Strandings…
Aware that the locks from Watford Lock 1 to Kings Lock 38 on the Leicester Line were due to be closed from July 30th the Cleddau crew had made a calculated plan to cruise to Market Harborough and to be back at Crick well before the closures came into effect.
The canal below Foxton Locks is effectively a cul-de-sac; it’s about 5 miles from the locks to Market Harborough’s Union Wharf where boats can be serviced and turned round easily.
Many boats had departed from Market Harborough on Saturday morning but by evening there seemed to be a convoy of incoming boats all looking to turn around and moor up for the night. The Captain noticed a boat in difficulty – it had already turned and was now struggling in the reeds on the offside and trying to reverse back.
Was it looking for a mooring in the gap that was reserved for permit holders only? No, more urgently the boaters needed water and couldn’t get close to a water tap.
The Captain took command of the situation from the bank, offering advice on reverse steering and then guiding the boat in alongside Cleddau. There were some new words to be learned by the five-strong female weekend crew: “You’re breasted up now,” said the Captain, “now pass us your ropes… Where’s your filler cap?” There was some scrabbling around on the front deck before a hose and access to the water tank were found.
“We took the boat over last night,” one of the front deck crew ventured, “We all had showers this morning and now we haven’t got any water…”
As water from the water point slowly quenched the boat’s thirst back stories emerged. “We’re all colleagues from work…”
“We’re all teachers from a secondary school in Nottinghamshire.”
“It’s the last weekend of term. Next week there are special activities and the Year 7 and 8 disco.”
“We’ve had our next year’s timetable and the English Department rooms have all had to be swapped with the Humanities rooms.”
It all sounded so familiar…
The owner of a very short boat moored behind revved past the two breasted up boats, turned round mid-canal and moved back to a shorter space, leaving a mooring space for the thirsty boat and its occupants. There were thanks to the short boat owner – was it 20 feet long? It was certainly short, yet it accommodated its human owner, a large Alsatian dog - and a cat…
There was a trek back down into the town next morning; this eatery bears a witty name.
Again a security guard was stationed conspicuously by the Co-op door. The Captain remembered a conversation with a Foxton lock keeper, that this weekend the Light and Life Festival, a religious event for the traveller and gypsy community, was to be held on the local showground… (https://harboroughfm.co.uk/religious-festival-underway-at-market-harborough-showground/ ) There had been Trouble last year, was the same expected again…?
Off Cleddau set early on Sunday afternoon, a target mooring in mind for Sunday evening where there were pleasing views across the Welland Valley.
A ping! on the phone announced yet another Canal and River Trust update. Aargh! This alert was local, this would seriously affect Cleddau’s Monday plans. Due to a broken paddle on the Foxton lock flight all the Foxton locks were CLOSED.
The flight being closed could have serious impact on plans for the weekend and onward travel to West Wales…
The Captain resolved to go further, to get as near Foxton as possible in case queues of hopeful / desperate boaters built up.
A mile and a bit from Foxton Locks Cleddau was pulled in, a hill and a canal separating her mooring from the Light and Life Festival. Sound checks, voices and scramble bike engines penetrated the usual peacefulness of the spot.
That evening the Captain faced the What ifs… What if Foxton Locks don’t reopen until mid-week? What if Foxton Locks don’t reopen before the published complete closure (saving water measure) announced for 30th July? Alternative marina moorings were discussed, alternative routes were researched, bus and train timetables were investigated.
It was to be a slow Monday: with the locks a mile ahead closed there was nowhere to go.
Then, at 10am, the Captain, browsing on the laptop, suddenly stood up and sprang into action. A C&RT email had announced a successful paddle repair at Foxton and the reopening of the locks.
Tiller arm connected, engine on, mooring fenders removed, ropes untied…
Within minutes Boatwif was off-loaded to manage the Foxton footbridge and walk up the flight to book in with the duty lock keeper. Three boats were in sight going up but where was the expected queue of boats at the bottom?
“You can go straight in and carry on up,” said the lock keeper after the formalities of spelling out the boat’s name had been completed.
At 11 am Boatwif steered the boat into Bottom Lock.
At 12 noon the Captain (watched by about a 50 strong audience) steered the boat out of Top Lock.
By 12.15 the water tank was being refilled with water.
At 12.30 Boatwif grabbed some breakfast cereal…
Relish being ABOVE the Foxton Locks, Boatwif thought, as she took an evening stroll. There was the view down over the now disused boatlift to look at
and, if you investigate the walks opposite the towpath, there are some attractive family areas.
At least now there were no potential lock closures between Cleddau and her safe home mooring…
Onward the next day, past the bronze sculpture of the canal boy and the working horse
and the Laughton Hills,
past the trough of Help Yourself Herbs,
through the Husband’s Bosworth Tunnel and back past North Kilworth Wharf (where no unplanned dunking took place this time!)
Mid-afternoon finding a mooring somehow morphed into a requirement to Find a Pleasant Mooring with a View and Decent Internet Signal. Eventually, south of the A14, (with Signal but without View) the Captain pulled in.
The last few miles back to base the next day were all too familiar: colour - and the chicken – in front of the Yelvertoft house,
tall reeds encroaching into the canal,
flashes of purple loosestrife flowers on the bank edges,
then finally Cracks Hill and its beacon.
So Cleddau arrived back at Crick where she was tied up safely on her own marina mooring. She had escaped a below-Foxton stranding – but for the foreseeable future Cleddau is now stranded on the Leicester Line until the Watford and Foxton locks reopen.**
Now how long will that be…?
Cruise stats since last post: 23.5 miles, 10 locks, 1 tunnel, 2 swing bridges
2025 cruise stats before imposition of Leicester Line lock closures: 215 miles, 134 locks, 10 tunnel passages, 8 swing bridges
*2025 Monkton Moments* (Monkton Moment*- a reference to / recognition of Cleddau’s Pembrokeshire connections) – now 6
2025 Towpath Dinners: now 6
Towpath Pimms: 1
** (Canal and River Trust are allowing passage between winding holes before lock flights, which in effect gives those boaters on the Leicester Summit about 22 miles of lock-free cruising but no access to canals at other levels.)
