Summer 2021
Our fabulous 43 foot day boat Harry and Sally is now out without any COVID restrictions. Check the website for availability https://leicestershiredayboathire.co.uk
Category Archives: Harry and Sally
Good to go!
Harry & Sally, our luxury day boat will be able to explore the Ashby Canal as from 12th April! She will be able to take 6 people from the same household from from this date to no earlier than 17 May. From 17 May to 21 June at the earliest, she can accommodate 6 people from two households.
These restrictions are subject to review and we hope we can go back to 12 people after 21st June. Watch this space for further updates!
Privacy statement for newsletter subscribers
You can subscribe to the Bosworth Marina newsletter by following the link in the right-hand column on the home page of our website – we will then keep you updated as to what is going on at Bosworth Marina plus news about our day boat Harry and Sally. In preparation for the new data protection regulation GDPR which comes into force on May 25th we have updated our Privacy statement for newsletter subscribers (and for boat owners and day boat hirers) which can be viewed here. An email will go out to newsletter subscribers shortly. If you have already subscribed to our newsletter you may unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any newsletter we send. We would like to thank all newsletter subscribers for their interest and support.
December News and opening hours
Vouchers for Christmas presents for Cafe 1804 afternoon teas, champagne breakfasts or any other occasion are available! Looking forward to 2018 we have Burns Night Thursday on 25th January at £18 per person. We also have vouchers for 2018 half day and full day trips for our day boat ‘Harry and Sally’.
The montages in our shop show the start of the construction of the marina, right up to the end of 2017. During the Autumn topsoil patching and grass seeding was carried out and we now have more completed grass areas. Ben and Nathan have carried out some big improvements around the site in the last few weeks. Chris is now able to deliver coal, gas, logs and items from the shop with his new buggy. To pre-order please contact Chris or Fran.
JULY 2017 NEWS
Site works The perimeter road was in use in time for the opening of Cafe 1804 and now Ben and Nathan are finishing off pathways and landscaping work. Nearly all the trees and shrubs have survived the dry weeks of spring and early summer with lots of TLC from Chris, Gordon and Lee. The site is now maturing well and there will be a lot more planting activity on additional areas during next winter and spring.
The two new boaters’ gates are now fully operational and have proved a great success. We have also erected lots of new directional signs for boaters and visitors.
The large sheepsfoot roller and the 20 tonne excavator are no longer to be seen on the site. The roller, which was used to compact the huge quantities of engineering fill and puddle clay, has been sold to a company in Poland and our 20 tonne excavator has found a new home locally. This signals that the basic infrastructure of the Bosworth Marina site is coming to a close. Now lots of fencing and finishing off to do!
Ecological News It is nearly four years since we completed the two parallel ponds adjacent to the canal which are mitigation areas for the Special Site of Scientific Interest further along the canal towards Carlton…….and with brilliant results. We will publish the results of this year’s monitoring report when it is ready. Recently our swans have raised 6 cygnets between the two ponds.
Cafe news ‘Cafe 1804’ is now well and truly up and running and is proving very popular to our visitors from near and far. Pastry chef Sharon’s afternoon teas and chef Will’s food are receiving lots of well deserved praise. Congratulations to Will and Ayla who have announced their engagement.
Please Note: The Café is closed Monday – Tuesday. See the website for the cafe here for more information
Harry and Sally The recent good weather has seen Harry and Sally, our day boat, out a lot on the Ashby Canal. Judging from the feedback from our passengers their time out on the canal has been very special and enjoyable. You can read some testimonials and see photos on the Harry and Sally website www.leicestershiredayboathire.co.uk. Our day boat Harry and Sally can visit the SSSI area on the canal.
JUNE NEWS
There has been lots of activity over the last two months both around the site and also in the facilities building!
Cafe 1804 was opened on the 1st June. The first floor of the facilities has now been transformed into a fantastic cafe/bar which will seat up to a hundred people. On our walls we have an amazing map of The Ashby Canal painted by artist Clair Greenwood, who originates from Twycross. The wall and bar finishes have been designed and finished by Josh and his team and also Heidi, our cafe manager. The balcony is open and the views from there, and also within the cafe, are stunning. Will Poulton is our chef and Sharon Veall is our pastry chef and they are supported by Diedre and Ryan and their enthusiastic helpers.
Ben and his team finished off the preparatory work including levelling up the stone for the road and footpaths and they have installed french drains along the edges. The final drainage and ducting pipe and manholes are also installed. The road that leads from the marina entrance gate around the base of the marina basin is now surfaced and fully open. One cyclist who visited our cafe said ‘the road was like riding on velvet’! This road leads to the car park at the facilities building for boaters and also the parking area for the shop and cafe 1804. The automated gates to the boaters’ car parks and jetties are installed and Ben will shortly be constructing the timber frames around the sliding sections and then we will be able to get them into operation.
