Relaxing times on the Ashby

The last three days on the Ashby have been very relaxing. It really is a lovely waterway and we never get tired of travelling it, especially in the sunshine of the last three days.

As we expected, Monday was spent meeting some fabulous working boats making their way from Shackerstone festival. The Ashby is notoriously shallow and so passing them can be interesting, but we managed unscathed and eventually moored near bridge 31 at Dadlington by mid afternoon and spent the afternoon with a glass of wine sat in the cratch watching more working boats pass us and listening to their wonderful engines.

The imposing bow of nb Darley

In the evening we walked over the fields with the dogs via the footpath from bridge 31 to The Dog & Hedgehog. This was our first visit, as last time we tried, it was closed. What a fabulous pub !! We were made most welcome, and the dogs even more so - they even have dog treats on the bar !! Unfortunately, we had already eaten, as the food looked fantastic and the menu was very interesting. We enjoyed a couple of drinks and a chat with the friendly staff and will certainly return. It really is a must if you are passing.

Snarestone Terminus

Tuesday saw us travel up to the terminus at Snarestone. Still some working boats heading from Shackerstone, and we also met one of our old shared boats, Inglewood, with Graham & Sandra, travelling towards Sutton Cheney. Unfortunately we weren't able to moor up and chat where we met them. We wish we had known they were out this way and we would have arranged to meet up. We arrived at Snarestone by early afternoon and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon before John was collected and headed off to nearby Kings Newton for an important bowls match, which unfortunately ended in a team defeat.

Jasper keeping watch towards Shackerstone

Today we have had a relaxing day cruising back down towards Hinckley. We've only passed about half a dozen boats travelling north. Louise had a good stint at the helm and the sun has accompanied us all day. We managed an ice cream at Sutton Cheney Wharf, and although tempted to stop at Dadlington, we are now moored just below Hinckley in a very peaceful spot. A minor crisis as we approached Hinckley as Louise announced she had run out of tonic water. It would have been a major crisis had it been the gin !!

We have caught sight of a water vole this evening and John has landed a Zander, a first for him fishing in a canal and most unwelcome !!!

Getting in the festive mood

We spent a lovely evening up at the terminus at Snarestone last night. We had a visit from Jim & Claire who eventually managed to locate us. Jim is a work friend of John and we spent a couple of hours chatting, laughing and drinking on Blue Moon. We then walked back to the village with them and the lure of The Globe proved too much. For such a small village it was lovely to see that the pub was the heartbeat of the community. We were all made very welcome, especially Jasper !!

This morning we didn't rush to surface and could quite happily have stayed put. We planned to have breakfast and then get into the Diamond Jubilee spirit by dressing the boat with bunting. We were about to put the pan on, when we had a phone call from David to say that they were moving up to Market Bosworth and would we like to join them for lunch..........of course we would. The bacon was put back in the fridge and we made do with a slice of toast and then put up the decorations before enjoying a trip down to Market Bosworth.

The flags are out at Snarestone

We walked up into town and decided on Ye Olde Red Lion, which happened to be serving Marstons 'Diamond Jubilee' Pedigree !! Well, we must get  into the spirit and all that. We had a lovely lunch and chat with David & Sarah before we said our goodbyes and left them to do some shopping, very envious that they will be out for another 4 months, but we hope to catch up with them again on their travels later this year.

We headed off from Market Bosworth, getting many positive comments about the flags - people generally seem to be in the mood for the holiday weekend, and why not. None of us reading this will see another Diamond Jubilee so let's make the most if it !!!

We decided to moor for the night at Stoke Golding intending to make an early start tomorrow, as the forecast beyond then is not good.

The Peaceful Ashby

Yesterday saw us move onto the Ashby Canal in glorious sunshine. We like the Ashby for the rural landscapes and the fact that it is generally very quiet. It's a couple of years since we were last on this stretch and its amazing how many sections you forget in that time. 

Our friends David & Sarah phoned us to say that they were moored just north of Hinckley. We weren't too far away, but the lure of the Lime Kilns pub beside bridge 15 got the better of us for lunch. The lamb & mint pudding went down a treat - well, in fact, it went down with a pint of Pedigree and Louise enjoyed a baguette and glass of white wine - large one of course. 

Suitably refreshed we cruised the short distance north to join up with David & Sarah and get our long awaited tour of The Hodma'dod (East Anglian for 'snail').

The Hodma'dod

Built by DJ Narrowboats at Crick, it was really evident that a lot of planning and hard work had gone into this project. David & Sarah had clearly thought of lots of issues and been able to fit lots of things on their new boat and we are sure they will enjoy the rewards of their hard work as they cruise the waterways. Hoddie is a lovely boat. 

We planned to cruise for another hour or so in the evening, but were thwarted by a heavy thunderstorm so stayed put for the night.

Black & white seemed right in the damp conditions

Today we have cruised to the terminus at Snarestone. We set off reasonably early as the forecast was for rain, but it has been generally dry. A few boats moving, but very peaceful. We watched a red kite hovering over fields around Congerstone for a while. Although more and more common now, not that often we see them around here, and Louise thinks its a first for her. 

We will spend the night here at Snarestone as it is so quiet and then head back towards Stoke Golding tomorrow and meet up with David & Sarah for dinner......that is the plan.