Days 24 & 25: Market Harborough to Foxton

Saturday and we retraced our route to Foxton, to make way for the hireboats' returning at Union Wharf and our trip up the ten staircase locks at Foxton on Sunday.

Handsome buildings on the canalside near Bowden Hall bridge

Storm clouds on their way

Sometimes the weather is very changeable!  And we're travelling through prairie...

The swing bridge - again - with a queue of traffic this time

Leaving the bridge

The annual cider and sausage festival was taking place as we arrived, with live music

Talking of live music, we had a nice message from Dublin about the blog and a video, thanks Peadar! Here is Denis's nephew Jack - the one in the red - and a group of young people singing Despacito 'as Gaeilge' (Irish language).

Next day at Foxton was sunny and crowds gathered to watch the boats, so we had an audience as we went up.  

First, we joined a queue of three narrowboats waiting in the lower basin beside the crowded Foxton Locks Inn

Looking up the flight of locks, with one of the volunteer lock keepers in his orange lifejacket

Also helping out on the lock gates, parents and small children

Asma and her grandfather getting a lift up a lock

At the top lock - and ready for a bacon sandwich at the cafe

Leaving Foxton

View of the Boilerhouse Museum at Foxton, which includes photos and a model of the famous 'inclined plane'

A boat we spotted with an array of adhesive solar panels - worth checking out how efficient they are

After a long day and ten locks, good night!

Days 21 - 23 Market Harborough

A pleasant trip from the bottom of Foxton locks down the 5 mile long Market Harborough arm and rest up at Union Wharf in Market Harborough basin for 3 nights gave us a chance to have a look around the town and catch up with chores.

 Swing bridge at Foxton village

 Denis opening the heavy bridge

 Interesting decorated arch

 The secret garden

 Entering Union Wharf

 Finding a mooring

 Snugly moored up

 Boatman themed seat at Union Wharf

Days 18 - 20 Wistow to Fleckney and Foxton

On Sunday morning, we left our Wistow mooring and headed for Fleckney to pick up provisions. The village Co-op there is accessible from bridge 73 via a field full of cows.

Early morning on our mooring at Wistow

Final view of Wistow church

One of the five locks before Fleckney

Jan emptying a lock

Some pounds on this stretch are very shallow, even in the middle of the canal and we went aground twice but got off with a bit of effort and use of the poles.

Teepees at Bridge House Barn

Traditional hedge laying using hazel wands

We moored for the evening just above Ross Bridge and in the morning travelled through Saddington Tunnel (880 yards).  This was built in 1797 and is slightly crooked, a noted home to local bats and reputedly haunted by Anna a headless ghost (we saw neither).

Approaching the tunnel, looking for boats coming the other way

Looking back, from midway through

Light at the end

Denis steering in the dark

Coming out

Debdale Wharf, a good stop for diesel and other services.  They also do blacking, including the bottom plate, using this rather large crane.

Stormy weather on the way?

Entering the basin below Foxton locks, with the weather clearing

This boat was exiting the bottom lock as we turned left to go through the swing bridge onto the Market Harborough arm.

Tranquil scene on the Market Harborough arm

Days 16 & 17: Kilby Bridge to Newton Harcourt and Wistow

Friday and an energetic day of seven heavy double locks in 3 miles, made easier because we were - unusually on this trip - accompanied by another boat.  First, we filled up with water at the well maintained CRT services at Kilby Bridge.

 Leaving Kilby Bridge

 Going up 

 Top lock gates, in a filling lock

Pulling the boat in against the wind, while Denis closed the lock gates

Since doing the Leicester Ring in 2014, we'd wanted to revisit the beautiful setting of Wistow with its abandoned medieval village and church set in rolling fields visible from the canal. We moored within sight of the church - one of our favourite mooring spots - and walked to it from bridge 78.  After seeing the exhibition in the church, we walked to the Rural Centre in Wistow and then north back across the canal to Newton Harcourt.

Canal bridges are unusually high this stretch

St Wystan's church, Wistow

Our visit fortunately coincided with this exhibition, which meant the church was open - the artists are all local with a particular interest in churches.  The work was exhibited throughout the building, which was originally built in the 9th century to commemorate the murder of Wystan, Prince of Mercia (the village was originally 'Wystanstowe').

St Luke's, Newton Harcourt. The yellowish colour is ironstone, from which the tower was constructed in the 13th century.

St Luke's churchyard

 A memorial, carved by his father, to Christopher Gardner who died of scarlet fever in 1924 aged 8. 

 Fairy inkcap mushrooms in the churchyard

A flourishing floating garden

Parting view of Wistow church as we head south to Foxton