Extended Leicester Circuit

[adam1uk]

Here's an account of the circuit I did with my partner Adrian last month. You'll remember the fortnight: it was the one where it hardly stopped raining. I don't think we've ever got so wet, so often. We hired Amy Clare from Kate Boats in Warwick.

 

 

Saturday May 13

 

We arrived in Warwick early, but Kate Boats said Amy Clare was ready, and we could put all our stuff on board. Tesco had delivered our shopping, so once we’d been shown how everything we, we turned the boat around and set off in the direction of Leamington Spa. There seemed to be hardly any other boats on the move, but there were plenty of people walking, running, and cycling along the tow path, and to watch us do our first lock for several months – Radford Bottom Lock. By the time we got towards Welsh Road Lock is was beginning to rain, so we moored up for the night just below the bridge. Seconds later, the heavens opened.

 

6 miles, 6 locks.

 

Sunday May 14

 

We were up early, and even a fry up couldn’t delay up beyond 7.45. Plenty of locks on this section, including the staircase pair at Bascote, the Stockton flight, and the Calcutt Locks. We turned left at Napton Junction, then right at Braunston Junction. We were now onto canal we hadn’t traveled before (although we had walked up to Braunston Tunnel last year). We moored up, visited the gift shop and the chandlery, then walked up the footpath into the village. As it was Sunday, though, the few shops on the High Street were closed. Back on the move, we were lucky going up the six Braunston locks, as there were plenty of people coming down, including a group of Canadians on their way to Coventry. They said they were flying the maple leaf flag at the back of the boat to make sure no-one mistook them for Americans! As it was only 4pm by the time we got to the top of the flight, we decided to carry on through the tunnel to Norton Juntion, where we turned onto the Leicester Line, and moored up. We walked down to have a look at some of the Buckby locks, and had a drink at the New Inn on the way back. It turned out they didn’t do food on Sunday evenings, so we were back to the boat to cook.

 

16 miles, 23 locks. (22, 29)

 

Monday May 15

 

We were off before 8am again. It wasn’t the heavy rain forecast, but it was dull, damp and chilly. The M1 is very close to the canal here, and we could see the Watford Gap services through the hedge. Not wanting to pay extortionate prices for anything, we didn’t stop. Soon we were at the Watford Locks, and went to find the lock keeper. She told us to come up the first two, then wait at the bottom of the staircase while two other boats came down. One turned out to be a private boat which had been built by Kate Boats, and the owners seemed delighted to see Amy Clare. While we waited, the lock keeper explained the red and white paddles, and how the locks use the side ponds to balance the levels. She also told us how the previous week someone waiting at the bottom hadn’t tied up very well, and the water leaving the bottom lock had pushed them right into the reeds at the far side of the pond. Once at the top, we watered up, and continued on to Crick. We moored just beyond bridge 12, and walked into the village to find a paper shop. It was raining much more heavily now, so we spent a couple of hours reading the papers, and having an early lunch, while the rain pounded on the roof of the boat. About 1pm, the rain stopped, so we set off and turned onto the Welford Arm. There’s just one lock on this arm, just 3’6” and in the middle of nowhere. At the end of the arm we winded in the tiny basin, and moored up. Dinner was a very good meal at the Wharf Inn.

 

17 miles, 8 locks. (39, 37)

 

Tuesday May 16

 

