Locks and more locks

On Friday we left Whilton after getting gas and worked up the 7 locks to Buckby with NB Ole Bess. They were also a Sussex couple living in Hastings but knew Heathfield as they had relatives there.

The canal side cottage above Buckby middle lock with all the painted canalware outside. Buckby is the home of the Buckby Can which the boatmen kept their drinking water in. There is no road access to these two cottages, you have to cross the footbridge across the lock.

We parted company with Ole Bess and turned onto the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal.

Where we soon get to the Watford flight. 7 more locks, narrow this time and 4 of them in a staircase where one lock goes straight to the next.  Thirsty work on a very hot day.
At the top we stopped for lunch and Ian set to with changing the oil and filters down in the engine hole. There were sheep in the field opposite, and after a while we realised a lamb was standing on his own bleating his little socks off and beginning to sound quite distressed. Feeling a bit concerned we kept looking over to him, then suddenly heard a deeper baa, and guessed his mother was stuck in the muddy reeds at the edge of the field.

We went over to help, followed by another boater who saw what we were up to and who proceeded to wade in and together we pulled her out.

After a very short time she was up on her feet, very soggy and dirty but seemed ok and wandered off to the other side of the field followed by a very relieved lamb.


Saturday was long meandering journey with no locks from Crick to Husbands Bosworth. We met Robin, Lin and Dawn at Elkington for coffee. They were on their way to Spring Harvest in Skegness.


Sunday morning we went to the All age service at All Saints Church in Husbands Bosworth, sadly there were no children and only a small number in the congregation. However they were very friendly and welcoming with a good, simple message from the visiting vicar.
We moved on to Foxton, which was very busy with tourists on such a lovely warm, sunny Sunday afternoon.

Top of Foxton locks, 2 staircases of 5 locks. No queueing today, we went straight down.

Halfway down, looking back up.

Deep chambers in the staircase. Showers too!
Then on to Market Harborough where we managed to moor just outside the basin.
Phew what a long post, well done if you made it here to the end.
Ian and Karen