A LAND AND WATER TRIP THROUGH LEICESTERSHIRE FROM DAVENTRY TO THE TRENT.

WITH the advent of summer our thoughts turned to the question as to where to spend our next holiday. At last we elected to add to our experiences "Round the Canals," this time through Leicestershire, bringing our car - a 16 h.p. Darracq - also into requisition for the combined trip by land and water.

We started our journey under favourable weather auspices from the Weald of Kent and proceeded to London, passing Sevenoaks and Bromley on the way. There was little to comment upon concerning this well beaten track further than to remark that the roads were found - as they invariably are in Kent - to be in excellent condition for motoring.

After a look round in London we left next afternoon for Daventry, a distance of some 75 miles, with a strengthened crew of five all told, including my wife and the chauffeur.

We enjoyed the drive notwithstanding the mazy run through the seemingly never-ending thoroughfares in the North of London. After many miles we at last emerged into the country, and later passed St. Albans, Dunstable, Stony Stratford, and Towcester en route, all interesting to the traveller, each town having its own characteristics. After some trouble on the road with petrol locks and a leak in our tanks, which was put right by the kindly aid of a local "medical" at a wayside village, we eventually reached Daventry under somewhat trying weather conditions, as it turned out to be the hottest day on record in those parts for some years back.

In some of our former trips we had experienced great heat, and, having a touring car, we put up the Cape hood to protect us, but this rather aggravated the warmth than otherwise. We then experimented by putting down the glass screen and rolling up the back part of the hood about a foot or so. This gave relief at once, and caused a cooling current of air to pass through the car, which added to our comfort.

Next morning, travelling through delightful country, we reached the Grand Junction Canal five miles from Daventry, and leaving the car at this point walked to Norton Junction, Long Buckby, where the waterway branches off to the Leicester Canal system. This latter canal at one time was known as the Grand Union, but is now owned and controlled by the Grand Junction Canal Co.

We continued along and soon reached Watford locks, a flight or staircase of seven locks, of a narrower type, by the way, than on the main Grand Junction. Here, at the top lock, we found our craft, a good, roomy double-sculling skiff, awaiting us, the boat having been conveyed by road from Northampton, some 12 miles off. Strangely enough this, by the way, was the same craft that we had during a previous tour on the River Nene, from Northampton to the Wash, railing it to Boston and proceeding by water to the River Trent via Lincoln and the Fossdyke Canal.

We were therefore quite at home with the little "ship" that was to carry us on the voyage, which, we might say, was fully equipped with sculls, paddles, mast and sail, and a lengthy tow-rope, so we cared not how we got along.

The motor meantime was sent ahead to North Kilworth, 16 miles on the route, and our chauffeur, also an efficient waterman, walked some miles back to meet us on the towpath to lend his assistance in getting along. This he did daily on the journey.

After progressing some two miles from Watford we came to Crick tunnel, three-quarters of a mile in length - a well constructed and roomy tunnel. The experience of going through was novel. The coolness was delightful, after the scorching weather in the open. With the aid of the paddles and a useful electric torch to lighten our way we managed to navigate our way through, taking about half an hour for the distance. Midway in the tunnel we encountered a canal barge, the man poling his way along, which, he told us, would take him an hour in all to accomplish. There was ample room for us also in the tunnel; in fact two barges could easily pass each other.

The country all along is of a pleasing character, with well-wooded surroundings. The passenger, too, by water gets glimpses of scenery which can be seen nowhere else, and the progress being slow he has the advantage of appreciating it to the full, and that in the perfect solitude and stillness which is the charm of canal life.

North Kilworth was reached about 9 p.m., and soon we were bowling along in the car to Rugby - about 12 miles ahead - the nearest convenient stopping place. Here we put up at the Grand Hotel and sat down to a belated meal. We started in the car next morning to rejoin our craft at Kilworth, after being delayed a little with some lamp repairs, and motored through fine, luxuriant country. We saw at once from the lie of the land how adaptable Leicestershire is for sporting purposes, and we were told that the hunting packs were out every day in the week in this district.

On this day's voyage we encountered another tunnel - Husbands Bosworth - 1,200 yards long, which we paddled through in 20 minutes time. This is close to a village of the same name, and standing rather prominently on the hillside is a fine old church, the spire of which is a landmark for miles around.

We had travelled on many canals in our time, but up to now never seemed to have been so much out of the track of civilization, and had we not had the car with us, there would have been great difficulty in getting housing accommodation. However the motor has overcome all that, as we had to travel more than 10 miles at times to procure a bed.

We had picnic luncheons on the canal sides, each day we brought the necessary viands and utensils in our hampers; in fact there was no alternative method of procuring our provender.

The last two days we had no lock work, as there was an unusually long stretch of 22 miles from Watford top lock to Foxton locks, which place we reached late on a fine afternoon. There is a magnificent view of very wide range from the lock-keeper's house on the top of the hill.

At this rather interesting part of the canal is the junction to Market Harborough, 5 miles distance by water. Pleasure-seekers come here in large numbers, and boating parties make it a holiday resort. Up to this point there had been quite an absence of the boating fraternity, but the piscator was very much in evidence. The fishing rights are restricted in so far that a charge is made to the public for the use of the private water.

