18/th May – Time with the family – long overdue!
Rain was forecast for Monday so we decided to stay put and also to see if we can get a night in nearby Debdale Wharf Marina. A quick phone call ascertained that we’d be welcome. As it happens, the rain was far less than predicted but the die was already cast. And we were treated to some epic birdsong! Mainly a robin – who could, often be seen on the towpath
It looked like he was collecting nest-building material, possibly? I thanked him for providing the soundtrack to our day.
The well deck need my attention on Tuesday morning. It looked like a flower bomb had gone off in there! And it was all wet, so a bit annoying to clear up. It definitely looked better after I had finished, but I know I’ll be doing it again very soon. It’s that time of year.
I set off late morning on Tuesday – just before the skies opened. Thank goodness for brollies! But by the time we’d made the short distance down to Debdale, the sun was out. They showed us where our berth was and we got tied up and then Paul resumed work while I went and settled up for our stay.
I had hoped that there would be a washing machine, as I had some bedding to do, but sadly not, which was a bit of a blow. It seems not to have much in the way of facilities for moorers, other than a mooring water hook-up and elsan. But sometimes that’s all you need. And they have an extremely good reputation for the marine services – such as grit blasting and blacking.
///paths.test.poorly
I left late morning on Wednesday and made for a spot i’d clocked on the way down. An OBA that looked as if it might possibly be a very short winding hole. None of the apps or guides had it marked as such, and there was no signage of any sort, so we felt it was fair game and tied up for the night.
It’s a lovely spot with great views and a field of cattle to chat to. And plenty of lovely solar. It was enough to bring the batteries up to 100%.
///downturn.trickling.stressed
I reluctantly slipped away from the nice moorings and set off, back towards the junction, where we’d be turning left down the Market Harborough arm. I had to enlist Paul’s help as there is a swing bridge across the arm. He’d just got back to work when we encountered another – this one motorised.
I wanted to get a fair way down the arm, to arrive in Market Harborough tomorrow at a reasonable time, so I ignored all the VMs and cruised on. I had forgotten how “wild” this canal feels. It’s been allowed to get very reedy and, at some points, it felt like I was at the helm of the African Queen! Was that the Congo?
I noticed that the bridge plates on this canal are very attractive and must have been quite an expense, as they bear both the number and the name of the bridge. They could do with a bit of TLC – or do we class that as “patina”?
There was quite a lot in the way of nature going on and I was thrilled to finally see a Reed Warbler! You often hear them chittering away in the reeds but this was the first one I’d ever seen. Shame I could not get a pic in time. I also saw my first Yellow Flag Iris of the year (see pic) and my first dog rose of the year (no pic). We heard some bird of prey calls and were surprised to see several of them, all in one tree. (bad pic)
As it neared lunchtime, the banks were so poor, I was beginning to think i’d have to go all the way down to the basin and then I spotted a handy bit of armco and pulled over. It wasn’t ideal for solar but would do. Especially as we shall be on hook-up on Friday and Saturday night. And it’s lovely and quiet.
Sadly, we left a chain behind on our mooring when we set off on Friday morning. I say we, but just for clarity, it wasn’t me! But with chains, it’s swings and roundabouts. You lose one, you find one.
It was a pleasant cruise down to the basin in Market Harborough – and nice to know that we had a guaranteed spot for two nights. We checked in and settled down to do some cleaning and chamfering up in readiness for our guests, who would be arriving that evening. It was a bit hot but we rewarded ourselves with a beepy!
George, Bethany and Chester arrived at around 8pm and we went straight over the Waterfront Pub for supper. They were staying at a nearby Premier Inn – just as they had done when they last visited us on board, back in 2024. Dear old Uncle D was with them that time.
We had a nice meal and it was lovely sitting outside in the warm evening air. Finally a bit of decent weather! After dinner, they left to get Chester into bed and they’d be back in the morning. We went back and watched a bit of TV and then retired ourselves.
There were a few jobs to do – toilet, water etc. – but we were ready for them when they arrived. Chester was quite excited and we had to lay down a few ground rules – like not being allowed out on deck without his lifejacket on – and then we were off.
