So, mooring in Leicester is great, so long as you can get on the Castle Gardens mooring, and we did.  Three years ago, we saw a “down n out” here who had had his faced tattooed like a Tabby cat.  It was extremely funny. Well done by the tattooist , though.

After a night here, and being woken up at 4am by a load of drunks the other side of the river, we trundled off to a fave mooring --- Junction Lock.  We got a surprise.  What was once a lovely grassing mooring had had a tarmac path put through it for………………..wait for it………………….CYCLISTS. !!!! the boaters/ walkers nemesis.

 Look, we do not mind sharing with them, but not when they are doing time trials. They fly past, and I am just hoping to be around when one comes a-cropper, and I can put my St Johns life saving to work. !!!! Hah!.

However, we noticed that it has encouraged more folk to walk, so that has to be good. And after all, it is still a lovely place to moor up.

Loughborough basin, and on returning to the boat, a load of little scallywags shouted out “ is that your boat”? YES. “ ‘ow much did it cost” A FEW HUNDRED POUNDS . “ can we have a go on it”? ( you must be joking) “ sorry not insured to carry kids”.  Grumble grumble and away they went.

So, Mick had spied a huge b and q, and he wants to put up another shelf in the bathroom for all HIS toiletries/paraphanalia. So away he went with instructions to get some pork schnitzels from Aldi, ( thanks Scooby and Rita) on his way back to the boat.   I ended up having to phone him to make sure he was ok.  He replied, puffing and panting, that he had turned out of B and Q the wrong way, and was on the other side of Loughborough. !!!

 Castle Gardens Mooring. Locked at 8pm and opened again at 7am. We can get in and out as we have a Key. 

 Finlay looks such a grump !!!!

 Junction Lock. This was all grass 3 years ago

 Poor Daffy duck. This lock is in the asian part of Leicester.  

 Castle gardens mooring. arty shot. !