It was a sunny start, and I walked into the village to find the shop, returning with papers and some excellent local bacon for breakfast. An 8.30 departure seemed late for us! The sun didn’t last, but at least it was warmed than the previous couple of days. Back on the Leicester Line, we went through the Husbands Bosworth Tunnel, and soon arrived at the top of the Foxton Locks, something we’d been looking forward to, and one of the main reasons for choosing this route. There were a couple of boats waiting, so we decided to water up while I went in search of the lock keeper. Fortunately, he was easily recognisable, and was near the top. He said he couldn’t add us to the list while we were watering, but I told him we’d stop immediately if necessary, and he wrote Amy Clare’s name in his book. It was only a few minutes later when the boat coming up was clear, and those of us at the top could start going down. The lock keeper explained what he called the Foxton Rhythm, his favoured method of getting everything done in the most efficient manner. The whole flight is beautifully kept, and extremely popular with visitors. All ten locks took only about 45 minutes. At the bottom, we turned right onto the Market Harborough Arm, and immediately moored up. We walked back and hand a reasonable but quite expensive lunch at the Foxton Locks Inn, then visited the little museum, and had a look at the site of the inclined plane. Back on the Harborough Arm, the only work was a swing road bridge. It’s fairly narrow and reedy in places – too narrow, it seemed, for a Canaltime boat coming in the opposite direction, which seemed to have gone into the bank straight ahead, instead of round a corner. By the time we got there, the crew had got themselves free, with extensive use of a pole. At the end of the arm, we winded in the very smart basin, and moored up on the visitor moorings. We walked into town and found a supermarket for supplies. We chatted to the owner of a boat called Panagia, who’d been with us since Foxton, and had moored next door.

 

16 miles, 11 locks. (55, 48)

 

Wednesday May 17

 

I walked to a shop just the other side of the basin for the papers, and posted some post cards on the way. There was a water point near each visitor mooring, so we watered up whilst having breakfast, and were on our way by 8am. Less than two hours later we were back on the Leicester Line. Made a brief stop at Debdale Wharf Marina, to get a new gas bottle. We got to Kibworth Top Lock just in time to see another boat, Rossmore, leaving the lock, and they said they’d wait for us at the next one, to save water and share the work as we’re back on broad locks again. We did the next four locks together, before the other boat stopped. Once we were on our own again, the locks seemed much harder work. They had leaky, badly balanced gates. I was opening only one, but as the boat went in the other one swung open. To anyone watching, all the running backwards and forwards and from one side to another probably appeared quite comic. After the first couple, it stopped being funny. At one lock, two women were having a picnic on the arm, and helped us through. Then the rain began again, not heavy, but forecast to get worse. We’d planned to stop at Kilby Bridge, and even though it was only 3.30, we decided we would moor up rather than get soaked. As we approached, some walkers told us that all the moorings were full, and we’d be better off stopping this side of the bridge. We took their advice. Had dinner on board, and in a gap in the rain, walked to have a look at the moorings, which were indeed full up.

 

19 miles, 12 locks. (74, 60)

 

Thursday May 18

 

Today’s weather wasn’t nearly as bad as forecast. True, we got wet a few times in showers, but in between it was sunny and warm. We left early again, watering up at the BW facilities just the other side of the bridge. At our second lock of the day, we teamed up with a single handed boater, who was with us right into Leicester. The canal was surprisingly rural, right into the city centre. After Kings Lock, the River Soar joins the canal, and each lock has a guage showing whether it’s safe to continue. The locks were hard work again. The canal was very wide in places, and there’s a spectacular weir at Freeman’s Lock, right outside the Leicester City ground. We stopped to make lunch at the pontoon at Castle Gardens, and I walked into town to get the papers. As it was dry and sunny, we set off again after lunch, thorough some industrial areas, then into the Watermead Country Park, which used to be quarries. After our final lock of the day, there was a torrential shower. The moorings at the Hope and Anchor were mostly taken up by BW work boats, so we continued a bit further. It was difficult to get very close to the edge, but at least the spot we chose was sheltered from the strong winds forecast.

 

14 miles, 16 locks. (88, 76)

 

Friday may 19

 

