Day 4 - Fleckney to Leicester

Set off from the lovely mooring at Fleckney. I had thought of walking to the church but didn’t get up in time. I have a vague recollection of being moored here before, I think I intended to walk to the church then but didn’t make it that time either.

Another warm and sunny day.  The eighteen locks to Leicester were hard work and when we met up with a boat coming down from Leeds and tell him where we’re going he says, ‘Aye Lass, you’ll have muscles on your spit by the time you get home.’

The very rural, rolling countryside of Leicestershire opened out as we got towards Leicester. Graffiti appeared on the lock gates, we’re still a few miles from the town so at least the graffiti artists got a good walk in the open air before they defaced the gates. Once we got into the outskirts of town the graffiti was more numerous and more professional.

We moor up against a C&RT work boat at the Castle Gardens and stroll into Leicester to meet up with Jenny and Gary for a meal. We go to the Cosy Club, a converted knitwear factory.  It is a place that is evocative of the old industry of Leicester and a lovely ‘townie’ place to visit in contrast to the rural pubs we usually go into.

Day 5 – Leicester to Loughborough

A quick visit to Leicester market and then we were off again. I notice we are a week late for the Leicester Water Festival. We were warned that the water levels of the Soar were low. They were, we scraped along the bottom and when Bob checked the weed hatch he untangled a length of red and gold sari.

In Loughborough we stopped at Loughborough Wharf and met up with Sophie, Bob’s lovely grand-daughter, who is a student at Loughborough University. She had finished her last exam that day and was planning a night catching up with her washing. A night watching her washing go around or a meal out with Grandad? We won but I think it was a close-run contest.

So it was a walk through Loughborough and a meal at one of the town pubs.

Day 6 – Loughborough to Nottingham

It was another cool, grey morning that metamorphosed into a warm sunny day. Uneventfully up to Radcliffe and turned right onto the Trent. Beautiful wide-open waters. Even the boat seems happier on deeper water. It’s early evening when we get to Nottingham and we eschew a night out on the town for a meal onboard and a game of scrabble. After all at our age three nights out in a row could be too much of a good thing.