Victor: Things get better

AND SO to Foxton and its famous locks, and an astounding difference—every lock gate swung with a gentle touch and stayed either open or shut; the paddles were a joy to operate and very little leakage.

For of course Foxton Flight is a showpiece for Canal & River Trust with even its own large car park, so everything must be just so—yet we were the only boat on the flight and not a single visitor.

No permanent lock keeper

But there was a volunteer, our first since leaving Sawley, but he soon lost interest as he realised we knew what we were doing, but yet again no permanent lock keeper—clearly showing, notwithstanding the promises, they had been dispensed with.

Previously, a boater on an Anglo Welsh hire boat told us he was waiting an hour and half at the top, as the three volunteer lock keepers had let two up, but instead of then allowing him down, wasted the water by letting a further two up, obviously being indecisive.

Jan told the woman on that boat that they are only volunteer lock keepers who can't make a decision, with the woman stating that she had to agree.

With not a visitor in sight getting in the way on the bridges of the flight, going up the locks was the best ever, for being the only boat there was no waiting half-way, so from entering the first lock to leaving the last it took just 48 minutes, that was a record for us.

Summit pound

Then it was the scenic summit pound, that we love so well, with hardly a boat for miles until well past the Welford Arm even though a Saturday. It was then into Sunday when on the southern part of the section that lots of both moored and moving boats appeared, mostly nice and shiny with hardly a mark, Jan believing they were obviously week-enders from the marinas.

There is a vast difference in the summit pound from when we first cruised it some 16 years ago when Crick Marina was small and the only marina on the pound, but now there is also Yelvertoft Marina as well as the 'cram-'em-in' extended Crick with its narrow berths, all bringing more and more boats, yet very few seem to venture North through Leicester, if the complete lack of boats is anything to go by.

Another marina

And soon there will be another marina, for despite objections going back many years, permission has been given for North Kilworth Marina, with work just starting, that will bring in even more boats to the summit pound, as it has permission for around 250 berths, so cruising will obviously be much more fraught than it was way back in those early days, especially if they prefer cruising South like the others.

But alas here again, very often nothing can be seen of the countryside as vegetation is rife, with the seemingly statutory setting of weeds making it even worse. Little wonder the only walkers we saw on the whole section were dog walkers, as anyone visiting the canal would be hard put to even see it, as the picture clearly shows, yet the grass has been cut for those non existent walkers.

Then it was Watford Flight with again, a quick journey down, with what we thought was a real lock keeper, but alas no, he was the volunteers supervisor, telling us he was in charge of 126 volunteers working the various locks of the area, making a point of telling that they were a good bunch who knew what they were doing working with the public.