We were underway by 8.15 in overcast, windy conditions. The level of the river appeared to have gone up overnight, thanks to all the rain. After our first lock, we met up again with Rossmore, the boat we’d met on Wednesday, and did the next couple of locks with them. The gauges were into the middle yellow section, indicating caution. Rossmore stopped at Mountsorrel for supplies, but we carried on, eager to get off the river and back onto the canal, as more heavy rain was forecast. Barrow Deep Lock is indeed very deep, and has traffic lights showing whether it’s safe to continue. Just beyond the lock, there’s a nasty combination of a sharp right turn, a bridge, and the re-entry of the river. The current meant we found ourselves being pushed quickly towards one arch of the bridge, and Adrian had a real struggle to make sure we didn’t hit it. Some of the locks along this stretch are flood locks, and were chained open. At Loughborough, we made a brief shop stop. At Zouch, there are emergency flood moorings, for people caught out by the river. We agreed that we wouldn’t like to have to use them. At Kegworth, we were kept company by the planes going in to East Midlands Airport. It’s much busier than I’d expected. Eventually we came to the end of the River Soar, and turned onto the Trent. It’s a big junction, with the Cranfleet Cut and the Erewash Canal going off in different direction. But, presumably because it was a chilly, windy afternoon, the guide book’s warnings about there being boats everywhere seemed a little over the top. We were the only thing moving. Sawley Locks were the only mechanized ones on our route, and it made quite a nice change not to have to do anything more strenuous than press a couple of buttons. Next it was past the marina, through the flood lock, past the weir, and under the M1. (Only a week or so later, a man would foolishly take his boat through the closed flood lock, get washed onto the weir and have to be rescued by helicopter). A few minutes later, and we were back in the world of canals, on the Trent and Mersey. We continued to Shardlow, where we moored up for the evening. We went to the Clockhouse for dinner. From our table, we could see people going through Shardlow Lock. They included a Canaltime boat, who left all the top gates and paddles open, and moored on the moorings. A good half an hour later, on the way back to the boat, I went and made sure they intended to close the gates and paddles. The couple on board appeared to have no idea they were meant to.

 

21 miles, 19 lock. (99, 95)

 

Saturday May 20

 

I woke at 6.30, with a feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I looked out the window, to find that there was canal where there should have been tow path. We’d been set adrift. Fortunately, the front end was still close to the tow path, so it wasn’t difficult to get the boat back in. But who ever had pulled out or mooring stakes had thrown them in the canal. One was still attached to the rope, the other had gone. And we weren’t alone. All along the canal we could see freed ropes. Adrian thinks that during the night he heard an engine and someone banging a mooring stake – presumably someone who’d noticed earlier than we did. After that, it was difficult to go back to bed, so we had breakfast and were off well before 8. We watered up just below Shardlow Lock. At Aston Lock we teamed up with a boat called Heidi, owned by retired people who spend May to October on the canals. All these next few locks were very deep, 11 or 12 feet. We moored at Willington, had lunch in a deli where the food was good but the service a bit shambolic, and bought provisions at the little Co-op. It was a reasonable afternoon, so at about 3pm we decided to set off again. At Burton on Trent the locks turn narrow again. We moored up at about 5pm, on our own, just below Branston lock. Cooked dinner, and watched the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

17 miles, 6 locks. (116, 101)

 

Sunday May 21

 

It was fairly bright first thing so we set off early. But the rain soon came, and we moored up just two and a half miles later, just above Barton Turns Lock, to wait for the downpour to pass. After a couple of hours, we advanced another hundred yards, and moored on the other side of the canal to visit the shop at Barton Turns Marina. Just as we were crossing the bridge over the marina entrance, Rossmore turned in at the end of her cruise. We bought a replacement mooring pin before carrying on to Alrewas, where we stopped and went in search of a Sunday lunch. The Crown Inn was still serving, just. After lunch, we walked round the village and found a supermarket but no newspapers, and got drenched in another torrential downpour. We decided to stay put.

 

6 miles, 5 locks. (122, 106)

 

Monday may 22

 

I walked into Alrewas to get the papers, and we were off before 8 again. It was soon raining again, and we were pretty wet by the time we’d done the locks up to Fradley. We stopped for water, and disposed of our rubbish. Then, as the rain had stopped, crossed to the other side of the canal and moored up to have a look round the junction. It’s as charming as the guide book suggests, with only canal buildings, and nothing new to spoil it. We treated ourselves to tea and cake in the BW café, while the rain came down again. At about 11am, we were on our way again. Rather than turning down the Coventry Canal, we stayed on the T&M. The sun came out briefly, and the temperature shot up. But at Handsacre the heavens opened, and there was thunder and lightening, so we moored up. We used to stop to change out of our soaked clothes. We got wet a few more times, but the showers were light and brief in comparison. At Great Haywood junction we turned onto the Saffs and Worcs, and moored up at Tixall Wide for the night.

