Off at 7.00 a.m. in the over night mist. Went through Saddington tunnel before the family was awake. Canal very overgrown, but very beautiful, however often very shallow at the sides also very very quiet. The water is often so clear that you can see the bottom. Went on past Foxton towards Market Harbrough at which we arrived at 10.30 a.m.. I stayed with the boat and watered and cleaned the outside then moved across to the moorings and cooked lunch while the family explored the town. Despite some of the bad publicity I liked the work done to the basin, very practical and well done.

Left Market Harborough at 2.45 to go back to the Saddington area. Between B9 and B5 for over thirty minutes a police helicopter was busy flying search patterns just to the North of the canal, we noted on the map an adjacent High Security Prison and wondered if there was a connection. The canal however was very quiet and I saw the second kingfisher of the trip.

At 6.00 p.m. we moored by the winding hole just before Saddington Tunnel. We walked up to Saddington hopping to get a drink and bar meal, but since my Waterways World Guide was written in 1988 the pub had gone upmarket, the children's room was now a restaurant, the large garden was a large car park, the bar was filled with candle light tables and there was a big sign saying “No children”. It might have won, as the banners said, prizes for its bar meals, but it was no use to us!

Miles 21 Locks 0 Time 6.75 hours.