Muddles and mirth on the Market Harborough Arm

It was only a short journey to Debdale Wharf Marina on Wednesday morning to fill up with diesel, then a distance of eight miles (no locks!) to Market Harborough.  The canal 'Arm' is very poorly signposted at Foxton, where we were confronted with a three choice junction - the Foxton Locks are obvious, but the other two don't show on our Nicholson's, with one of them having a swing bridge to negotiate.  So we took the middle arm and ended up in a dead end - turns out that this is the bottom of the famous 'Foxton Inclined Plane' which at one time was capable of taking barges of 13 foot width, or pairs of narrowboats, moving two boats up and two boats down every twelve minutes saving 90% of the water that the locks would use. Unfortunately this was dismantled in 1911, eleven years after it was opened, though there's a campaign underway for full restoration by the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust,  which would be awesome.  We'll explore this area when we return from Market Harborough ...

Debdale Marina which holds around 160 boats

Boatyard with a great looking boat crane lifting up to 30 tons - this boat's being sand blasted ready for painting

   An old BW maintenance boat in the middle of nowhere brings a great colour contrast to this rural scene

Foxton staircase locks with two of the three pubs to be found here - obvious which is the right hand turning

The new swing bridge - not marked on the Nicholson guide, neither was the short branch behind Sandra which we took initially - oh how the crowds laughed to see such fun!! 

Suffice it to say, we had to back out of the small arm and go through the swing bridge onto the Market Harborough Arm to cruise the 51/2 miles to the town.  The journey isn't terribly interesting being predominantly rural with trees, bushes or hills either side of the water so you can't even see into the distance.

Much the same scenery for the whole journey - beautiful but gets a bit like driving on a monotonous motorway after a while!

Hey You!   -   Who Me?

Once into Market Harborough though, you can tell immediately that this is another prosperous area of Leicestershire.  It was established in medieval times as a 'new town', some time in the  early 13th century, due to it's potential of the location between Leicester and Northampton at a river crossing.

Another place steeped in history, so here's my five fascinating facts about Market Harborough:

1. In June 1645, Market Harborough figured in the English Civil War, when it became the headquarters of the King's Army. Resting in Market Harborough, the King decided to confront Parliamentary forces who were camped near Naseby but the Battle of Naseby proved a decisive victory for Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell. Harborough Chapel became a temporary prison for the captured forces.
2. In 1841, Thomas Cook, a wood turner and cabinet maker in the town, organised the first group travel by rail from Leicester to Loughborough and subsequently developed the travel agency still bearing his name today.
3. In the nineteenth century, Market Harborough expanded as a manufacturing centre, when the Symington brothers opened a corset factory - where the 'Liberty Bodice' was invented and made.
4. In 1950 the canal basin was the venue for a week long 'National Festival of Boats', the first such Festival organised by the Inland Waterways Association which marked the beginning of the revival of the canal network for leisure use.
5. HM Prison Gartree is west of the town, near Foxton, and the site of a prisoner escape by helicopter in 1987. The prison caters for prisoners on life sentences.

 Market Harborough's recently developed 'Union Wharf' is just stunning

A restful atmosphere pervades here

  The 'Canalboatholiday' hire boats getting ready for the weekend 

As the name suggests, it's famous for its market - once again the opening times were against us, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays!  Can you believe it, we arrived on a Wednesday and will leave on Thursday?!  We have to laugh at these missed opportunities of ours and not take it personally!

There are some gorgeous buildings in the town, including the timber framed 'Old Grammar School' which was built (on stilts!) in 1614 and continued as a school until 1892.  It's now used for church and public meetings.

 The dazzling diversity of architecture in Market Harborough

 We saw a couple of old bicycles with baskets around

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Dionysius' Church and the old Grammar School in the town square

 

 

 

 

 

The Grammar School building - complete with quotes from the bible inscribed into the wood

The sign may be a bit dated?

Another perspective on Union Wharf

   Some of the permanent moorers in the basin

After exploring the town and stocking up with essential groceries from the Co-op, we found a short cut back to the boat, which took us past a narrowboat whose owners we'd briefly chatted to on the way in - 'Kookaburra dreams', obviously containing Australians!  Being fellow Antipodeans (we'll forgive them being Aussies!) they invited us back for a drink so we unpacked the shopping and strolled the hundred yards back up the canal for a short visit.  It turned into a three hour excursion due to a local character dropping by (three times in all on his way up and back and up again!) and entertaining us by telling increasingly dirty jokes and anecdotes of his life in Market Harborough - almost 83 years of it!  He should have a one-man show somewhere, such an amazing repartee and memory.

 

 

Roy entertaining the masses - "Did I tell you the one about ...?"

Tom & Margaret from Brisbane, Australia, on their third annual six month UK narrowboat soiree

On Thursday we'll make our way back to Foxton ready for the staircase locks after we've explored the area and of course taken a couple of photos!

More purple - the soothing smell of lavender - thanks for the link to wearing purple from Dijon

A strenuous day with a just reward at Saddington

Leaving Kilby Bridge mid-morning on Tuesday, we thought we'd easily get to Debdale Wharf Marina eight miles away and fill up with diesel before 1700hrs - no such luck!  The twelve locks were pretty shocking - most of the lock gates opened themselves spontaneously so you had to shut them and then quickly run to the other end and open the paddles before they re-opened.  I did the first one and then gave up and handed over to Barry or we'd have taken even longer than we did! 

Luscious greens and a bright blue (and white) sky

  The days don't get much better than this

Old and tired lock gates looking weary

 

 

 

Barry took the opportunity to do a spot of boat cleaning along the way - balancing blithely on the side

 

 

Lock after lock, after lock ...