 

16 miles, 10 locks (138, 116)

 

Tuesday May 23

 

A much better day: we only got wet a couple of times, although one of the showers was of hailstones. Tixall Wide looked lovely in the morning sunshine. There were several locks between there and Penkridge, and we were behind Sixpence, with a single handed skipper on board. At Park Gate Lock, a couple of BW employees had brought down a work boat, full of materials, and had left it in the lock entrance while they re-filled the lock and brought the tug down. The man from Sixpence went to Midland Chandlers for a part, and told us to go ahead if he wasn’t back in time. In fact, he had plenty of time. Once the tug was down, the BW men had to attach the butty. It all took an age. At Penkridge Lock, I noticed a couple of yellowish birds darting about the lock, and paying particular attention to the gate. I think they were greenfinches. The lock gates are the type made from metal girders, and on closer inspection I could see that they’d got a nest with about five chicks in one of the nooks of the bottom gate. I don’t know what the chicks thought about being swung backwards and forwards all day; the adults seemed a bit distressed at all the activity. We watered a Penkridge, then moored to go to the Boat for lunch. While we were in the pub, it poured again. On returning to the boat, we found we couldn’t get the key to turn in the lock of the front door. It seems that the latch was on. Our only option was to try to get in another way, so I gave the hatch at the back a bit of a shove, and the bolt holding it sheared right off. As I walked ahead to get the first lock ready, the BW tug arrived back. I was round the corner and didn’t see what happened, but Adrian reports that for some reason the tug became stuck right in the middle of the canal, and the portly BW employee on board seemed to have no idea what to do about it. Serves them right for making us wait such a long time earlier! We moored just before the Fox and Anchor at Coven, and walked into the village. Needless to say, the one shop that might have sold a replacement bolt was already closed.

 

15 miles, 12 locks. (153, 128)

 

Wednesday May 24

 

We set our alarm early, as we wanted to get up the Wolverhampton Flight in good time, so we were off by 7am. It was raining, but we were well used to that by now. We passed Autherly Junction, and then turned left at Aldersley Junction. We began lock 21 at 8am, with, not surprisingly, no-one else around. Fortunately, most of the locks were in our favour. About three quarters of the way up, a man came and asked us to leave the top gates open; his crew coming down would leave the bottom gates open for us. The boat turned out to have been adapted for a disabled man who was steering. He had a hydraulic seat, and a steering wheel rather than a tiller. We got to the top at 10.45, which we thought was pretty good going, and pulled into Broad Street Basin to fill up with water. Last time we did the Wolverhampton to Birmingham stretch (in the other direction) we used the Old Main Line, and stopped at the Dudley Museum. This time we used the New Main Line, partly because we hadn’t done it before, and partly because of a stoppage on the Old Main Line. As we had plenty of time, we took a detour round the Soho Loop. It was just as we were turning back on to the main line that everything stopped. We’d lost all power, and the engine was spluttering. Clearly, there was something round the prop. We got the boat into the side, and Adrian went down the weed hatch. Eventually, after extensive use of the bread knife, a large black nylon sports bag was removed. It looked like just the sort of thing someone might dispose of body parts in, but fortunately it appeared to be empty. The straps had been wound right round the prop, and had taken a lot of cutting through. We moored up before Old Turn Junction, near the Sea Life centre in the middle of Birmingham. Last time we had to stop along towards the Mailbox, right outside a club, so we thought this part of the main line would be much quieter. We went into Birmingham, bought some better wet weather gear, as more rain was forecast, did some food shopping, and hunted high and low for a bolt for the back hatch (and still didn’t find one). In the evening, we went to a Chinese restaurant at Brindley Place.

