Had Lisa still been with me I would have had to slow up here - she had a very weak spot for donkeys!
A large new marina is being constructed.
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| Some of last year's bulrushes have yet to shed their seeds |
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| A bit hazy but good for photos |
It is not a spectacular canal but very rural and pleasant.
The Ashby Canal is 31 miles long and was built to connect the mining district around Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, with the Coventry Canal.
It was opened in 1804, and a number of tramways were constructed at its
northern end, to service collieries. The canal remained profitable until the 1890s, after which it
steadily declined. Around 9 miles passed through the
Leicestershire coal field, and was heavily affected by subsidence, with
the result that this section from Moira, southwards to Snarestone, was progressively closed in 1944, 1957 and 1966, leaving 22 miles of navigable canal.
The head of current navigation, where the Ashby Canal Association has a small shop - website
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| The end of the canal |
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| The Pump House, now a private residence. |
Some of the original route has been infilled and built over, and restoration therefore involves construction on a new route through the centre of Measham. It is hoped that all but the final 1-mile section of the canal can be re-opened. An isolated section near Moira Furnace and the National Forest visitor centre was opened between 1999 and 2005, and is the location for an annual trailboat festival.
Excavation of the next 500 yards starts this month and James was helping by digging out a bit.
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| The end of the proposed extension |
10 miles; 0 locks
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