Market Harborough.

It started raining at about 0530 and i thought that would be that for the day, but actually by 0830 the rain had stopped and it turned out a very nice day. We got going and put some washing on as the weather was supposed to become good drying weather. As a precaution we stopped before Foxton and filled up with water. The tap was very slow so took a little longer than expected but when finished Helen walked round the corner to get ready with the swing bridge into the Market Harborough Arm. I pottered round into the basin as a boat was just leaving the bottom lock and as if escaping from a prison cell he popped out like a cork from a bottle busy chatting away to his mates on the deck. He eventually saw me and his full astern certainly helped matters!

Actually this looks a lot worse than it was. The green boat has come from the locks to the left, I am creeping round the corner from the Leicester Arm to the right to head up the Market Harborough Arm where the picture is taken from.

Not much further on is another swing bridge for a road. Helen hopped off and then another boat came in the other direction and as the bridge swung another couple of boats came up behind us so Helen had a wait for four boats in the end.

The canal is very ready with a fair bit of over grown off side too, making it very secluded. These reed islands seem to be a common sight on certain canals as clumps of reeds detach themselves from the bank and drift up and down the cut for weeks.

This sort od sums up the canal for me as you catch glimpses of interesting sights and it is up to you whether you stop and explore or not. This was a little sight of Great Bowden Hall.

A little further on from the Hall the trees are almost grown over the cut like a green cathedral arch.

We had been asked to arrive at Union Wharf after 1530 so that the hire boats had been cleared before claiming our berth. We actually moored on the visitor moorings and walked in to town. As we passed we checked out where we would be and went off to do a bit of shopping. After getting back the washing was dry and we moved up to do the ablutions and then on to our berth for the week. On an evening like tonight it is an ideal spot with the sun blazing down.

The old canal wharf building is now the Waterfront Restaurant and looks very nice, especially sitting out as if you were round some fishing harbour on the Mediterranean.

After settling in we walked back into town and had a nice romantic meal at an Italian place. It seems hard that Helen is going home for a week when we used to be apart for three or months all the time. How times change.