On Monday (12/09/2021) morning we set off again and made our way back up the Welford Arm and back onto the Grand Union Canal Leicester Section.
We were often hemmed in by the prolific plant life along the banks.
The trees and bushes were laden with berries and rose hips and elderberries joined the tally. Steve and Vera trotted along the towpath as Hilary steered the narrowboat.
Erie looking wind turbines turned lazily in the breeze under a cloudy sky.
We moored up at Yelvertoft at 13:00 and walked into the village. Cyclists puffed up the hill on the road that we walked in on.
We were hoping to get something to eat at the Knightley Arms but were dismayed to find it was closed until further notice.
Hilary looked through the window and deduced that the landlord had probably done a bunk. Later that day Steve cycled passed a man on a stepladder reclaiming his floral hanging baskets on the pub.
Further investigation led to this post on their Facebook page: I NEED YOUR HELP
The Wellington Pub Company (WPC) is not regulated. They are freehold properties. Consequently, they can do whatever they like, which doesn't mean it's right!!! 😡
Other pub chains have only charged rent on the living quarters during shutdowns 👌🏻
During this pandemic, WPC offered a take it or leave it package, called a 365 deal. 3 months 0% rent and 6 months 50% rent in exchange for 5 years extension on the lease 😒
I have closed the doors on the Knightley Arms, as I just don't accept the ways in which WPC operate. I've had enough!!!
I am both sad and angry, because we need compassion and understanding, but most of all a charitable offering from these wolves.....
Our communities are dying, in more ways than one. Our brothers and sisters are devastated and lonely, especially the older folk who've drank in our pubs for decades!!! Nobody can put a value on that, because memories are priceless and unforgettable, and woven into our souls, etched in our minds. That is the meaning of life! Community and love!
It's business I hear some of them/you cry.... no, this is about survival and recognising and acknowledging what is truly important here - our lives and mental health!
I am organising a protest, outside Millbank Tower in London (WPC HQ) - DATE AND TIME TO BE CONFIRMED, we need to be seen & heard!! All of us, both sides of the bar!!
If you want to get involved, please let me know - you can either join us on the day or help in some other capacity like contacting all the main news channels, sharing our posts etc.
I WANT THEM TO LOOK US ALL IN THE EYES AND EXPLAIN WHY THEY THINK THIS IS OK
⚔️🛡️⚔️
The award-winning Italian-style butcher/deli was also closed.
We decided not to try the online options available including the delivery of ready meals to our boat as Steve would get on the trusty new bicycle and go to the Co-op in Crick.
A toilet requirement made it necessary for Steve to pop into the Red Lion in Crick while he was there.
On Monday (13/09/2021) we called in to Crick Marina to fill up with diesel. We passed another narrowboat which had a motorbike on board. This one had an ageing Yamaha.
We passed Yelvertoft Marina but it didn’t have an obvious diesel station.
It took 59.9 litres of red diesel to fill us up.
We then moored by the bridge at Crick and walked to the Heart of England Cooperative. This was a green livery co-op, rather than our blue livery co-op for which we had membership discount cards for.
Next stop was the Crick Wharf C&RT Services for water and to empty the Elsan toilet cassette. Hilary was happy now as the boat was full and the laundry was done.
Our long Wilko £8 anti-kink hose needed radical unkinking before we could fill up the tank and then we set off to tackle Foxton Locks next.
First we had to pass through Crick Tunnel which was 200 years old on August 9th 2014.
The Grand Union Canal splits into different Arms and here at Crick the Leicester Arm lies to the east of the village with Crick Tunnel in the south east. Along this stretch of the canal there is the marina at Crick where an annual boat show is held.
This Arm of the canal is not in its original, planned position. It was thought that the canal could pass to the west of the village but this was not practical and the route we see today was quickly created.
It was in 1808 that the idea was formed to create the Arm of the Grand Union Canal from Braunston to Market Harborough. Businessmen and local landowners met to suggest different routes; these included Crick to Hillmorton, Crick to Willoughby or Braunston and Crick to Norton.
It was the Crick to Norton route which was selected with a planned 946-yard tunnel and a shortened line via the valleys around Crick with additional embankments. In 1810 work began with two local brick makers chosen to supply the 2 million bricks needed for the tunnel costing 32 Shillings for each thousand. There were over 350 men employed on the canal's construction by the 23rd March in 1811 who were paid per cubic yard of earth that was dug and wheeled.
Unfortunately a major problem in November 1811 was discovered when test boring showed strata faults with loose sand. The tunnel had already been started with the digging of a deep cutting. All of the work had to be abandoned, after much discussion, and a new route to the east of Crick was quickly planned. Today there is still a cutting noticeable at the original site from Well Hills to Tunnel Farm.
The new route was not without its difficulties. In October 1813 over half of the tunnel we see today was constructed but a fall at shaft no. 10 saw a man die in an accident. Eventually on 29th July 1814 the tunnel was completed and it was opened on 9th August 1814.
Ongoing problems ensued with brick falls inside the tunnel within the first year of operational use. Further falls in 1847 and 1854 saw minor damage. However, in 1867 a whole section of the tunnel collapsed during repair work, causing the tunnel's closure for some weeks. During this period many tradesmen lost money as their busy route was now blocked.
There was only one boat ahead of us in the queue for Foxton Locks and the last boat coming up was in the second lock so we had about half an hour to wait, enough time for lunch before entering the top lock at 13:50 hrs.
We came out of the bottom lock and made it to moor up at Norton Junction at 15:00 hrs. Along the way we passed the base of Weltonfield Narrowboats.
We trotted down to the New Inn but it was closed and we returned to the boat to read our books and watch Nice Perfect Strangers episode 5.
The pretty little Toll House cottage at Norton Junction is now almost completely hidden by a weeping willow tree.
Steve and Vera played with the ball thrower until the tennis ball was lost in the canal and Steve had a silent disco with his MP3 player on the stern. We watched Coronation Street and The Narrowboat Pirate on YouTube. We had met the Pirate Boat when we cruised the canals of Scotland a experienced the Falkirk Wheel. Check them out at https://youtube.com/c/TheNarrowboatPirate
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