Finger stretching in the sky

0630 up of coffee then of at 0730 to rendevous with Mat and Kerry at North Kilworth. Beautiful morning and beatiful canal with distant views over the wheat field to distant church spires. Yes its like that along this section. Picture book England. Dropped SL into tickover to admire the view longer. Some photos below.

Now we havn't had a poem this year so to sum up what better for this area of Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border than a few words from the Northamptonshire poet John Clare:

There ruminating 'neath some pleasant bush,
On sweet silk grass I stretch me at mine ease,
Where I can pillow on the yielding rush;
      And, acting as I please,
Drop into pleasant dreams; or musing lie,
      Mark the wind-shaken trees,
      And cloud-betravelled sky.

The canal clings to the 412 ft contour for the 25 miles from Watford until it can no longer keep this height and ends at what appears to be at first sight a cliff edge at Foxton Leicestershire. 'Like a finger stretching into the sky" And this is where the work and confusion starts.

Foxton Locks

Foxton Locks

 Lots of onlookers at the locks but we didnt have to queue. Sharp right at the bottom of the locks onto the Market Harborough branch. The swing bridge gave a few problems but brute force from Joanne got us through. (See below)

Then into Market harborough and a very nice mooring in the basin. We of course are on our way to the IWA national festival in Burton on Trent. The very first festival by the Inland Waterways Assoc

festival was here in 1950.

Market Harborough