Bartimaeus

Having brought the boat past the end of the Canal and River Trust (CRT) owned part of the Ashby Canal, we set off on a walk along the line of canal.  Beyond the winding hole, the canal is largely filled in.  We followed well-marked paths to the outskirts of the village of Measham.  This is where I had cycled for shopping the previous night, it didn't seem so far cycling on the road.

At the edge of the town we came across a large sundial celebrating Joseph Wilkes - at that stage we had no idea who he was.

A short distance away was a building that looked very much like it used to be a railway station.  It was now a small museum that was only open for very limited hours each week, but we happened to have arrived in one of the two hour slots.

The three volunteers inside were very enthusiastic, and gave us one-to-one attention.  We soon learnt that Joseph Wilkes had bought the entire parish and proceeded to introduce agricultural and industrial innovations.  This included the coal mines and the canal to take the coal to market.

The following day we got the tandem out to explore a little further afield.  We went through Measham again and joined the railway path (NCN 63) which runs in the same general direction as the line of the canal until I found a convenient link to the canal itself.  After a short distance we arrived at Moira Furnace, once used for making iron using local raw materials.

We headed straight for the nearby tea room for a drink and an early lunch.  Over lunch I reconsidered the route plan for the day.  Clare was very confused when I described going to the end of the canal.  She had not realised that we had been cycling along the towpath of a disconnected section of the Ashby Canal.

With some of the confusion sorted out, we continued northward along the canal, soon arriving, to the surprise of both of us, at Moira Locks.  These double width locks appeared to have three sets of gates.  I presume this allows shorter boats to to travel through using less water.

Below the locks, the path continued to Moira Baths Wharf.  This huge basin was used for loading coal and other goods and is the northern end of the Ashby Canal.

The name of the wharf relates to the introduction of bathing facilities at the nearby hotel.  The saline water being pumped from the mines was reputed to have "valuable medicinal properties" in the 1830s.  Later the water was taken in tanks to nearby Ashby-de-la-Zouche, a more genteel location for visitors.

We continued along the cycle path as far as Albert Village Lake.  The circular path around this former clay pit is about a mile long.  We stopped to look at the scuplture and information sign at the far side before completing the circuit and heading back south.

We were ready for another visit to the cafe near Moira Furnace on our way back. We then continued along the towpath until we reached the southern end of this disconnected section of the canal.  One day the missing six miles might be reinstated.

This morning we began by reversing further back along the restored section of canal we were moored in.  Beyond Bridge 62 is a winding hole suitable for boats up to about 52 feet long - too short for us, hence the reversing manoeuvre.  This is the Silver Propellor Location we were unable to reach three years ago, so we were pleased to reach it now.

Having taken the obligatory photograph, we drove back to the stop lock and foot bridge to return to CRT waters.

We still have more things to see before we leave the Ashby Canal.