Leaving our peaceful mooring at Birstall on Thursday we set off for a good days cruising in the sunshine. En route we passed our first canal speed camera!
We stopped to visit Sileby Mill and the Boatyard Chandlery. Candlesticks are now produced as a sideline here, as you can see they are made from boat related ironmongery. There are other interesting imaginative sculptures too displayed in their gallery upstairs.
There are some old iron canal plaques displayed on the wall of the old water wheel pit on the left of the mill. We passed under the hansom wide arches of Mountsorrel railway bridge built in 1860. Originally the granite quarried nearby was transported by canal, then by railway over this bridge. Now a conveyor carries the stone across it to screening plants at Barrow upon Soar.
This is the crew’s eye view of the days cruising! When we arrived at Barrow deep lock we stayed onboard as instructed by the crew of the boat waiting to come up who kindly offered to operate it for us.
At Pillings Flood Lock we were also able to cruise straight through as the gates are usually chained open in the summer months. Then we spotted what we thought was a red ball bobbing about in the water ahead. When we got nearer we saw that it was a swimmer coming towards us, but we managed to miss him.
We moored up on the approach to Loughborough just past the Boat Inn just in time for a late lunch on board.
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