No locks, no tunnels

 

Typical Leicester Section scenery - near the A14

A glorious day's boating.  No clouds in the sky, a little cold and breezy but that did not matter, and attractive, very isolated countryside.  Lots of bird song, particularly the chiff chiff chiff of chiff-chaffs.  What more could one want?

We set off at 9:30 and crossed to the other side of the canal where there was a water point.  Having filled our tank we headed further north on the Leicester Section of the Grand Union Canal.  After Crick there is little sight of the outside world except for one large bridge where the busy A14 crosses the canal.  There are only 2 villages in the area but they are at least half a mile from the canal.

We stopped for lunch as cornish parties are a little difficult to manage whilst steering the boat and travelled for a further two hours in the afternoon mooring at Welford Junction where a minor branch of the canal goes off to the small village of Welford.  The purpose of this arm has little to do with the merits of Welford.  It was built to supply water to the Grand Union from a large reservoir located in the area.

Cruising details: 10.45 miles 0 locks 4 hours 45 mins travelling.