Friday 12^th October 2018

Quite an uncomfortable night with the strong winds knocking the boat against the canal bank. The wind has continued all day, it rained all morning and in to the early afternoon. Storm Callum we believe.

There were five other boats moored with us yesterday but by 11am they had all left. One was a hire boat and one a time-share boat, so you can understand why they had to leave, they have an itinerary to keep. But the other three were privately owned. Why do they choose to move on such a windy day? It would not be our choice, these narrow boats are virtually uncontrollable in the wind, and this is mainly gale force.

The Welford Arm terminates at a winding hole. However, just beyond the winding hole is a very short channel just long and wide enough to accommodate two boats. As soon as this became empty we moved into these moorings. Right beside the pub and services. Supposedly, you have to be very lucky to get moored here, they are well sought after.

I spent the morning catching up on our diary and labelling the photographs of the last few days. There is neither internet or phone signal anywhere in Welford, except the pub where an intermittent, poor guest wi-fi signal is available.

So if you happen to catch us over the next few days, we have been in the pub.

Brenda did some admin, tested a small, portable, second-hand sewing machine and continued with the porthole bungs. The sewing machine did not work efficiently and the porthole bungs are a long and laborious process.

The rain eased off early afternoon and we went for walk through Welford Village. While the canal basin and pub are in Leicestershire, the village itself is in Northamptonshire, only the fifth county we have been in since leaving Cheshire.

The old village of Welford winds its way up a hill, along with the busy A5199 road running through it and creating a bottle-neck. The A5199 connects Leicester with Northampton, the two towns of which the original line of the Grand Union Canal was supposed to have connected.

Welford is made up of old housing, of different era’s in the original part of the village, and larger parts of more modern housing. Curiously, there has been an attempt to combine the two with a road of modern, thatched houses alongside older thatched properties. They just look out of place.  

St. Mary’s Church originates in the 13^th century and has a number of old relics inside. There was a lovely organ and the church was unusual in that it had a bell mounted outside with a chord passing through the roof.

St. Mary the Virgin,

Welford

        

                                                                  Modern thatched housing in Welford       

                                                       

                                                                                       High Street, Welford

We returned to the boat via the local shop and went for another walk along the canal to see the infant River Avon. We tend to refer to our walks as canal walks, of canal interest, and more general walks when we explore a local town or point of interest, of which we do both. We do like to take the time to explore places we visit and try to get the most out of each location and whatever it has to offer.

We followed along the canal to Welford Lock ¾ of a mile away, and crossed the canal at the lock bridge. Welford Lock should be a lovely, quiet place, but not today, which the wind battering its way through the trees.

There is the site here, of a swing bridge, now removed, used to access a watermill on the river, now long gone but of which there was, apparently, many. Following a footpath, we came to the infant River Avon. There are many River Avon’s in Britain. Avon, in old English, meant river. The Roman’s on questioning the locals on the name of their river’s got the answer “Avon”. Hence, there are so many River Avon’s due to the Roman’s confusing the replies.

The River Avon here in Welford, is actually the same Avon that passes through Stratford-on-Avon and into the River Severn at Tewkesbury. It was surprising to hear this, as it would be expected that river’s in this area would flow into the sea on the eastern side of the country. However, studying the maps, the watershed between east and west runs down a line passing just to the east of Welford, but very close.  

Just off the footpath between the canal and the River Avon, we noticed old Grand Junction Canal marker posts in the middle of the field. Upon investigation, alongside these posts were located on embankments that looked as though they could have been the sides of a long disused and disappeared canal. This old canal bed could well have been the arm without having a lock. Certainly the levels were the same, but we have never heard of there being an earlier Welford Arm. Curious.

                                                                       The infant River Avon, Welford

                                                             Grand Junction Canal marker post, located in a field

                                                    and the seemingly, old disappeared canal bed beside Welford Lock

After feeding Harvey, we went to the pub to catch upon wat-zaps of course. The wind seems to have dropped considerably, so tonight should be a more comfortable night. We are so much more sheltered here in this small channel anyway.

Weather: rain all morning and into the afternoon. Strong winds all day, eased off late afternoon.