Locks" plaque to join our "Four Counties Ring" one on the rear doors (though it's not there yet - keep forgetting to buy the screws).  We came back by way of the site of the former Inclined Plane - another wonderful feat of canal engineering which lifted boats from one level to the other sideways in caissons on rails. More info here: Foxton Inclined Plane Trust .  I just hope that, like the Anderton Lift, the restoration will happen in our lifetime.

By the time we got back to the boat it was raining again so we waited until 3 before heading off for our planned stop for the night - Market Harborough.  This was a fabulous journey - a winding canal amongst lush greenery, with far-reaching views over the Leicestershire countryside.  We even saw a kingfisher.  And passed under another of  "our" bridges:

But, when we got to the end of the line, Market Harborough was full - not a mooring to be had.  So we made the most of a glorious evening by turning round and coming two-thirds of the way back again to another countryside mooring "somewhere in Leicestershire".  So we have no idea what Market Harborough is like - but I'm sure we'll find out one day.

13 1/2 miles, 10 locks, 2 swing bridges

To Welford (on the Avon)

After an evening spent enjoying the "Golden Hour" at the Olympics, but frustrated because we could hear, but not see, what seemed like a fantastic firework display nearby, we made another leisurely start this morning, when this was the view from the stern:

After an hour I was scuttling inside as the skies darkened and there was a torrential downpour.  Eventually it eased off enough for me to push a mug of coffee out to the Captain, then, with the speed of lightning we felt overdressed and overheated as the sun came out.

We decided to turn up the Welford Arm, moor at the end for long enough to see which medal Andy Murray would win, then meander back to moor back on the main line "somewhere in the country".
We actually stopped just short of Welford Wharf and walked up, first to the village shop (which is in Northamptonshire) and then back to the Wharf Inn (in Leicestershire), where we had a great lunch.

The county boundary is actually the Avon - the Warwickshire one - which rises a couple of miles from the village.  At this Welford it is all of 4ft wide!  It also bisects a delightful "Pocket Park" where we spotted Postman Pat

By the time lunch was over, I found out from my Olympics mobile app (yes, I am that sad) that Murray had already won the first set, so we hurried back to the boat.  Disaster! - no TV signal!  So we decided to move off back to the main line and hopefully find a better mooring, where we could also spend the night.

The Welford Arm was gorgeous - even quieter and more remote-feeling than the main line.  It has just one lock which I think is one of the beautifully located we've seen - does need a lick of paint though...

Note the blue skies?  Twenty minutes later it was chucking it down again, with lightning for good measure.  Still at least we would have our waterproofs on ready for drips in Husband's Bosworth tunnel.....which was completely dry.

The canal was very much closed in with trees for the next few miles, which was not conducive to good TV reception,  so eventually we had to resort to my App for the news which had two sixty-plus boaters jigging about on the stern shouting "Yesss!!"

We then wondered if Andy Murray actually does better when we are not watching him on a boat - a theory which came closer to being proved when we eventually moored for the night and joined the mixed doubles at the start of the second set.

We are "somewhere in the country".  Think it's probably Leicestershire as we haven't crossed the Avon again.

13 miles, 2 locks (1 x 2), 1 tunnel

Red before white

We'd not planned a long day so didn't set off until 10, whereupon it started raining.  However, this didn't last long and we reached Norton Junction in bright sunshine.

Now we were in pastures new.  The Leicester line of the Grand Union is delightfully rural, even though the first couple of miles are disconcertingly close to the M1.  We were soon at the bottom of Watford locks (near the famous Watford Gap), which are well decorated in honour of the Jubilee, England, the new Canal & River Trust and probably Team GB as well.

We reported to the lock keeper and waited our turn.  There are two single locks, followed by a staircase of 4, then another single lock at the top.  The staircase operates with the use of side-ponds, which take the water out of one lock and then direct it back to the next, using different paddles which are painted red, and white.  They have to be opened in the right order and there is a rhyme to help:

"Red before white and you'll be all right
White before red and you'll wish you were dead"

Not wishing to find out what the second half meant, I walked up to the staircase muttering "red before white" to myself, but I needn't have worried - the lock keeper signalled which paddles to open and when, and we sailed gracefully up the staircase without a hitch.  Hearing it was our first time, the lock keeper asked if we'd like a certificate to say we'd done the flight. I said we'd wait till next Thursday when we came down again.  We've got one for people who make a b***s up of it as well, he said.  Hmmm....

On we cruised in the sunshine until we reached Crick Tunnel, shorter than Braunston but definitely drippier.  Not that it mattered, as when we emerged it was raining.  We moored at Crick Wharf and made a brief sortie to the Post Office Stores for a paper and a few supplies.  The rain then got heavier and we stayed put while we had lunch.

Eventually the skies cleared and we set off again, still enjoying the rural and remote landscape.  This section of canal really feels like "the land that time forgot".  Stopped for water at Yelvertoft, after which we decided to moor up at the next nice spot we saw.  This took about an hour as each spot was dismissed as not quite nice enough until we reached the interestingly named Mountain Barn Bridge. There's no sign of either a mountain or a barn, but there are hills and golden cornfields, and following a short thunderstorm we have a rainbow!

Another good day aboard.

11 miles, 7 locks, 1 tunnel

Great Start

Off to the marina in glorious sunshine.  Brief(ish) stop at Southam Tesco for what was supposed to be "lunch" but ended up as a trolleyful (mostly bottled water though).

All ready to go at 12, when lo there appeared dark clouds above and it started to rain. So we had a coffee and read the paper and by 12.30 it was just damp, so we made a break for it. Up the 3 Calcutt locks entirely on our own - and the fastest we've ever done them - 20 minutes.

Left at Wigram's Turn and we find black skies ahead and blue behind - have we gone the right way? However it's not long before the good weather catches up with us and we reach Braunston.  A boat is already heading into the bottom lock so we have company up all six locks and five of them are in our favour.  Everything going swimmingly.

We have found our horn is not working so our companions follow us through Braunston Tunnel ready to give us a push in case of emergency. They, and everyone else we've met today, have been really friendly.

We reached our planned mooring spot at Welton Wharf expecting it to be busy and possibly even full, but no - it's just us and another boat 100 yds down.  Is everyone watching the Olympics? or just put off by the weather forecast?   Our neighbour tells us we may well see kingfishers, and an otter if we're lucky.

It's a lovely evening.  Perfect for a barbecue - if only we had something to barbecue.

8 3/4 miles, 9 locks, 1 tunnel