Canal Trip
10 owners from Ashby Court signed up for a canal trip on the Ashby Canal on Tuesday 22 nd July. The weather forecast suggested changeable warm weather, cloudy sometimes, sunny sometimes and the possibility of showers, so we prepared for everything. We set off from the Court at 9.20 to arrive at Bosworth Marina in good time for a 10.00 a.m. start. Our
hosts were Nigel and Margaret and our boat was the 43 foot cruiser Harry and Sally.
We set off on time and turned southward past the Shenton Aqueduct, King Richard’s Field and the Bosworth Battlefield Centre. We moored briefly at Sutton Cheney Wharf where those who wanted to could stretch their legs for a few minutes and look at the various duck families which abounded there. By this time we had noticed that the canal was not as full as usual due to the recent dry weather, but that the foliage and trees adjoining the canal were very full, the trees in particular causing the steersperson to have to duck from time to time. From Sutton Cheney we turned around to find a quiet place to have our lunch.
We stopped near Shenton Aqueduct but could not moor close to the towpath because of the water level. We had all brought our own lunches and drinks were provided by Nigel and
Margaret. Continuing northward we passed Bosworth Marina and travelled a little further before turning around again and ended the trip just after 3.00pm. Happily the showers did not materialise, the clouds generally kept high and the sun came out a few times, just as forecast. We saw many farm animals, sheep, cattle, alpaca and one piebald donkey which surprised many of us. The birdlife on and around the canal was extensive.
We saw many families of swans and ducks and a number of moorhens. Swifts and maybe swallows also appeared. The star of the trip, however, was the plant life along the banks of the canal. There were pink and white flowers between the abundant bullrushes and many of the trees
and bushes were fruiting early. We saw blackberries, sloes and crab apples a’plenty. Three of us took up the offer of steering the boat for a while under Nigel’s guidance. We went under 22 bridges many dfferent. All in all it was a great day, a peaceful day travelling at walking pace (one keen hiker on the towpath overtook us). Many thanks to Nigel and Margaret for their
organisation and help.
