David: Volunteer lock keepers

COMING up Watford Locks in the rain and single handed I was pleased to receive assistance from a volunteer lock keeper and a kind lady from the boat behind. The keeper told me that Watford and Foxton will be largely staffed by volunteers this year; there are two paid lock keepers, but their remit includes Braunston, Buckby and Hillmorton as well, so their main function will be to fill in when the scheduled volunteer is not available, which he said generally only happens because of illness. It remains to be seen how well this arrangement will work out.

Condition improved

I haven't been along the Leicester Line since 2008 and the condition seems to have improved. A lot of spot dredging has been done, which makes it possible to use more of the piling for mooring and so far the bankside vegetation has been recently cut, which makes a big difference. Some attention to offside growth would be very welcome. It's still difficult to tie up at Yelvertoft though, since most of the decent bank is given over to permanent moorings; it really is high time this was changed.

New guide book

By a happy chance Michael Pearson's new East Midlands Guide was published just in time for me to buy one at the Braunston Boat Shop. The previous East Midlands has been out of print for many years and this one covers somewhat different territory—basically the Leicester Line, the Erewash, the Trent as far as Cromwell Lock, the Chesterfield and even the Grantham. Very much up to the usual standard and I hope it is a success for him. If he would only do the Nene and East Anglia he would have covered almost the entire system.

David Hymers