Were have a regular (ish) Zoom call with a friend from our time in Wadebridge. It gives an opportunity to keep up with events down there, even though it is now five years since we moved away. Watching recently a stream of an event in Truro Cathedral did bring home to us how personnel have changed and where we would once have known quite well all the main participants (and others) we could recognise more than perhaps two or maybe three.
Today's call began at 10:30 and at least we had a reasonable mobile signal and the connection only froze for a few short moments. It was around 11:45 when we finished and quickly untied the boat to set off as planned.
As we knew we would be late leaving we only planned a short trip today, just a few miles and one lock, In addition, the weather forecast last night did suggest rather a lot of rain during the day, interspersed with some sunshine. As soon as the rain clouds spotted that we were casting off they opted to unleash some water - but only a very light shower and brief as well. The White Horse towpath bridge crosses part of the downstream mill race for a Mill serving the once small village of Birstall. Wikipedia suggests that there was a mill here in Domesday times.
The river winds around the flood plain and a lot of substantial vegetation has grown up, making it loo very scenic. Alas, it also makes it difficult for the steer and in this photo, the growth from the gtwo side was so close together that the boat was swept by both.
As we passed the almost hidden entrance to Leicester Marina blue sky and sunshine broke through for a while. Two boats that passed us as we cast off - they had just come down the lock - turned into the marina so we anticipated that we would not have long to wait at the one lock we planned to work through today.
Thurmaston has quite a substantial weir stream that takes most of the river flow around the lock. On the other side of the stream is Watermead Country Park, with its memorial to King Lear.
As is often the case with river navigations, the change in level can be very different from one to the next. Here it is quite shallow, officially 1.07 m. A boat was just starting on its way up so we had to pull to the side. Two small cruisers were inappropriately moored which meant that a more complicated manoeuvre than need be but we did need to leave enough room for the other boat to come out safely. They left both sets of top gate paddles open "as it makes it easier to close them" - does it and what about the standard instruction to close them on departure? Christine did feel that they had nio had much prior experience before hiring this boat at Barton Turns Marina.
The Hope and Anchor pub looked very neglected when we passed it last year. It had once been a Green King Hungry Horse family pub-diner but closed in that format in 2024 after it was seriously flooded. From the canal it looks as if the new owners still have a lot to do and its web site is only in the early stages of construction.
We had heard that the water point on the edge pf the pub car park had been removed but a tap is still visible. We did not stop to check if it also supplied water! It does not appear on the CaRT map but neither is it listed on the set of boater facilities that have been closed! (We shall have to wait and see what there is at Barrow Mill which is also inconsistently listed) It may, of course, have been that the Hope and Anchor water point was never CaRT's responsibility anyway = this sometimes happened. It may also no longer work! It did last year though.
And so to the junction with the once-navigable River Wreake (known as the Melton Mowbray Navigation to where it once ran and here it joined with the Oakham Canal)
Just beyond is Junction Lock but we planned to moor immediately above. There is plenty of good armco to tie to and also a long stretch of river below with little real opportunity to stay the night.
5.2 Miles - 1 Lock
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