Yelvertoft > Watford Park

Still on the Leicester Arm, one stop up from Watford locks.

The sound of the motorway is pretty strong round here. Apart from that, the countryside is idyllic.

I’ve got some overhanging trees and the solar ain’t great. There’s some in the afternoon but I’m currently waiting for the sun to emerge around the trees.

Here’s some pictures of the current spot.

Watford Park
Watford Park
Watford Park
Watford Park

As you can see, I’m all alone this time.

Crick Marina

Had to stop off here for some fuel, which was nice. Had a pump-out as well, the first for a 6 weeks or so. Since I left Braunston. Continue reading “Yelvertoft > Watford Park”

Yelvertoft -> Winwick in the Fields

Close to the winding hole. That doesn’t really tell you much. There isn’t a lot here.

4G in Yelvertoft

As you can see, it’s faster than 73% of GB in terms of connection speed which makes life nice and quite with the advantage of the internet, TV and lot’s of solar.

There’s not a lot around here. Continue reading “Yelvertoft -> Winwick in the Fields”

Extinction events in Ashby st Ledgers

Ashby st Ledgers, seat of the ‘gunpowder plot’ of 1605.

I cycled through there yesterday on the way to Daventry.

Ashby st Ledgers Manor
Ashby st Ledgers Manor

This is the manor house where the plot took shape.

It was gifted by William the Conqueror around the dates of the Norman conquest to one of his subjects, Hugh de Grandmesnil.

It’s a manor house in a classical style.

The gunpowder plot was planned in the building you see straight ahead, the gatehouse, set back in privacy from the main house.

When the plot was uncovered, as the seat of a criminal event, it passed to the ownership of the crown and since has had various owners, including the pension fund of British Airways!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashby_St_Ledgers 

Asheby st Ledgers
Asheby st Ledgers

Crop sprayer

The rest of the village is picture postcard style, apart from this crop sprayer I noticed after inhaling noxious chemicals being blown through the hedge.

Co-Op farmer sprays his grass field
Co-Op farmer sprays his grass field

No wonder we have no wildlife in this country.

Mass extinction event

As you can see this guy is coating a grass field with chemicals, sanctioned by the UK’s largest landowner, Co-Op farms who own the fields and the land around Ashby st Ledgers.

The death and destruction of the UK bird and animal population, (insects in particular), is a crisis.

It’s a crisis that’s not being dealt with, or acknowledged.

I shared a facebook post on this the other day.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/mass-extinction-life-on-earth-farming-industrial-agriculture-professor-raj-patel-a7914616.html

The broken capitalist system is sending the planet into an irreversible death spiral in the need for our constant insistence on ‘growth’.

The death is spreading.

In times to come…

Maybe a shared vision of the future like that that inspired the gunpowder plotters to do what they did isn’t there anymore. The unstoppable machine of capitalism will gobble all the resources and turn the planet to desert.

We’re cathartically drifting toward that future.

I suppose with the benevolent dictator model, there was always a chance we we’re going to aspire to a greater goal than the acquisition of more money and wordly goods.

I think that time has passed.

Braunston -> Yelvertoft

Step 1: Braunston to Watford Locks

Two flights of locks. One of them staircase locks at Watford.The other Braunston Locks. One that I’ve done a few times now.

Braunston Locks are very tiring. And I was kind of happy when I found that due to water shortages, the Watford flight closed at night when the volunteers went home.

Being staircase locks, only one boat can go through at a time. And the CRT like you to book ahead, (which I didn’t).

During the day, the CRT prefer to keep it manned. Previously, at night, they let the public traverse the locks as they wished. Due to water shortages, this practice stopped, and passing through the flight is only possible with the aid of the lock-keeper.

I woke up around eight, and got going just before nine. Entering the first lock at 8.50am. Luckily, they are good and fast and I made it through the whole flight in around an hour. Apart from my button getting stuck under the gates at the top lock, all went without event, and I set off on my way again. Continue reading “Braunston -> Yelvertoft”