The occasional one was in our favour which helped

One out, one in

It's not such a bad life when the sun's shining (or even when it isn't to be fair!)

Rich vegetation everywhere

Note in the distance the lock gate is opening itself up

We saw more boats today than recently, many old working boats that could be returning from the Braunston annual working boats rally which was held last weekend.

We were also on the lookout for a supermarket (no meat or salad left on the boat!), but the only place on the way anywhere near the canal already had a boat moored in the one available spot; so on we travelled. 

        A colourful working boat heads towards us ...

 and passes on to the next lock

 A church at Wistow - what a chilled countryside scene

Sandra and her crocheted paper hat - just wait till it rains, it'll all turn to mush

 

British Waterways workers out in force, fixing and painting - they've certainly got a full time job with these decrepit old locks, but it may need more than a coat or two of paint to improve them!

 

 

    Sandra feeling feeding a little hoarse horse!      and how they grow with a bit of grass ...

After negotiating the 880 yards long Saddington Tunnel, we realised we had no chance of getting to Debdale before the Marina closed, so we moored up equidistant to two small villages so we could walk to a pub for a meal tonight - either that or it'd be beans on toast which, after a strenuous day, wouldn't have sufficed I don't think!

Entering Saddington Tunnel from the north - note that there's always a spot of light at the end! 

Sandra with tunnel vision!  Apparently you can fit two boats in here - wouldn't have liked to have tried it!

Another working boat on its way home no doubt

Bet he's just been to Braunston for the weekend?

The view of the countryside from our mooring - doesn't come more peaceful than this (apart from the occasional passing high speed train!)

We chose to walk to Saddington rather than Smeeton Westerby (don't you just love those place names?), and we reckon we made the right choice as we had the best Indian meal I've ever tasted at 'Swatlands' restaurant in 'The Queen's Head'.  A very relaxing venue, delicious spicy food (and such a variety on the menu Barry was totally overwhelmed!), along with superb service - well worth every penny and we had to more or less insist on leaving a tip rather than feeling 'bullied' into doing so which I find in most restaurants in England (you don't routinely tip in New Zealand which is so refreshing).

The walk up the hill from the canal to Saddington

Old furrowed fields stand out on the hillside

 

Lots of excellent Indian food - and Indian bitter, brewed in Leicester - also note that Barry's shaved his beard off!!

The Queen's Head in Saddington - looks like a typical English pub, but with a difference

        St Helen's Church                                    The Manor House - lots of fine abodes here!

Walking off the food we checked out some of the village, including St Helens Church which advertises tea on Sundays, once again very friendly and welcoming - unusual in such an obviously up-market area.

It'll be on to Debdale tomorrow, Wednesday, with the luxury of NO LOCKS for a couple of days as we're then continuing on to Market Harborough.  Of course once we've been up that arm and down again we've the staircase of ten Foxton Locks to contend with, but we'll be rejuvenated by then.

Even dandelions can look delightful - along with some random orange coloured wild flowers of unknown variety!

Leaving Leicester - lots of locks

I had a quick walk into the shopping centre on Monday morning to find a white hat - in the current heat it's just too hot with our dark caps and without a hat, even with sunglasses, I can't see well in the bright sunshine!  I found a floppy white holey one in the sale in BHS, which did the job very nicely.  The market was in full swing, with the stall holders shouting their prices to the passers by, all vying to give the best deal.

Barry meanwhile, took a stroll to Bow Bridge as he'd read the story of Richard III and the wise old crone he'd met and asked her if he'd win the battle - sadly her prophesy came true that wherever his spur struck, so his head should be broken.

 

 

 

Still not many boats around for some reason

 

 

 

Bow Bridge over which King Richard III left alive for the battle of Bosworth, and returned deceased

 

 

 

Castle Garden mooring pontoon on the right

 

 

 

 

We had a full day ahead to reach the nearest water point and pump out - 9 miles distance but containing 15 locks - it'd take around 15 minutes by car, but took us about six hours!  We were fortunate that another boat was passing just as were setting off, so we shared half of the locks with them before they moored up, worn out, mid-afternoon.

New canalside restaurant and office block opposite the moorings

Looking back along the 'Mile Straight', south out of Leicester, where boating regattas are held

We shared most of the locks with narrowboat 'Heron'

 Yet another lock - Sandra walks along (on the right) to assist

 Narrowboat Heron - they've been on the waterways since end of May too, and plan to stay until the end of August - their mooring is on the Leeds/Liverpool canal west of Wigan

 There's no shortage of water around these parts - but you do need a BW key for many of the paddles which are old and frustratingly difficult to wind

 It was a scorcher - and these boys were making the most of the canal - even jumping in from the bridge the crazy things!

 Sandra in her new hat - time to swop lock and driving duties!

We arrived at the BW facilities at Kilby Bridge around 1730hrs on Monday evening - there we found not one but TWO water-points - they're like buses aren't they, you wait for ages for one and then two turn up at the same time!  Ah well, no harm done, we filled up with water and pumped out before mooring up for the night.  There weren't any BW launderette facilities though which was sad but not unexpected, so it was time for a bit of hand washing as it can dry happily in the warm overnight air in the bow.

 Rusty old working boats hugging each other companionably - moored at Kilby Bridge

    Northern Pride moored at Kilby Bridge - between Leicester and Market Harborough

On Tuesday our mission is to get some diesel - another eight miles and twelve locks to the closest place at Debdale Wharf Marina.  We fancied going to check out the 'Wistan Le Dale Model Village' in Wistow on the way, but it's open every day except Tuesday - isn't that ironic?!

A cool purple petunia (I think!)