Day 3, Tuesday August 4th, Stoke Bruerne to Crick
Of course. We were lucky to get two days of reasonable weather, and already going to Braunston in June is starting to look like the best holiday move of the year.
Nonetheless, we put in eleven hours yesterday, not counting a stop for lunch, and polished off two tunnels as well as another sixteen locks. We have entered the terra incognita of the Leicester Section, and the high spot of the day for me was probably the Watford locks, where with the assistance of the very pleasant lockkeeper (especially - or perhaps because - we were the last customers of the day) I deployed side ponds for the first time. Ah, the joys of narrow locks after Buckby.
When we arrived in Crick it was raining in earnest, but having promised ourselves a pub dinner with chips we set off down a ghostly road to the Red Lion. Which wass very nice except for one thing - very nice friendly staff, decent food. reasonable choice of beer (don't bother with Adnam's Regatta though, it doesn't taste of anything) - but an incredibly bossy menu. 'We do not allow sharing of main meals'; side orders such as chips 'may not be ordered on their own'. Surely if an individual buys a meal it is up to them whether they wish to share it? I half expected (alongside the numerous 'no mobile phones' notices one saying 'Meals must be eaten all up before you can have dessert' (Perhaps they do; it did say 'the dessert menu will be brought to you after you have finished your main course'). So all in all a very nice pub, but I would be put off going there again by the bossy attitude.
1 comment:
We found the Welford Arm to be worth the time. For less than an hour's travel we found a waterpoint, a pleasant pub (where Bill made a bowling acquaintance), a village shop, and a boatyard. The end of the arm is quite picturesque. There are useful information boards with some local history.
At Market Harborough you can do serious reprovisioning as there are many shops. The BW facilities at the basin are nice with very clean showers. There are fancy flats around the basin, but that's better than being silted up and unused. It's an easy walk into town, and there's a pub on the first corner. We didn't eat there, but the menu looked good; the beer was good.
We were advised by a local couple that the Bridge 69 pub at the bottom of Foxton Locks is a good pub in the evening - they were launching a small boat into the canal to go down there. We found it very useful the next day. They have laundry facilities - what better way to take the drudgery out of that chore than to sit in the garden with a good beer and a sandwich along with your book. There is also a small canal shop with the pub. On the Sunday when we came down the locks, you couldn't get near the place for the crowds.
Each day I look forward to reading about your travels. Keep up the good work!
Michelle
Chapel Hill NC
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