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