We had a very leisurely start to the day as Helen was reading whilst drinking her tea in bed. It was 0900 before she found a convenient point in the narrative to stop!
We headed to the end of the arm to top up with water and to wind. We moored up at the winding hole tom take water, and of course two boats soon arrived. I should have winded and had my stern down by the Mikron theatre boat and then the winding hole would have been more clear. Mind you one winded any way and we weren't oo long topping up before a pushed the bow round and pulled the stern round too to quickly wind and head off.
Unbelievably there was a queue at the one and only lock of the day. One coming up and the boat that winded ahead of us. The usual chat and soon we were heading down with Helen doing the driving today. There was an escaped lamb on the lock side but didn't want to be helped so I hope it was sorted later in the day.
There are parts of the Wellford Arm taht you think you must have taken a wrong turn as it looks far too narrow and overgrown but the trip is well worth it, with service and a nice pub, plenty of walks around the village and some lovely buildings to see.
At the junction we turned south and headed towards Crick. There have been a number of old working boats moored up over the last few days and he was 'Dane'. It is a wooden hulled boat that was built in 1946 for the Mersey, Weaver and Ship Canal Carrying Co. It was bought by the British Transport Waterways, along with the rest of the fleet, in 1958. It was bought for a pleasure boat in 1960 and underwent extensive restoration in 1978/9 and 2013. It looks like it could do with a bit of love again
For those of you with poorer eyesight you may not see the tug plane with glider in tow. It had taken off from Husbands Bosworth airfield. This was started to be constructed in 1942 and became operational August 1943. It was a training base and a branch of Market Harborough airfield. Gravel for the construction was carried by narrow boat from a quarry near bridge 40. It was closed after the war and in 1948 became a place for housing Polish refugees that was only closed down in 1958. At its height 500 were living at the airfield. It is now the Gliding base and also home to the East Midlands Support Unit since 1996. I wondered why there were so many police helicopters around. I didn't think to could be an area that was that lawless.
The towpath seems to have lots of nice little spots to moor at. The views across the fields of the Downton Hills being especially open. The tow path here abouts is part of two long distance foot paths. The Shakespeare's Avon Way that follows the river as closely as possible from its source near Naseby to it junction with the Severn at Tewkesbury. The other is the Jurrasic Way that follows the band of Jurrasic limestone that runs from Stamford in Lincolnshire to Banbury in Oxfordshire.
We ran under the A14 bridge where two boats were moored with their ropes across the tow path seemingly doing some work. Bridges came thick and fast, as did the occasional boats, only one we met at a bridge hole. We found a nice spot in the sun before bridge 27, with a a low bank, and moored up. I was soon out washing the boat and then polishing the one side too. I have felt guilt as it is the first time I have touched the boat since the winter. It does look better for doing. I think another polish should see it through until its winter coat. Mind you I am just about falling asleep over my keyboard here. I expect to sleep well!!
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