Foxton and Welford Junction

Today's Canal - Grand Union Leicester Arm

Not windy yesterday, but today? What the weather forecasters described as the 'tail end of Hurricane Gonzalo'. Boat and crew felt that it was certainly battle time with the elements! But we must press on if we are to be where we should on Friday.

We woke about 8 am to look outside on solid grey skies, driving rain and the wind sweeping down the cut!

By 9 am the wind had dropped slightly, the sky had cleared and the sun had come out.

Leaves on the line?

We set off, soon at the last set of locks at Kilworth, five locks over about a mile, sufficiently close together that it was worth Christine going ahead each time to set the next lock, while Andrew completed the previous one. Despite the strong winds, the sun made it feel reasonably comfortable. Visibility was excellent. The locks again stiff, especially the top paddles.

Then another change: we needed fairly urgently to collect more fuel and the only opportunity was at Debdale Marina nearly at Foxton. As we came the last half mile the wind picked up yet again, to perhaps its strongest of the day. At the marina, Christine went to enquire. The pump was just inside the entrance and we were directed there. But the wind had other ideas!

Eventually - and it was eventually and only with much persistence on Andrew's part + some pulling on ropes by helpful men from the boatyard that at last we could fill up. (Sorry, Mike, the blacking is looking yet more scarred!)

At one stage the maps in their case were blown into the water. It was so windy that the case had been whipped off the seat which is inside the back compartment! Again with persistence, against the wind, Andrew managed to recover it. Fortunately, the contents were dry thanks to the efficient seal of the Trekmate case.

On to Foxton to moor for lunch and recover!

The wind dropped a little again, the sun came out.

No other boats were on the flight. A very pleasant lock-keeper, who seemed also be doubling as tour guide for the assembled gongoozlers, gave us a hand up the ten locks in two staircases of five. All these are narrow locks. From Leicester the locks were built as wide locks because it was intended to continue through Market Harborough to Northampton but that never came to be.

Andrew was keen to get beyond Husbands Bosworth tunnel.The temperature was dropping and we also had a delay trying to get past a small tree that had fallen into the canal. It only came down part way across and should have been easy to get past, but unfortunately, at that spot the bank had fallen in and the boat went aground. Andrew got off and tried to pull it past. No luck. Then it became a matter of trying to push the tree aside. Somehow that worked and at last we were free.

Through the tunnel, the weather improved again and Andrew decided to keep going. Just beyond the Welford Arm he spied a good mooring site - mooring rings and possible TV signal. Actually mooring took some time: the wind grew stronger again blowing the boat away from the bank, and then driving rain started again.

Andrew was somewhat relieved at last to come inside. He had done all the steering today , even if it meant travelling somewhat diagonally down the cut against the force of the wind.

The fire was lit, a bottle of wine opened and a hot sauce with an Andrew stir fry made the evening 'perfectly acceptable'!