As were here, and we need to move from Foxton today, were going to run down to Market Harborough.. just to get some supplies in at the shop, and to also say we’ve been there!
Set off reasonably early and its a nice-ish day.. bit grey, still cold.. but no rain..
Got to a swing bridge.. semi-electric this one.. key in.. manually move the gates, unlock the bridge and swing it open.. Dawson handled all that, after some figuring out that the gates had to be locked in place when open, for the micro-switch to unlock the bridge.. but we got there..
Why do they put the controls and where the bridge swings open on the OPPOSITE side to the boat.. I will never understand this.. if I was on my own.. after opening the bridge.. what then.. swim back to the boat.. FFS!
And its another day of being the only ones on the canal…
But not the only ones using the canal.. there’s about 10 fisherman along this stretch, must be a competition of some sorts.. Yea, slowing down and dropping out of gear when on the bit that they have bated – hoping to not disturb everything too much.. so it did take a while to get past them..
Got through past the new road bridge being put in at 14A.. No one in the canal today thankfully – so the stop/go boards are not there to hold up traffic whilst there in the water!
Some pleasant little online mooring here, just off and around the winding hole.. but its onward to Market Harborough..
Pulled in at the visitor mooring just before the end of the line, there’s about 4 water points along this stretch, so no matter where you moor up, theres a tap within reach – so thats cool!
Wandered down to Union Marina to have a look.. For a CRT base that supplies “leisure” mooring, and “occasional” weekend stays and “1 week a year” of live-aboard usage allowed.. there’s an awful lot of coal here – on the roofs and on the jetties to the boats.. I must have counted about 40 in total.. and 6 of the boats are hire boats that are not going anywhere or have anyone onboard..
Another early morning start to get us back to Foxton.. We need to do a few hours a day to get to Leicester for next week, and I still have work to do, so a few hours each morning should cover it OK…
Pulled out and into Union Marina, where there is enough room to turn the boat round.. Don’t need the pump out here, and as its CRT card.. don’t have any cards anyway.. so the pump out can wait..
Another reasonable winter morning.. and managed to get a photo of this (which I missed on the way down)..
After going back through the swing bridge.. CC and Dawson doing this one.. got to Foxton.. grabbed a spot opposite the locks again.. and got the fire lit.. work and warmth the plan for the afternoon..
The reason bridges swing on the offside is so the horse and tow rope could get by, if it pivoted on the towpath side it would be in the way
Good point 🙂 Just a shame that they are still building new ones in exactly the same way.. even the fully electric ones have the controls on the opposite bank! 😀