Foxton Locks

Monday 8th July 2013
After using the facilities here for one last time we set off from Market Harborough at about 8.30 heading for Foxton Locks.
There was a boat ahead of us, which had just left its mooring, and we thought that we might have some help at one of the two swing bridges along this section. It wasn't to be, they moored up before the first bridge.
At Foxton Bridge, the first you come to going this way, we met a boat coming the other way, as luck would have it, we arrived first so it was Cath who did the work. The lady from the other boat got off and stood around like a lemon, because there is nothing you can do to help in these circumstances. Instead of just getting back on her boat she waited until Cath closed the bridge, then tried to help by opening the barrier on her side. Unfortunately this caused Cath some problems because she hadn't opened the gate fully and engaged it into its lock so the bridge wouldn't let Cath have her key back and she had to work out why. Oh well, that's life.
We plodded on to the bottom of the locks, and I walked up to book in with the keeper. I found her at the top and she reckoned it would be about 2 hours before we could start up.
As predicted, it was 12.30 before we started up the flight. All went perfectly and the whole thing took just over 30 minutes, a very fast passage indeed.
She had two of the new volunteer lock keepers to help her, and they were excellent .

At the top we stopped to award ourselves an ice cream from the cafe and discuss our next move. We decided to moor up here, just around the corner from the top. Tomorrow we'll motor on to Welford. We've passed the Welford Arm several times now, but never ventured down it, so now's the chance.
Here's where we are:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=52.4971,-0.983427&spn=0.003547,0.010568&t=h&z=17