Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE YEARS BETWEEN BOATS

KENT GREEN & THE LEICESTER RING

August 1986

Part 1 : Kent Green to Leicester

Wendy, myself, Ian and Peter were our usual quartet for Summer cruises in our years between boats. I don't recall why in '86 Peter wasn't able to be with us for the whole time. As in every year since 1983 we hired from what was then Dyecraft at Kent Green on the Macclesfield. This year we had their boat The Roaches - the same one as in 1983 - and planned to do the Leicester Ring.

Wendy, Ian & I came up by train from Clapham Junction direct to Stoke-on-Trent. At Willesden Junction the train's PA system announced that we were now in the safe hands of BR Midland (?) Region. We did the provisioning in Kidsgrove (ugh!) because of a lack of taxis at the right time for what we'd planned, then went to the boatyard. Frank Dye & his assistant Jack were very welcoming, Twitt (the younger dog) was in fine fettle but it looked as though Cosgrove (the older one) had joined his ancestors.

We set off at 14:25 to Hall Green stop lock, Harding's Wood Junction and the Trent & Mersey Canal. A sunny run in what appeared to be very keen angling territory brought us to Sideway bridge by 19:11.

It was very rainy, so we had a lie-in and breakfast before a late (09:21) start, by which time the rain had stopped and Ian had taken a tough nylon potato-sack off the blade. There was a lot of traffic in both directions, plus kingfishers & herons. Flowers were pretty, with tasteful arrangements of meadow-sweet with rose-bay willow-herb or poor man's orchids, or with purple vetch or bright blue cranes-bill. Rain started again at Haywood lock and we moored below Colwich lock at 18:20.

Again we woke to the sound of pouring rain, so we listened to the forecast, which suggested a lull in the weather later in the morning. We started at 06:35 with me at the helm in heavy rain, cheered by the sight of herons, kingfishers and a red kitten between Colwich & Rugeley. Wendy took over the helm (in less weather) at Rugeley. At Handsacre we stopped for Ian to serve breakfast, and the rain set in again.

After breakfast we went on to take on water at Fradley junction. We had lunch on the move. The rain cleared up late in the day & encouraged us to go on. We moored for the night at Barrow-on-Trent at 18:58. We were worried about the Soar possibly being in flood. Canalphone didn't even know it was August! I rang Peter with some alternatives for meeting him tomorrow. We'd confirm to him which to aim for once we saw what the Soar was doing.

There was no rain, we set off at 07:01 and made good time to Derwent Mouth. A BW man whom we met exercising his dogs (one of them was sixteen - a grand age) was optimistic about the state of the Soar because of all the flood prevention work that's been done. We had a very fast run down the bit of the Trent from Derwent Mouth to Soar Mouth, with a lot of current behind us, then made quite a fun turn across the current into the Soar, where we needed a lot more power to make any speed against the current.

We stopped above Kegworth shallow lock and 'phoned Peter to confirm a rendezvous at Loughborough. We were pleased to see that a lot more gardens here seemed to be consciously water-side and proud of it. We stopped at The Albion, Loughborough, and shopped. Peter arrived. We rang Frank to fix a rendezvous for tomorrow to see about the engine cutting out at low revs. This was a potentially noisy overnight mooring - not only a pub car park but a boarding kennels with poultry, a goat, a kid and a palomino pony (the last being the quietest). We saw the pony apparently exercising the kid along the towpath. However the pub closed early (by corrupt London standards) and all was quiet, except, at times ourselves.

I think I must have been too busy to take any photos that day.

We were woken by conventional cockerels. There was heavy rain as we got up, but it slowed to a drizzle as we started at 06:17 (Peter at the helm) then dried up completely. Ian did breakfast on the move. There were pretty locks, especially Mountsorrel, Cossington & Junction. This is a land of impressive cats, also of many boats with bobtails - seemingly very pleasant but probably a good deterrent to burglars. At Junction Lock we met two local boaters who confirmed that we weren't unreasonable to have worried about the state of the Soar. Above Thurmaston lock we made our rendezvous with Frank, who did things to the engine and to the heater.

We then had quite a hard-working afternoon, passing through Leicester and on to the Leics & Northants Union Canal section. At Ervin's lock, one bottom paddle was jammed shut, and the other was jammed open. We admitted defeat but backing the boat out of the lock disturbed whatever was jamming the second paddle, so we were able to lock through. By this time it was 19:31 and the only possible overnight mooring was the lock mooring or immediately beyond. We only inconvenienced two boats by using the lock mooring, and we intended to be away early next day. A good view here.