On Sunday (05/09/2021) morning after listening to The Archers Omnibus we moved down to Union Wharf.
The history of Union Wharf Marina is rich and varied. The canal basin at Market Harborough is at the end of an arm running from the Grand Union Canal Leicester Line. It’s a bustling hire boat centre, as well as a popular destination from which to enjoy a canalside walk along the towpath. The Waterfront bar and restaurant attracts a social crowd by day and night, and modern apartment buildings overlook the basin. Union Wharf as you see it now, is a leisure hub.
We moved onto a pontoon with electrical hookup opposite the Union Wharf office, where they looked after the wharf and operated day boats and hire boats.
There was a C&RT toilet block and a shower at the services here, but the shower was currently out of order (unless you wanted a cold shower). The weather had changed and it was hot and sunny.
A man on the wharf was packing up his paddle board. His was solid, although many of them now are inflatable. He loved the paddle boarding revolution and told us that someone had paddle boarded across the Atlantic Ocean.
This picture is from National Geographic on March 10th 2017 and you can find out more at
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/stand-up-paddle-board-atlantic-chris-bertish if you want to have a go at the Pacific Ocean.
There were long term moorings opposite us and some nice apartments that had been redeveloped from old wharf buildings.
We were moored next to Chuffed which was the new home of a couple that had sold their Guest House in Keswick and were just starting a life of continuous cruising. Their adult children had moved into their new house.
There was the busy Waterside Bar & Restaurant where people from the day hire boats decamped for food and drink at the end of their day on the cut. A hen party was on one of them.
On a warm Sunday night the Waterfront was busy. We decided to stay here for a few days to explore Market Harborough.
It was about a twenty minute walk into town on Monday (06/09/2021) morning. The steeple of St Dionysius' Church rises directly from the street, as there is no churchyard. It was constructed in grey stone in 1300 with the church itself a later building of about 1470.
Next to the church stands the Old Grammar School, a small timber building dating from 1614. The ground floor is open, creating a covered market area and there is a single room on the first floor. It has become a symbol of the town. The nearby square is largely pedestrianised and surrounded by buildings of varying styles. The upper end of the High Street is wide and contains mostly unspoiled Georgian buildings.
We did shopping and walked into town every day until Thursday (09/09/2021).
On Tuesday we had a lovely pizza, or in Hilary’s case Chicken Caesar Salad, at Pizza Express which was one of the few establishments that had tables in the shade.
Hilary bought a temporary watch as her Swatch buckle had fallen off and there was an ongoing saga to get a replacement.
On Tuesday (07/09/2021) we had a visit from our friends Keith and Sarah, who drove from Nottingham in their open-topped Mazda. We had a good meal in The Waterside Restaurant on Union Wharf.
On Wednesday evening (08/09/2021) we met up with Hilary’s brother Martin at the Three Swans. He was in town to visit a branch of Grace & Co Contemporary Jewellers.
Martin is a manager for Grace & Co which is a family-run shop with its first door opening in 2010 in the market town of Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire by his friend Mick, and they have continued to grow. Grace & Co are authorised UK stockists and retail partners of top designer brands showcasing contemporary jewellery, watches, charms, and accessories. Find them online at https://www.graceandcojewellery.co.uk.