 

19 miles, 24 locks. (172, 152)

 

Thursday May 25

 

It was a bright but chilly start to the day. I got the papers and we set off by 8.15. We left Birmingham by the Worcs and Birmingham Canal, then turned onto the Stratford at King’s Norton Junction. By mid morning, the sun was out and the temperature was rising. We watered up at Warstock, then came to the Shirley Lift Bridge, which is powered, and operated using the BW key. There was a boat coming the other way whose crew had raised faffing to an art form. There are bollards in the canal making a narrow section either side of the bridge. The boat was already in the narrows, so we waited for them to get the bridge raised and come through. But they were behaving very strangely, apparently hitting the low roof of the neighbouring pub with a boat hook and a butterfly net. After a few minutes, Adrian took the key and went to see what on earth they were up to. It turned out they hadn’t realized they needed the key to operate the bridge, so someone on the boat had thrown it to one of the crew on the tow path. It had landed on the roof of the pub, and they were trying to get it down. Once they’d got their key, Adrian suggested they all get back on the boat and he’d lift the bridge for them. Their steering left a bit to be desired, though: even in a section just a boat width wide they couldn’t keep it straight, and somehow managed to hit one of the bollards with quite a force. Once we’d gone through, we stopped near Hockley Heath, and had lunch in the well deck in the sunshine. One more lift bridge and we were at the top of the Lapworth Locks. Last year, we came up them in the rain; this time it was the hottest, sunniest day of the holiday. There were plenty of people coming up, which made things tricky in the section where the locks are very close together. The canal was very full, and the side washes were powerful. Sometimes it was difficult to swap over with the boats coming up. One boat in particular made a right song and dance. The owners were terribly worried about their paintwork, and made much use of their bow thrusters. As far as I could see, this resulted in a lot of froth and very little movement, and I did wonder whether narrow locks and canals in general were ideal for people worried about bumps and scratches. It took about two and a half hours to do the 19 locks. We moored in the little link section between the Stratford and the GU, and walked to The Navigation for a drink. I slept well; Adrian claims there were engineering works on the nearby railway line during the night, with arc lights and lots of hammering. I can’t confirm this.

 

16 miles, 19 locks. (188, 171)

 

Friday May 26

 

After our sunny day yesterday, the weather returned to the more normal rain and wind. As the overnight rain was forecast to last in to the morning, we didn’t bother getting up too early. Even so, we’d had breakfast and I’d got the papers by 9.15 (the shop we’d used last year has closed, but there’s a new one opened, further down the road in the village). We filled up with water at the top of the Hatton Flight, and set off down the locks at about 11. we cam up the Hatton last year without too much difficulty. But today it was windy, there were frequent showers, the side washes were powerful, and the gates heavy. It all seemed like very hard work. We stopped and made lunch between locks 31 and 30, at which point the sun decided to make a welcome appearance for our final five locks. We went into the Saltiford Arm, winded, and moored on the visitor moorings. The Trust there allows a free night for visitors, but we gave them a donation anyway. We walked to Sainsbury’s for some food, had an ice cream from the Trust shop, and cooked dinner on board.

 

8 miles, 21 locks. (196, 192)

 

Saturday May 27

 

We were up early to get the boat ready to return. We were off before 8, did the two Cape Locks, and moored up at Kate Boats, alongside another boat. We loaded all our stuff into the car, dealt with the rubbish, and got back the money we’d spent on the gas bottle. They didn’t seem at all concerned about the bolt (and were in fact fixing one on another boat!). We headed off before 9 for the Crick Boat Show, where we got wet all over again.

 

2 miles, 2 locks. (198, 194)

[Janet S]

I do sympathise with you. We did our cruise starting on the same day as you. Flipping miserable weather, wasn't it?

 

Still, we had a great time.

 

Enjoyed your log!

 

Janet

[adam1uk]

I do sympathise with you. We did our cruise starting on the same day as you. Flipping miserable weather, wasn't it?

 

Still, we had a great time.

 

Enjoyed your log!

 

Janet

 

Thank you!

 

Yes it was miserable, but there were only brief moments when it got us down. We thought afterwards that if you can enjoy a wet fortnight like that, you'll probably enjoy every trip.