On to Nottingham

On the way there have been several deserted medieval villages.  This is one of them.  I wonder if it was plague or sheep that got the villagers moved on.

Not sure what this boat owner thinks he is going to get away with.  A more obvious alteration to a licence is yet to be seen.  Apart maybe from my father who once used a Guinness bottle label as a tax disc on the car in the early fifties :-) 

Waiting for the lock and the harvest is being got in in the nearby fields.  The tractor and trailers look much too big for the bridges and this was one of the smaller tractors.

Lovely little wharfs appear. Reached this one on the way up in a cloud burst.  Not impressed by the local boater though.

Another quiet mooring out in the countryside.

In places some of the weeping willow have need of a hanky.

Graffiti is evident so must be near civilisation.

In places its like being on a beck.  Interesting when you meet another boat:-)

The outskirts of Leicester.

Someone has been busy since we came down.  The whole of the land on the left has been cleared of trees and scrub.  More houses one assumes and what a lovely place to have some....

but it is handy for the football:-)

Leicester proper and the visitor mooring on the right.  Outside a memorial garden which is locked each night with an exit for a CRT key.

Stopped for a few minutes only and decided to crack on.

Now thats what I call Graffiti. Somebody has taken some trouble over it.

They don't care where they put the pipe do they.  It would look a rather nice bridge without it.

The start of :Loughborough.

Not sure what Loughborough does with these but they are pleasingly large and well able to pull a narrowboat along.

For some reason I feel that this is the point from whence we once visited Taylors Foundry.  Looks very unloved now but still clear of rubbish its only weeds that cover the place.

Another mill turned over to accommodation and much better than dereliction.

Now and again a bridge turns up that is somewhat different to the normal canal style.

I reckon I have rung here too.

Deep lock on the way out of Radcliffe

The power station at Radcliffe is visible for many miles around and takes ages to get anywhere near.

Last mooring before Nottingham and only yards away from the lock.

Below the lock the following day and bit of an oops has come over this work boat.

The flood lock before the Trent and its open.

The Trent feels large after the Soar and around the corner by the boat club and its back to canal.

Another flood lock and this one is the access to the Cranfleet Cut.

Somewhere here is a lock.  Sadly the pontoon for lock use is mostly covered with moored up boats.

Which bit of No Mooring don't people understand.

Along a bit of the canal that looks as though there was at one time a wharf every couple of feet a load of boats arrive.  Well the sun is out and its a weekend..

Not far now and the visitor moorings.  Plenty of room but a bit ambiguous as to which bits are 14 days.

The boat in front was across the canal and I retied it.  Someone is being slapped on the wrist by CRT as there is a DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED bag stuck on the window.

and a favourite girl turns up as if by magic and I get dragged to the pub.  I didn't want to go!! Honest!! :-)

Foxton Flight today

Found yet another nice mooring.  I am quite surprised at the number of possible sites there are along here.  Lots of them are pilings with opportunity to use the paper clip.

It rained this morning but after a while cleared up and is more like a summer temperature. We keep popping into the woods and my only 'complaint' is the fact that there is normally a high hedge on the lower side of the canal.

First the tunnel at Crick.  I have a foul weather jacket on today after the soaking yesterday :-)

Out the other side and we are confronted with a workboat floating across the canal.  Gave it bit of a nudge and jumped aboard while it headed for the bank.  No ropes onboard so tied it up with a piece of chain.  It had already been chained up I think, and by the look of it, one of the links had broken.

A quick stop in Crick to stock up.

The canal wanders around a lot here.  The canal goes around one hill after another.  This one has a beacon basket on the top of it.

On the other side of the hill and a narrowboat in a field.  I know we have had a lot of rain but not that much surely :-)

From fields to the woods. 

A lov ely day and another tunnel in the offing.

Moored for the night near Husbands Bosworth.

Its never dull on the GU.  You can never tell what is coming up.  Lots of corners and corridors of trees to obstruct the view ahead.

and Husband Bosworth tunnel at 1166 yards is short compared to the last one.  You can even see all the way through it.

It may be shorter than the last but I'm still glad to get out of it.

Clouds are gathering - again but bit of sunshine on the horizon. A couple of torrential downpours and any water that has evaporated over the last couple of decent days is now well and truly replaced.  

Had a Tweet from nb Jubilee saying they were moored up at Bridge 55 which is a short haul from the Foxton Flight. 

Nb Jubilee used to belong to the IWA as a mobile conference/teaching centre.  Tony and Judy got the coffee pot on and the world - high speed boaters - got put to rights :-) Thanks both for the hospitality.

Just short of the flight and ready for tomorrow.

A bunch early morning visitors.  Their parents have already taught them that boats mean food.

The storm clouds keep skirting us.  The view down into the plain that the flight takes us down to.

Into the locks and loads of gongoozlers boat spotting.

The view behind the boat as the water leaves the lock.

Heading for the water point to top up.

Spotted this advert on the side of the canal.  Any takers? English not his strongest point :-)

One length of the canal is a SSSI.  Lots of plants but they are growing rather  near to the middle in places.

A lovely view from the house on the hill.  Loads of  fields of ripe 'stuff' that has got rather damp over the last few days.

That's almost it for the day.  Through Saddington Tunnel and we will find a mooring.  There are some locks to do tomorrow.  Its back to lock country after a few days with only the occasional flight to contend with.  You can hardly see tunnel mouth for the trees lining the approach.