To Whom it may Concern …..

Just a bit of general information/opinion  that might be of some interest to somebody……

Kingfishers   The stretch of canal from Foxton to Market Harborough is, at present, popular with kingfishers.  Between the swing bridge and Market Harborough there are apparently three nesting pairs.  We had sightings at a) just as you enter the more urban run into the town, b) by the old bone works and c) by bridge 6.

Market Harborough   For boaters who may not have been before, Market Harborough is a really nice town.  There are still lots of independent traders selling all sorts of good quality merchandise (and in lots of cases things which are a bit different from the norm) tempting you to part with your cash!  Our resistance was non-existent!  The Skipper is now the proud owner of a new fleece, a new pair of slippers and a better-late-than-never pair of all terrain wellies!  I didn’t let him have it all his own way – I came back with a ‘different’ sort-of-sweatshirt.  On Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays there’s a small under-cover market where there’s all manner of things – half the space is for foodstuffs and the other half for typical market stall items.

It’s a bit of a hike from the basin at Union Wharf but well worth the effort.  If you are too loaded up to face the walk back, a local chap told me that the bus (I think he said X3) runs every 20 minutes from the town and stops by the wharf.  The wharf itself has been very nicely developed but mooring in the basin itself is somewhat monopolised by a hire fleet.  However, if there’s room you can apparently book to stay there and pay a daily fee.  For that you also have an electric hook-up!  Just outside the basin, along the towpath, there are good visitor moorings but these can get busy as Market Harborough is such a popular destination.  When we arrived we were on our own – but not for long!

Foxton Village   Since our last visit up this way a very community-minded and enterprising young lady has opened a village store in the old skittle alley of The Black Horse pub.  It’s well stocked and is a very good resource for replenishing cupboards and fridges if you don’t want to go into Market Harborough.  Between Crick and Foxton there are few opportunities to get provisions so this village store well deserves support from both the local community and visiting boaters and walkers.  We were told by other boaters that a bus runs through the village to Market Harborough on the hour every hour and that you catch it from the seat that surrounds the tree by the pub!

On a more personal note, the sun is shinning at last and as I ‘do’ this entry, brass is being polished and windows are being cleaned.  Breaking news:-  Lola has learned how to escape through the barricade – on finding her missing from the cratch area where she had been put unsupervised for all of 10 seconds, we both thought she had fallen in and was trapped under the boat but, on blowing her whistle in panic mode, she came pegging it back along the towpath!  NOT good for our hearts!!  Modifications obviously need to be made and made post-haste!  We were talking to a lady yesterday whose cocker spaniel learned how to open and raid the fridge! 

‘Madam’ is growing so quickly and just loves being outside, especially off the lead.

xxoo