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LEICESTER LINE, RIVER SOAR, MARKET HARBOROUGH &
THE WELFORD BRANCHES.
REDHILL LOCK
River Soar.
THE WHARF INN
END OF WELFORD ARM
This is the first lock from the River Trent on the River Soar. From here to Norton Junction,there are 73 miles of cruising in this selection of canals with 60 locks and 18 of them narrow, the locks from this point to Market Harbourough are wide as you can see from this photo. The town is worthy of a visit, the basin has been redeveloped with smart buildings around it.   At the start of the branch to the town is the Foxton flight of 10 narrow locks.
NORTON JUNCTION.
This is where the Leicester Line leaves, MAIN LINE.G.U
MARKET HARBOROUGH
MARINA,MARKET HARBOROUGH
Foxton Locks, a flight of 10 narrow locks, there is a disused inclined plane at this location.
The B.W. have plans to rebuild it, at a cost.
Photo taken from the lock at the end of the Welford Arm. The water you are on at this point is from the Shakespeare's River Avon, which is dammed to provide the supply to this section of the canal. The Sulby Reservoir is just a short walk from the pub at the end of the cut.
This sign is found at Crick on the Leicester line.
The letters
G.J.C.Co.
Where the initials of the old Grand Junction Canal Company.
This was Brindley's dream of linked canals.
It became a part of the Grand Union but is still known as the Leiceter line.
CRICK BOAT SHOW
Every year the Crick Boat show is held and it has become a National event attend by thousands of visitors and it has a party atmosphere. There is a charge made to enter the show, but you can share in the a bonhomie of the event for free, on the towpath and in the local pubs.
The Canal Boat Magazine
runs trip boats from the show for a short trip on the canal, a taster of what it could feel like if you had a boat. They run various size boats, this one is the 'Picnic Boat'.
There are two bridges at Crick one at each end of the event, if you are moored the other side of this one you are in a favourable postion, a licenced cafe at the side of this one, with a beer garden.
BRIDGE 13 CRICK
This is the other one. If you are beyond this the you are unlucky, the action and facilities are a distance away, its not named as
'The bridge too far'
for nothing.
DRESSED OVERALL FOR THE SHOW.
FOXTON LOCKS
These images are at the start of the first major town on the navigation which is Loughborough, you now enter the Leicester Navigation. When going north don't pass this lock if the traffic lights are on red, this means the river section below is in flood.
WELFORD ARM
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CANAL BOAT MAGAZINE