Long Buckby

Today's Canals - Grand Union: Leicester Section, Main Line

It was a very pleasant morning when we set off for a rather short trip to the Long Bucky locks. Today was to be a partial car shuffle day.

We passed the entrance to the small Welton Hythe marina and then  Weltonfield Boatyard where we took a temporary mooring a few years ago and also had an engine service.

We paused just before the junction to fill up with water, in case the tap close to the top lock was occupied (it often is!)

The distance marker at the junction is only partly helpful: we have come from Leicester (so know just how long that is) but we are not going to Braunston!

A friendly volunteer lock keeper welcomed us to the top lock. After a quick empty of the elsan we dropped down just the first lock and, as advised, found a mooring above the second lock - we had been planning to go one more so that we would be close to the road into the station but the lockie advised that above would be better.

Sileby and Long Buckby are on very different rail lines - the former out of St Pancras and the latter out of Euston. As always, a journey that crosses the former railway company boundaries is complicated. In this case, the first train took Mike one stop to Rugby. The second, again only one stop, to Nuneaton. There were four stops to Leicester where there was a slightly longer wait for the final leg of the train journey, two stops to Sileby.

Long Buckby station was somewhat over a mile along a busy road although there was a path or verge for most of the way.

All of the trains were on time (OK, so one was one minute late), they were clean and comfortable, two of them were electrified stock. The staff were friendly. Compared with just over three weeks ago, mask wearing was the exception - perhaps 30% of passengers with one.

At the other end, Sileby is a shorter distance - and slightly downhill. After collecting the car it was a straightforward drive back to Long Buckby.

After a reviving cup of tea, we drove to the village to pick up a few supplies at the local Co-Op.

1.4 Miles - 1 Lock