Yelvertoft

The CanalPlan website said about 4 hours travel per day should see us back to Great Haywood in 10 days. That gives us a few days in hand, but we thought we'd make use of another lovely day for cruising and do the entire stretch they suggested.

The autumn colours were wonderful, even when the sun wasn't shining.

I was just too late with the camera to snap a farmer ploughing (I think) a field, but the marks of the activity covered the slopes to the east of the canal.

We met one boat towing another at one of the most interesting places for such an encounter – at the bend just through a bridge. Concentration levels shot up, so I got the photo only after the event!

The other two boats in plain sight were in front of us, plodding along so slowly I was catching them even on minimum throttle.

But in the end we came to Yelvertoft and tied up. We hung the washing on the whirly-gig, which meant that really only one of us could walk into the village for a loaf of bread. I took the camera, just in case.

Walking past "October House", I wondered how it acquired the name. But that of the next building to catch my eye was straightforward.

The question in mind this time was how a village the size of Yelvertoft comes to have its own reading room.

So, seeing that the lights were on, I pushed the door and went inside.

There sat Jan, Sonia, Felicity and Kath, enjoying each other's company and an afternoon's painting. They made me very welcome, showed me the Victorian school desks and rummaged around to find a leaflet about the origins of the Room – turns out to have been a school for poor children, endowed in 1711. They even allowed me to play the piano! Really nice to meet you, folks! Thank you for helping to give me a delightful afternoon.

I found the shop and bought a loaf. On the way back to base I found the church and went inside for a moment. I sat in a pew and repented of feeling impatient with the two slow boaters earlier!

We lit the fire earlier than usual today, the outside temperature being what it is. We're feeling cosy.