Once more for old times sake

So we leave the Laughton Hills behind and potter towards Foxton Locks.  When we moored at Debdale Marina, I used to be doubly sad to leave here because it meant a spell of boating was coming to an end.  Not so today.  

I had been very much looking forward to revisiting this canal, but it has been a little disappointing, we think it's been five years since we last came up here, but the first time we did was in 2012, the year WaL was launched at the Crick Boat Show.  We had gone south from Crick and not been to Debdale via the canal that is until the end of the summer, but I do feel that during the past thirteen summers the trees have grown up so much that most of the canal is a green tunnel and I can't see the countryside.   

That is the one thing I have against trees is they block the view, well actually there's another, leaves and sap they drop on your boat, oh and they block the sun from the solar panels, oh and one more it's cold to moor in their shade but apart from that I've nothing against trees...  

Oh apart from them falling down and blocking canals, but apart from that....

Farewell Laughton Hills

We once went up there blackberrying, came across a Buzzard who quickly took off nearly giving me a heart attack from the shock, they are HUGE close-up, great blackberries though.

Marilyn I hope you are enjoying these shots? And yes it was as cold as it looks.

How long until this one tumbles?  I could have taken a lot more photos of trees like this "Leaning Tree of Pisa" one.

The fabulous view here is lovely, I urge boaters to moor here, enjoy it, and to take their shears out, hack about and maintain the gap, no one else will.

Yep another falling to be tree!

Into the top lock, small queue that took an hour but that's normal.

Tremendous views over Leicestershire from the top of Foxton Flight.

Quite a crowd gathered, two boys helped do the gates then ran back to the top to help the next boat down.  So cute.

After the final lock, we moored up in a spot that simultaneously said mooring 2 nights, mooring for the water point and waiting for the locks.  

We just popped into Bridge 61 (This is a pub) and sat outside admiring the helming of all the milling about boats, the mooring scrambles and the swing bridge management and people watching in general.

We moved on past our old Marina Debdale Wharf, not much of a view passing by so I haven't included the photos.  

Just past there the reeds grow tall here, it's either an ASSI or an SSSI or somesuch, parts of the stretch are very narrow and others fair to middling.

Then on a corner he met this

David nearly jumped out of his skin coming face to face with this, this "Craft" Reader apologies if you own one but I have a low opinion of them loose on the canals.  Now I do realise that technically this is a "Wide" canal  but you can see how much of the canal he was taking up.

We were delighted we didn't meet him here

And certainly not here either.... get my drift?

We moored up here.  Open views and no trees.  I suggested Boboli as a special treat.  David agreed and I called up.  

Now we are in our dotage we keep odd meal times and luckily they had a table for two at 4pm.  Perfect for us, we cycled the two miles and I amazed David by taking him straight there again but it has been five years since we were last here.  

Sorry if you didn't know Boboli is a family run Italian restaurant in Kibworth Harcourt.  Absolutely fabulous it is too. 

HERE

Lovely spot but I have been economic with the truth here as there were several other boats here too. 

I guess CART are also doing "No Mow In May"

 

Supper was scallops, then their own lasagna, instead of layers of pasta it's made with layers of thin ham then semifreddo, oh my goodness I can still taste it all.  

I wonder how far to drive here from Great Haywood marina , more food for thought.