A long day on the Ashby

Sunday 22nd May; Burton Hastings to Congerstone

It was a long day because, having calculated our route to get us to Crick for the show, I had failed to allow for the fact that we had left home some days later than the original plan!  So after a boaters’ meeting and some agonising we hope we have a workable plan which will involve some longer than usual cruising days and probably need the car to get to the show.

Anyway, the rain stopped during the night and it was a lovely sunny morning, and I put my shorts on.  The Ashby is very pretty, and the bridges are most attractive.

We soon went through the Land of the Pylons mentioned by nb Valerie (sorry folks, we spotted the baby  pylons a few years ago!)

 

There are two lines of pylons crossing here and the stumpy ones carry one set under the other.  But they do look rather comical I think.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the sunshine this morning – I think this ranks a close second to boating.

We stopped briefly in Hinckley for a few things in the shop on Coventry Road and went on past Trinity Marina where more people were enjoying the lovely morning – some chaps with three radio-controlled boats.  Two quite big and serious ones, a warship of some kind, and we couldn’t tell what the second one was but it had a lot of superstructure.  The third looked like a child’s toy.  When they saw me trying to take photos the third boat set off in hot pursuit.  Look very carefully at the first picture and you will realise what is happening …..

The ‘seating arrangements’ are quite clear in the second picture.  Written on the ‘deck’ was Just a little potty and in case you didn’t notice, it is fitted with a water-jet!  We thought it was in very poor taste laughed like a drain even though the camera got a bit wet!

We stopped briefly at Spinneybank farm shop where I got a small pork joint for tea tonight, then stopped at Sutton Wharf services for the necessaries.  We thought we would stop at the next bridge and go for a walk in the Bosworth battlefield country park but couldn’t find anywhere to moor – either overgrown, shallow or impossible to get a stake in.  So we had a late lunch somewhat further along and no walk. 

We carried on but after a while we just wanted to moor up.  When there are no locks you get a bit tired of just going along, however pretty the surroundings.  The further reaches of the Ashby are an SSSI and we found a glorious spot a few hundred yards past this notice, near Congerstone.

I seem to remember there was a lot of fuss about this when a gathering was planned at the terminus as to start with boats were not going to be allowed any wild moorings so only a few boats could have attended.  And how can you not discharge grey water?  Someone clearly was annoyed by it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our little Sunday roast (with excellent crackling!) at this lovely peaceful mooring.  Dave even got a TV signal for some football match an England friendly.

13 miles