It was quite late on Friday when we arrived at Bosworth Marina and by the time we had unpacked our bags it was dark. We awoke on Saturday to the sound of rain on the roof and when we looked out, we saw that there was a strong wind blowing across the marina. After a lazy start, Sue made breakfast sandwiches for us both but the rain continued to lash against the outside of the boat so we amused ourselves indoors. Sue read and knitted while I wrote a blog post. When the rain eventually stopped in the early afternoon, we jumped in the car and visited the garden centre at nearby Stapleton where we bought a few bits and pieces for Caxton and some bacon and sausage from the butcher there.
After returning to Caxton, we awaited the arrival of Martin and Caroline who are currently on holiday, cruising the Leicester ring on a Napton narrowboat. They are having their own boat built next year and will moor in Bosworth Marina when it is ready but for now they will have to make do with a couple of nights there on holiday. They arrived just before four o’clock and despite the strong winds, pulled on to their berth just a few pontoons away from Caxton. Naturally we invited them on board and we spent the next few hours having a drink and chatting about all things boat related. It was after seven when we parted company, after which we had a light supper before turning in for the night.
It was a bit chilly on Sunday morning but once the hurricane had been fired up, that soon changed. We got up, showered and had breakfast of bacon and egg with Sue having mushroom as well. In stark contrast to the day before, the sun was out and it was quite warm so we decided to get out and take Caxton to Shenton. We topped the water up outside the marina and then got underway. It’s hard to believe that it was possible to go boating in short sleeves in October but that’s exactly what we did, enjoying the autumn sunshine. It was a very relaxing trip and after we had winded at the end of what used to be the Battlefield moorings, we returned and moored next to Shenton aqueduct. We then walked to the village and paid a visit to the Whitemoors antique centre and tearooms where we had lunch and very enjoyable it was too.
We strolled back to Caxton and started our return journey, a journey that ground to a halt ten minutes later when we got stuck in the shallows after meeting a boat as we both passed a moored narrowboat. It proved impossible to re float Caxton without the help of the long pole but a few minutes later we were underway again.
It was just before four when we got back into our berth and tied Caxton to the pontoon. After emptying the cassettes and packing our bits into the car, we said our goodbyes to Martin and Caroline, wishing them well for the rest of their holiday and the building of their boat.
All that remained was to drive home and prepare for the week ahead.