After a misty start we had a beautiful sunny and warm day which rivalled anything during the summer. We motored on passing Welford Junction and through the 1166 yd Husbands Bosworth tunnel passing many of the boats that had passed us yesterday and moored up at the top of Foxton Locks where we were to meet friends Sue and Roger. Once again on route we spotted a Kingfisher speeding in front of the boat.
Whilst we waited for them to arrive we called into the cafe at the top lock to get two of their delicious Sausage Baps for our lunch. When Sue and Roger arrived we loaded Rogers mobility scooter onto the boat and headed for the lock. June went off to see the volunteer lockie to book us in and he told us that we had an hour wait. So we sat on the bench outside the boat and people watched as on a weekend the tow path is a mecca for visitors to this delightful spot.
The locks are on a steep hillside which drops the canal some 75 feet and provides some magic views across the Leicestershire countryside, a view I never tire of.
Three boats came up and we then started down the first set of 5 staircase locks. The cafe was doing a roaring trade with drinks and ice creams and there were so many people around the lock that I was a little concerned that somebody may get knocked into the lock.
June and Sue soon got us moving down the locks taking it in turn to wind the paddles or open the gates.
At the last lock of the first staircase we had to wait for another boat to come up the second staircase and moor in the pound which separates the two sets.
Once down the flight we moored on the lock landing for a few minutes to get Roger’s scooter off the boat, so that he could get back to the car park easily, said our goodbyes and continued on our way down the Main canal to find somewhere to moor for the night. The canal seemed very shallow along this stretch but we manage to get into the bank ok, although I noticed several other moored boats had their sterns sticking out from the bank.
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