Beautiful Countryside and a Red Admiral.

Thursday 4th July at Kilby Bridge.
Today was forecast to get very hot and, as we planned to do seven locks, we decided to start early to get through them before the heat of the day.
We set off just after 8:00am. Because of the reeds, it took a while for R to unmoor as he had to walk back and forth on the gunwale to the one place by the bow where he could just about jump ashore.

M decided to walk the towpath all the way again today; it was delight in the sunshine. The towpath was soft grass between high reeds on the one hand and fields of crops on the other.

M said that it was such a pleasure to walk on grass. So many of the towpaths have been covered in tarmac; the C&RT policy being to encourage the "waterways for all", which very often means giving speeding cyclists priority over towpath walkers.
She walked past miles of fields of wheat, oats, maize and this huge field of ripening barley. Most of the cereal fields along the Leicester Line have been vast.

Hidden in the hedgerow, an almost forgotten mile post. Just 10 miles to Leicester.

Another huge field - of oats this time - beside the last lock of the day.

We moored up at Kilby Bridge by a former wharf of sadly neglected original buildings.

Kilby's facilities consist of the wharf, "The Navigation" pub, a second hand car dealer and this post box hidden in the hedge announcing that the next collection is on Monday!

Next to the wharf was a large cottage and set of outbuildings, all boarded up and abandonned. One really wonders what the C&RT is doing about its property portfolio. The cottage was surrounded by a massive "hedge" of honeysuckle about 10ft high and 40ft long and you could smell the fragrance from it 20 yards away. M was a bit miffed because our honeysuckle at home has proved to be less than enthusiastic. However, as a consolation, she managed to photograph this beautiful Red Admiral feeding on the honeysuckle.

The Navigation Inn is very much a "locals" pub and we called in for a gin & tonic and a plate of chips.We found ourselves chatting to local farmers who had dropped in for their evening pint (or two). The fabulous display of flowers outside was a credit to the pub.

We returned to MM past more farmers working on their silage making in the fields next to the canal. The silage making went on well into the evening but didn't disturb us.

Today: 3 miles, 7 locks and 2.7 hours.
Trip: 146 miles, 64 locks and 80.8 hours.