Nottingham to Leicester

Our stay in Nottingham turned out to be very sociable and it was good to see Sam who came on board for an impromptu chat.  Then on Monday we were pleased to see John, Cath & Liam and enjoyed lunch at the Pizza Hut buffet.  The buffet was a first for Kev but won't be the last, our Nicholson's Guides have now been annotated with Pizza Huts.  

Looking back along the canal at Nottingham

While we were in Nottingham Chris & Geoff on Geordie Spirit caught us up so we travelled together until Trent End.  At this waterway crossroads we parted company as they were heading west and we were going south on the River Soar.

As Easter approached the river became very busy and on Good Friday we moored up on the outskirts of Loughborough.  The interesting market on Saturday was busy but Easter Sunday was the best day for a walk round with my camera.

An interesting mural in Loughborough

Spring flowers and the museum in Queens Park

Spring ducklings

On Easter Monday we moved on but not very far, just to the other side of Loughborough.
The next day we stopped near Syston and in the warm spring air decided to recommence painting Brent III.  We started gently with the red bands along the top of one side and we were able to complete the other side by mooring on the opposite bank the next day.  We were next to the Watermead Country Park so I enjoyed a walk round and a field of wooden animal statues caught my eye.

Wooden animals at Watermead

This robin stayed put for a photo

On Thursday we sailed into Leicester and passed the new moorings at Friars Mill in favour of the Castle Garden jetty.  A lot of redevelopment was underway in the city centre and the stalls in the new meat and fish market were excellent.  Kev bought some ingredients for his new speciality, a meat loaf consisting of layers of meat and sausage-meat encased in bacon.  We also bought some goats meat which made an excellent stew.

That night was rather noisy; at 1 o'clock a young man walked along the opposite bank shouting declarations of love to Denise who was presumably on the other end of the phone. It possibly ended badly because he suddenly went very quiet.  More disconcerting were the voices coming from the park because the park gates are locked at night.  The next day we moved back to the Friars Mill moorings where we had an interesting chat with the site manager and a peaceful night.

New moorings at Friars Mill, part of the restoration and development of the mill buildings by the council who are keen to encourage tourism and boaters.

The section of canal in Leicester runs from West Bridge to the Leicester City football ground and is known as the Straight Mile.

The view from one of the many bridges down the Straight Mile

I stopped on our walk to take a photo of the football stadium but when I turned to see Bess and Brinny waiting for me I thought it made a better picture.

Bess and Brinny waiting for me

Our journey from Nottingham to Leicster

Newark to Nottingham

We always enjoy stopping at Newark and this year was no exception.  The town is a good shopping centre and it's interesting to look round the different markets held in the square. And of course Kev and Geoff had to call in Just Beer.

This year our 4 yearly Boat Safety Scheme inspection is due so we arranged for Rick Tropman to come across on Saturday to do the check.  On Tuesday we left Newark heading upstream. 

Leaving Newark Town Lock

Our next stop was Hazelford Island where we had another stay of 6 days.  The island was full of birdsong, including raucous woodpeckers, and the heron standing on the weir became a familiar sight. 

The heron standing on the weir 

The rabbit population was thriving again which kept Bess and Brinny entertained.  On Friday Geoff and Chris turned back to Newark because Geoff needed to return home to Newcastle. We've enjoyed travelling together since leaving Tattenhall and were sorry to see them sail away.  

The next day we had a visit from Sarah who came over to the island on the long footbridge.   The weather had turned cool but it was cosy on the boat and ideal for chatting.

Looking along the footbridge to the lock and old lock house

On Monday the volunteer lock-keepers started back after their winter break so we had a helping hand at the locks and stopped on the pontoons at Gunthorpe.  I enjoyed a long walk in the sunshine with Bess and Brinny.

Brinny playing with a stick on the walk

It wasn't so sunny the next morning as we set off towards Gunthorpe Bridge 

Holme Pierrepont was our next stop, in the last few years we haven't been able to moor here because of the hydro-electric installation works.  This time we moored up against the high wall, it wasn't ideal because Brent III's roof was almost level with the top of the wall but it enabled us to stay.

The view from Brent III's roof, the entrance to Holme Lock is on the right

I was pleased to see the black swan was still in residence, we gave it some ryvita because we are a bread-free boat (most of the time!)

The black swan came back for more ryvita

We were moored alongside the National Water Sports Centre and Kev was keen to try our bike on the sports track.  I don't know what the serious cyclists thought when he sailed passed them using some electric boost.  Bess and Brinny had some exercise chasing after Kev on the bike and I walked round boosting my Fitbit step count.

After 3 days of exercise we were ready for a rest so moved onto Nottingham where we stopped in our usual spot outside Sainsburys.

Our journey from Newark to Nottingham