Bridge removed on Market Harborough arm; visitors

Here's a not-very-difficult spot-the-difference pair of photos of Wooden Stepbridge 14 on the Market Harborough arm.

The first, with bridge deck intact and worker climbing down, was taken on 14th May. The second, with no bridge deck, was taken just four days later.

Immediately to the right (east) of the bridge land has been cleared leading to the Leicester Road (B6047); to the west is a vast area of cleared land which will be 2,000 more houses for Market Harborough. I suspect that a new road bridge is to be built here giving direct access to the new housing estate.

Perhaps it will be only a temporary structure and the original footbridge will be restored once the building works are complete.

Ah - I've just found the CRT notice alert relating to this: a new road bridge is indeed being constructed (but it doesn't say anything about it being merely temporary).

Today we went to St. Dionysius's church in MH; after lunch we topped up with water, emptied cassettes and winded in the basin before making our way back to Foxton. While waiting to go up the locks (we were third in the queue) we spotted these bikers wearing what look at first glance to be police hi-vis jackets.

The jackets, complete with blue and white chequered strips, actually read "POLITE notice THINK BIKE".

I wonder what the real police think of that.

I mentioned yesterday that, while moored at Market Harborough, we had a visit from old friends. Jan's old friends, actually, from her Havering Youth Choir days. She hadn't seen Trevor or Arlette for 41 years - they had just been on a day boat from Union Wharf celebrating a birthday.

Trevor and Arlette have been hiring every year for 16 years; they were very interested to come on board a non-hire boat.

On our way up Foxton today there was the usual crowd of sunny Sunday gongoozlers. A family attached itself to us, helping with opening and closing gates. They said they had never seen inside a narrowboat before and asked if they could come on board, so at the top we invited them for a look round.

I'm afraid we didn't get all their names, but Shahid is the one wearing glasses. They were thrilled to be given the guided tour, saying it had made their day.

We continued a mile or so further south before tying up in a peaceful location with views over the Leicestershire countryside. Tomorrow we shall continue towards Crick.