Made it into Loughborough on Wednesday after 4 of the big locks on the Grand Union.  Had forgotten how big double locks can be and there wasn’t anyone around for us to pair up with.  Loughborough has a basin within the town with all facilities.  Tesco just a short walk and Thursday was market day.  We moored up and had lunch and as I was about to wash up I looked out of the window to see another boat coming in.  It was Elysium Days, another boat from the June BCN Explorer Cruise.  With Chris and Sue on board.  Had we but known they had been following us up the locks.  We had seen them briefly just coming out of a lock as we set off after a coffee break, but at that point they stopped for lunch so didn’t catch us up.  Too far away to see each other clearly.  So we all spent 2 nights in Loughborough before setting off together yesterday.  Came through 2 locks, so much easier with two.  Not only help with working the lock but with 2 boats in the lock neither boat moves as much.  We are now spending our second night here at Sileby.  It has been a very pleasant interlude sharing time with friends, albeit new friends. 

Sharing Mount Sorrell Lock with Elysium Days

Over the next couple of days we will be catching up with ‘old’ friends.  Tomorrow Paul’s flying buddy Dave and his wife Joan are joining us on board for a short cruise.  They live nearby and we are ending the day with a meal with them.  Weather forecast is good so what could be better.

On Monday Sheree and Alec are joining us for a couple of nights.  All the way from Plymouth.  Via Boston USA!  They seem to think Leicester is on the way home from Heathrow!!  It’s their second visit to us so we must have got something right the first time. 

We will be moving around to and fro the Leicester, Loughborough area a bit over the next couple of weeks.  Falcon is booked in to have her hull blacked on 14^th October at Debdale so we have to get our timing worked out!