As we passed, a pegged-down competition was going on, and there seemed about 50 enthusiasts in what appeared a very limited space, all trying their luck, but we personally saw no fish drawn from those dusky waters.

Foxton is rather a well-known landmark with its flight of 10 locks, as it is here that a fine modern inclined plane barge lift was constructed to convey the barges bodily by placing them in tanks, where they were hoisted or lowered as required - an excellent idea although a costly one. As it was not then in use we did not see the apparatus in operation. This arrangement, it must be understood, is to avoid the use of the locks in question and so save considerable time with the 75 feet drop that there is on the brow of the hill. We had our skiff taken down the locks or staircase for us, which took about 45 minutes, and while this was being done we regaled ourselves with tea on the summit, at the same time appreciating the fine view already referred to.

Again passing through more delightful wooded scenery we reached Kilworth, with a series of five locks to negotiate. After an enjoyable bit of sculling we arrived late in the evening at the small hamlet of Newton Harcourt, our destination, after covering a distance of 18 miles for the day's run. Market Harborough, 10 miles off, was our sleeping place, and we reached there after 10 o'clock p.m. This is an important market town of some 8,000 inhabitants, and a great hunting centre.

We put up at the Three Swans Hotel, a hostelry of some historic interest, with a record of about 300 years to its credit. A handsome signboard in fine wrought-iron work is to be seen here, and is reputed to be one of the oldest in the country. It is reported that Charles I made this house his headquarters before proceeding to the Battle of Naseby.

We next day proceeded on our journey back to Newton Harcourt, thoroughly enjoying the motor run on a nice fresh morning. We were soon under way bound for Thurmaston, some 16 miles ahead, and our stopping place.

The scenery is picturesque till Leicester is approached, when it loses its rural appearance; this in fact applies to all other canals when they pass through populous towns.

For over a mile of our route we seemed to cause considerable curiosity and amusement to the man onlookers who were out for their evening stroll Many were the epithets - complimentary and otherwise - hurled at us as we passed along, which rather tickled our risible faculties. Here, at Leicester, the Grand Junction Canal comes to an end, and a good navigable waterway we found it, particularly the latter part of the way, where the water becomes purer and the weeds less. Barge traffic is not heavy, but with such a waterway right to the Midlands from the London Docks it struck us that there is no reason, why a larger volume of traffic should not be carried with such a fine canal as a medium of through communication.

We now entered the Leicester Navigation, a continuation of the route which extends 16 miles with 11 locks to Loughborough. Five miles from Leicester on this course we reached Thurmaston Lock, where we left the boat for the night, motored back to Leicester and there put up at the Bull Hotel.

Before motoring next morning to Thurmaston we took a meander round Leicester, the county town, and were, we may say, rather impressed with this busy place, the canal itself giving considerable facilities to the local industries. Eventually we got afloat and sent the motor-car on to Trent Lock, the finish of our water journey, some 20 miles ahead. After the commercial aspect referred to we soon again reached delightful open country, which we enjoyed all the more after our town experience.

Loughborough, as before mentioned, is the terminus of the Leicester Navigation; after that we entered the Loughborough Navigation - which is really the River Soar canalized. It has seven locks on the course, and is nine miles in length up to the junction of the River Trent.

As we progressed on this, our latter stage, we were agreeably surprised by the charming scenery, enhanced as it was by the sunset effects on the water at the close of the day. We should say that in these two last navigations our crew had to work the locks themselves - or nearly so - a somewhat laborious and slow operation.

There were lock-keepers somewhere about, but hay-making being in full swing their services were more profitably employed. At last, at about 10 o'clock, we reached our final destination by water, viz., the Trent where the Soar and that river join, but although so late we had the aid of the moon at its fullest, and that helped us very much in getting along.

We left the boat, made our arrangements to have it railed back to Northampton, and so ended that part of the excursion.

We now returned by car, which our man had brought through numerous field tracks to meet us, and reached Loughborough, the King's Head Hotel, after a nine-mile drive, as the town clock struck eleven. We rather disturbed the hotel-keepers by our late arrival, but they generally welcomed us all the same. Loughborough is also a busy place, with its bell-casting foundry and large electric works. There are, we should add, innumerable bridges along the whole route, and likewise a towpath, which changes, by the way, from side to side of the canal every few miles.

A more enjoyable holiday could not be spent. The mode of progression was of such a varied character embracing motoring, sculling on the waterway, also towing the boat and sailing when there were favourable breezes, all giving welcome changes and relief to the crew in each day's programme.

We enjoyed our journey back from Loughborough, although it was a hot one, but with hood curtain up and glass screen down we made the best of such a trying temperature in our 140-mile run from Loughborough to London in the day. Our route was through Leicester, Napton-on-the-Hill (Warwickshire), Banbury, and Oxford. We ascended the hill at Napton, and from the summit near the church and windmill viewed with great pleasure the lovely scene therefrom on such a clear day as it was. Eight counties are said to be visible from this particular point.

The waterways we travelled on were the Grand Junction Canal (Leicester section), the Leicester Navigation, and the Loughborough Navigation, and the counties we motored through in our seven days' trip were nine in number, viz., Kent, Middlesex, Herts, Bucks, Northants, Warwick, Leicester, Notts, and Oxon. The distances covered were 490 miles by road and 70 miles by water.

Pictures related to this cruise