FOXTON LOCKS and MARKET HARBOROUGH
Jan. 17th
After our short break to warm up yesterday
we continued to the Foxton Locks. Mike suggested we lead since they had not
experienced any engine problems all morning. After a while we lost sight of
them. We became concerned and slowed way down and eventually pulled over. When
they finally came along side Mike said, “My bad. I was playing with my drone.”
We waved them on keeping a watchful eye on that rascal.
Before entering the locks, we stopped for
water and found that one station was frozen. We waited for the working faucet
hoping that we were going to make it in time before they closed the locks. It
was 2:00 when we stopped and the last boat is allowed to go through at 2:45.
Mike was flagged into the first lock by the lock keeper and Dave thought we had better be ready so stopped taking on water and prepared to enter the first lock once Mike was through. There were 3 lock keepers on duty. You cannot enter these locks without a lockkeeper present. They use huge chains to lock up the locks when they are not there. Lucky for Diane and I, the kind gentlemen on duty operated all the paddles. We just had one gate at each lock to open and close. They were well maintained locks, so it was an easy task.
The Foxton Locks is a staircase of 10 locks strung together spanning a 75-foot drop or rise depending on the direction you are going. We were heading down so when Mike slowly descended into the lock ahead of us, it looked like he was falling off the edge of the earth! It is a beautifully groomed area with picnic tables, museum, and pub. The gentleman helping me said that one summer’s day they had 4,000 people on the grounds watching the boats and picnicking. He said it isn’t the boats he worries about, it’s the dogs and kids that get far too close to the lock’s edge.
It's a long way down
While we were operating a lock a couple
brought their little one over. The mother had ahold of the excited boy’s
jacket, but he got dangerously close to the edge. He wanted to help the
volunteer close the gate and as he was doing so, all I could think about was
the little one slipping under the beam and falling. Yikes!
After descending the locks we turned onto the Market Harbrough canal and Diane was sent ahead to open the swing
bridge crossing the canal for Mike to pass. I met her down there and helped
swing it close. That was a new experience for both of us. A kind boater was
instructing Diane and loaned his canal key for her to operate the bridge.
The Duchess passing by the swing bridge
We soon pulled over and tied up by The
Black Horse, the local pub recommended by the lock volunteers. It had been a 7
hour day of boating, and we were ready for a drink.
We were set to shove off at 8:30 the next
morning but we were again surrounded by a layer of ice. We decided to wait
until it warmed up. Diane and I took that extra time to walk back up to The
Black Horse to their tearoom. We sat and enjoyed a scone, jam, clotted cream
and tea while waiting for the thaw. Lovely way to spend a morning.
A long green boat operated by a young man
we saw at the pub the night before passed by us before we left, and we were
glad that he would be blazing a trail cutting a path through the ice for us. We
motored down the canal and soon spotted our green trailblazer tied up to the
side of the canal. Drats! Now we are the ice breakers again. We crunched our
way through thick and thin ice for miles. We knew that once we reached the
harbor at Market Harborough which was the end of the line, we were going to
need to turn around.
David thought maybe it would be best to
turn around at one of the winding holes before reaching the harbor and moor
somewhere, but when he attempted to make a turn into the winding hole, the boat
was not budging. The floating ice wall prevented us from turning.
Stopping to discuss our options
We pulled up along side each other, and Mike walked down the tow path to investigate. He met a couple who told him that the harbor was clear, there were lots of mooring spots and it would be an easy turn for us. He commented that it was just the icy waters getting there that might be a problem.
Mike and Diane were game to give it a go so
they led the way. We made it to the Boater’s Station at the wharf after we
easily made the turn and found great moorage. We needed that happy ending to a
challenging day.
The wharf in Market Harborough is a
beautiful tranquil spot. The sun was shining and the snow on the paths was
glistening. Mike was trying to film the ducks slipping on the ice as they
waddled across. In no time at all we found ourselves at The Wharf Pub an hour
and a half before food would be served. That was no problem. Beer and
conversation passed the time perfectly.
The homes along the canal are large brick
two story homes with lovely gardens and lush lawns. The town itself is a thriving
village of shops, a museum, historical church and school. We hit the butcher, the baker and the museum as
well as some delightful shops before settling on an Italian restaurant, Costa
Nostra, for lunch.
At the museum we learned that not far from Market Harborough an
incredible archeological discovery was made by some amateur archeologists with
a metal detector. The Hallaton Treasure, a collection of over 5000 Iron Age
coins, was discovered in a field. Two
dog skeletons were found near the treasure and it is believed that they were buried
to “guard the treasure”. Also on display
was a 1st century Roman cavalry helmet found on a British site not a
Roman site which was unusual in itself. Some believe it had been placed in the ground as an offering to the
gods.
Market Harborough also was the center for ladies’ corset manufacturing. In the museum entrance there were artist’s ceramic corsets on display as well as the real thing in museum cases. What torture they had to be!
We loved our stroll through town and along the way we came upon a pick up truck hauling a small trailer. Mike and Diane placed bets on what they thought was in there. Diane went up and talked with the driver and found out there were 4 miniature ponies inside the trailer. We eventually realized we could see them through the small window at the front of the trailer. When Diane told him that she was from Northern California, he asked if she knew a guy named Wayne in Texas! I wonder if he realizes that California alone is almost 140% larger than size of the UK.
St. Dionysius was built in the 14th century and is still a place of worship today. The nearby school house was built in the 1600's and sits on carved pillars. It was used as a grammar school until 1892 and is now a meeting hall.
beautifully woven panels
We spent the evening playing cribbage and watching videos Mike had taken with his phone and drone. What an amazing perspective you get from the drone footage. For a time, it filmed Dave and I slicing through the ice as we motored along and then panned out into the breathtaking countryside. Dave wanted to bring his drone, but I discouraged it. We are glad Mike brought his. Video often captures an experience so much more vividly and with sound!
We have been blessed with sunny days the past
3 days even though the temperatures at night have dropped below freezing. It is
now Friday morning as I continue my blog, and we are waiting for a bit of thaw
before heading back to the Foxton Locks. We have 12 more days of boating and
now we are making a beeline to the Heyford Marina to drop off our boat. Not
looking forward to scrubbing out the coal dust and mud upon return. Ugh.
Update on Stats:
338 miles traveled
266 locks
984 bridges
409 hours on the engine
135 ½ gallons of diesel
21 bags of coal
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