Welford

Yesterday I posted about the living mileposts where a steel plaque was erected and a tree planted, some readers were not sure what i was talking about as they only saw a photo of a tree, so today a couple of better shots .

 

This was carried out by the Old Union Canal Society on the Leicester line. I will try and find No.1.

It was a little after 10 when we set of on a very bright sunny morning and by lunchtime the temperature had topped15°C. This part of the world has the neatest manure heaps I have ever come across. Maybe its the ideal size/shape for drying out to spread.

About a mile from where we moored in the Downtown Medieval Village viewing area.  Except there is very little to see other than a nicely laid hedge so that you can see over top of it, I expect it may have been a bit different a few centuries ago.

Just before Welford Junction the towpath has subsided badly and the level of the edge has been built up with sandbags to shop the canal flowing over the towpath.

At the junction we turned right onto the Welford Arm and soon passed under this wooden footbridge, no steep beams hidden in this one.

And on up to the lock, my word it was slow to empty, a bit like the water tap at the end of the arm, that took about 20 minutes for quarter of a tank. Just below the lock this is all that remains of the old lift bridge and it has been replaced with a fixed bridge over the tail of the lock.

Once we were threw the lock, it seem to fill faster than it emptied we continued on to the head of navigation, where we winded, filled with water and retraced our journey to just downstream of the winding hole to moor for the night.

Today’s Journey

5 miles with one lock in 2½ hours including tap time