Foxton, Market Harborough and back to Foxton again! (10 miles round trip)

A slight split where the plywood joined the steel had created a good leak in the butty roof.  We needed a bucket overnight and the next day as the rain carried on.

Beautiful gardens on the outskirts of Market Harborough

The plan was to travel to Market Harborough (about 5 miles) for a couple of days and then return in time for the weekend to open the shop if the weather behaved enough!  The Market Harborough arm was originally intended to go all the way to Northampton, but lapsed into branch status at the basin.  A busy hire company provides most of the traffic back and forth along this relatively short canal.

Quiet tranquil moorings in Market Harborough

The sky brightened the following morning and Richard managed to reseal the split and get it all dried in time for the later showers.  Thank goodness!  I was really worried we would lose the plywood roof to the elements, if it all got soaked for a length of time.

Lots of hire boats waiting for their new skippers!

Good friend John aka 'Smudge' who also lives on a narrowboat, called in the next day to drop our car keys off, so we could collect it from Sawley.  (Very complicated, but we had planned for Richard's dad to move our car next time he visited family in Sawley, that's why he had the keys).
Anyway, Richard jumped on a train and promptly returned with the car and we found ourselves in Asda in Corby at midnight!  We do do things on the spure of the moment sometimes.

The other side of Union Wharf basin

Richard's brother took our car back to his house, to use for a couple of months after we had stocked up at the wholesalers, so once again we are carless, but we don't care less now we've got everything we need for a while.

It was such a gorgeous evening, we thought let's go boating!  Winding the boats in Union Wharf

Isn't it funny that when you make a mess of something, everyone is watching, but when you're husband performs a perfect 180 degree turn towing a butty, no-one was watching!
I cheered for him, then someone opened their sidehatch as if to say 'what just happened'!

Secret garden summerhouse with large rocks all around and steps down to the canal, gorgeous!

We spent the next hour or so gliding back towards Foxton locks with no rain or wind, idilic!!

Everywhere is so green.  This arm (Market Harborough arm) is extremely pretty and leafy

Fabulous garden with a wooded area also full of flowers and a sea of colour

Recently restored Great Bowden Hall, Grade 11 listed Victorian mansion, now apartments

Mooring up on the outskirts of Foxton on Friday night, we prepared ourselves for a potentially busy weekend amongst all the gongoozlers at the famous staircase locks around the corner........