Summer Cruise 2013 – Day 8

Today we wanted to get as far as Foxton to take a look at Foxton Locks Festival and we had an appointment with Kate on nb Morning Mist for breakfast, so it was an early start (for us) at about 7:45am. Kate was moored on the Welford arm and was going to be heading towards us so I guessed we might meet at the appropriately named Halfway Bridge.

Along the way we found “Tom’s Eggs” for sale in a box on the towpath with an honesty box (jam jar actually) sadly it seems by his sign some people have not been so honest.

Shortly after we were just rounding a corner on one of the more overgrown sections when we met  two oncoming boats (!) The steerer of the first had been enlisted by Kate, to tell us Morning Mist was moored just after the next bridge (I was just one bridge out in my guess) and so we were able to moor in front of her and produce bacon and eggs for us all while she provided toast and home made marmalade.

Suitably fed, refreshed and having caught up on news we continued our separate ways in the morning sunshine and after an hour or so we were at the Welford Arm Junction and a couple of miles further Husbands Bosworth Tunnel, our third in as many days! It was a pleasant day for a leisurely cruise and take in the sights with no locks to worry about.

I particularly liked this floating des-res for one boater’s chickens,
complete with solar power.

By mid afternoon the sounds of a band playing announced we were nearly at the festival site, so we found our self a spot not too close to the action and sauntered down to see what was going on. “The Festival is organised entirely by volunteers from Foxton Inclined Plane Trust (www.fipt.org.uk) … and helps them raise the £11m necessary to restore the historic Inclined Plane.” [quote]

There was a Viking/Saxon Living Village, which was very interesting, the usual craft and food stalls, a hat stall where I was tempted to buy myself a trilby but the price of £45 helped me to resist, the aforementioned bands and, oh, rather good beer for sale. We lunched on an eclectic mix of savoury Turkish Boreks, chips and a pint of Anglers real ale from the local Langton Brewery.

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The stalls were closing down by 5pm so we returned to the boat and listened to the sounds of the bands while I refitted the solar extractor above the shower with silicon obtained from our chandlery visit at Braunston.

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