It was a beautiful day and we had a pleasant cruise down to the winding hole that I had noted on the way down on Thursday. Chester (and his Mum, truth be told) had a little pre-prandial nap. George got off and walked with the boys for a spell and then we winded and made our way back to our planned lunch spot.
As we had cruised back, a lamb was bleating pitifully and Paul was convinced that he’d got his head stuck in the fence. George went to the rescue, doing a massive leap off the bow. Of course, by then, the lamb had removed his head. But they were a friendly pair and were happy to let George pet them. Very cute.
We had a fairly lingering lunch and then set off again. When George was little, he had enjoyed his “Super Soaker” water pistol, and I had bought one for Chester. We brought it into play on the return leg and he absolutely loved it and Nanny and Grandad got absolutely soaked, but it was quite refreshing! And he found it quite hilarious!
The pub was closed for a private function that evening and so we had some fish and chips, before our guests toddled off. We had a relaxing evening – although as we went to bed, both quite tired, the party was still going strong. Thank goodness for my Ring Dreams (earplugs).
Our guests were schedule to go home after lunch on the Sunday. They rocked up about 10-ish and Paul went with them in the car to a play park. As there was only room of 1 extra person in their car, I stayed behind and looked after the dogs. It was too hot for them – and for me too, if I’m honest!
The gang departed after lunch, as planned, and we set off back down towards Foxton. The plan was to do the flight the next day – Bank Holiday Monday. Temperatures were predicted to be as high as 33C so we hoped we could get in early. We moored back at our nice spot and settled down for the evening.
We had received some news about one of our regular crew members – our nephew Lenny – who had been admitted hospital. He has a cyst at the base of his spine, which was very painful. It required immediate surgery and he finally went down to theatre at about 10 pm after a very long wait and no food since breakfast – that’s close to abuse for a 16 year old male! I was asleep when my brother messaged me to say he was out and all was well – although I knew it would be.
We had removed the windows from the portholes and slept with the bow doors wide open, thus ensuring a more comfortable sleeping temperature. We close the blind over the aperture, leaving a gap at the bottom so that the air can get in. And it worked. A very comfortable night’s sleep, although a little too short for my liking!
The alarm went off at 6 and we sprang into action. It was a beautiful morning and still quite cool and refreshing – but that wasn’t to last. By the time we got to the junction and emptied the toilet, you could already feel the heat.
We saw the – what’s the collective noun for a number of Red Kites (see below*)? – in the tree near the stinky glue factory, where we had seen them on the way down. It’s so lovely to see them, but almost impossible to take a good picture!
The locks opened at 08:00 and we were the first boat up the flight. And this was a first for Old Nick – we have locked down twice here, but never up. It took about an hour to do the 10 locks, and we were helped all the way by a very friendly and helpful volunteer. We were very glad we had made an early start though. There was quite the queue of boats waiting at the top and we did not envy them one bit!
We hit the top lock just before 09:00 and immediately placed an order for a bacon sarnie and a latte from the Top Lock Coffee Stop. Very nice. We didn’t go much further as the skipper had decreed that, as it was going to be a scorcher, we could moor in shade and to hell with solar! Unprecedented! But delightfully cool. We decided we might move on a bit, once the heat had gone out of the day, but you’ll have to wait until next week to find out if we did!
Lenny – in case you were wondering – was fine when I chatted with him on Monday morning and would be released “as soon as possible”. Anyone who has ever been in hospital will know that could be a long wait . Usually the hold-up is the pharmacy issung meds and that seems as if it will be the case for Len. It was an anxious time for us all, but hopefully he’ll be on the mend very soon. .
///convinced.save.earful
And next week brings more guests, whom we will be meeting at our favourite Welford Wharf. Stay cool!
* A ‘wake’ possibly, which is the same as the collective noun for buzzards. Other unofficial terms include ‘husk’, ‘kettle’ and ‘soar’, but I think in this case, it’s probably a ‘roost’ – which refers to ” a communal gathering where they sleep overnight”, which is unique for birds of prey.
| Period | Miles | Locks |
| 18th May to 25th May | 22 | 10 |
| Cumulative 2026 | 80 | 27 |