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!! :-)