Leicester Ring - Day 1

Leicester Ring

Narrowboats Romajech and Blue Adeline, on our first big trip - anticlockwise round the Leicester Ring starting from Sawley.  The Ring goes west on the Trent to Derwent Mouth, then the Trent and Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction, followed by the Coventry Canal and eventually north up the river Soar through Leicester and Loughborough and back.  A total of 154 miles and 101 locks.

Starting off, guerrilla lunch and the safety hat line - Sawley to Weston

We set off despite warnings of gale force winds and torrential rain, checked out the wind direction and exited the marina in an orderly manner.  Proves how useful a little yellow burgee can be.  The Trent was on orange, with currents quite strong and at Derwent Mouth both boats fought current and wind to get into the relative quiet of the Trent & Mersey.  We moored above Shardlow lock for lunch and sat in the sunshine on picnic chairs.  We realised we were dining dangerously when an unamused driver told us "You do realise this is the approach road for six or seven houses down here".  Several cars later, we'd perfected guerrilla lunching and adroitly moved chairs, table and ourselves out of the way between bites.

A Benny Hill figure on a small bicycle pedalled towards us, pulled out his mobile phone and entangled his legs in the bike at the same time losing his balance in balletic slow motion.  Pete was reminded of a Hell's Angel in Skipton market place, who performed a similar feat to the great delight of several hundred shoppers landing his chopper on the ground despite his best efforts.  Fortunately our cyclist saved his bike and told us he was trying to find a mooring space for his boat, which turned up a few minutes later, using the bank as a brake and coming to a halt button to button with Romajech.

After converting a group of cyclists to the new philosophy of guerrilla lunching (they suggested the M25 as our next outing) we set off again via Aston and Weston locks.  A gust took Jan's hat onto the canal but the solution arrived with the following boat; a man with a special safety line for his hat attached to a little metal tab on his shirt.  He demonstrated, tipping the hat forward off his head whereupon it hung neatly from the line.  He told us he often gets funny looks in shops.

We moored just above Weston Lock, during a brief thunderstorm for a supper of baked beans on toast, didn't get struck by lightening and celebrated with a few drinks.  Tomorrow is, as Scarlett O'Hara said, another day.