All our wildlife areas are establishing well this year and the swans have successfully hatched their cygnets. Please keep dogs on leads on the marina.
Meanwhile Harry and Sally, our day boat, has been out and about on The Ashby Canal on numerous trips and is getting excellent reviews.
Spring news!
Café 1804
Bosworth Marina’s fully licensed Café 1804 now has its own website http://www.cafe1804.co.uk The website will soon have lots of news, and will also include opening times and menu options.
The cafe’s decorating by Heidi, our manager, is almost finished, and our artist’s impression of The Ashby Canal is nearing completion. The brand new state of the art kitchen equipment is now installed and Josh is busy constructing the bar. We have full disabled access and facilities.
There is a pedestrian entrance off the canal footpath by the top of the towpath bridge. Car, cycle and pedestrian access is through the main entrance off Carlton Road and round to the visitors’ car park by the building. There is also a regular bus service which stops at the junction of Wellesborough Road and Carlton Road, close to the marina entrance.
Harry and Sally, Bosworth Marina’s day boat
The website for the day boat is available to view – please click here. Harry and Sally is now becoming a familiar sight along the canal, as she takes passengers for full and half days and taster trips. Short passenger trips will also be available when Café 1804 opens in May. The boat has been a success in all weathers, as she has full central heating for colder days and roll up canopies when the sun shines.
Site Works
Ben and his team, along with Outlook Landscaping, have been planting trees, bushes and hedging around the marina basin and wildlife areas. There have been nearly 2000 saplings and trees planted so everyone has been very busy!
Two new security gates have been installed at the entrance to the boaters’ car parking areas. In addition, work continues on the spine road from the marina entrance to the building, ready to be surfaced in May, along with some of the footpaths. The new visitors and café car park is also under construction which will create extra car parking spaces for our café and day boat visitors.
Cafe 1804 and Harry and Sally
March News
Café 1804 The first floor of the facilities building is having a major makeover ready for our new cafe Café 1804. The new toilets are almost complete. Structural works have been carried out for the kitchen and new walling, flooring and extraction fans have been fitted. The kitchen equipment is now being delivered and installed, and Josh and Heidi have been busy choosing furniture and fittings. The walls of the cafe’ have a striking design with bright new colours. Café 1804 will seat approximately 80 people and we look forward to seeing you all when we open later in the spring. The cafe’ has a lift from the ground floor and the building has disabled facilities for both visitors and boaters.
Harry and Sally, The Bosworth Marina Day boat The website for the day boat is now live – click here to view. Bookings are now being taken for the spring, summer and beyond for all those special occasions or just for a quiet ride along ‘The Ashby’. “Birthday on a boat” on full, half day or short taster trips are proving popular with all ages and group sizes and we are happy to provide decorations and balloons! We will provide a friendly steerer for you if require, and we are also happy to provide catering packages – just discuss your requirements with our team.
Site Works Leicestershire County Highways have been working along the Wellesborough Road and the Carlton Road junction to construct the footpath and the new bus parking area, so we now have a dedicated footway to the marina road entrance. Additional car parking spaces are being constructed by Ben and his team. We will shortly carry out more planting and landscaping when the weather improves. Drainage, levelling and kerbing has continued during January and February along the main spine road of the site round to the building.
Harry and Sally arrives!
Harry and Sally arrived at the marina on the afternoon of 27th October! The journey from Starline Boats in Nuneaton went smoothly and now Tim from TS Joinery will be completing the internal fitting out, ready for autumn and winter trips. The boat has full central heating! She looks superb and we are really proud of our new addition to Bosworth Marina.
Lleyn sheep. The 39 ewe lambs which grazed on Mallard’s Mere during the summer did a brilliant job of compacting the soil and grazing off the grass, and the area looks stunning. The grown up girls have now met their new husband and if all goes well they will be due to have lambs around the middle of March next year.
Halloween Party. The party on the last Saturday of October for Halloween went with a swing in the boaters’ lounge. Enjoyed by all!
CONSTRUCTION NEWS Ben and Mick have almost finished the footpath from the towpath to the building and we have been spreading topsoil and woodchip over canal side areas of the site. With the help of Josh and Lee, the areas adjacent to the main spine road around the bottom of the basin and along the Carlton Road are also topsoiled. Planting of shrubs will be carried out in this planting season.
The bus parking and turning area work is now scheduled to be carried out by Leicestershire County Council and not Bosworth Marina. The construction work will be carried out close to where the bus now parks. There will be a designated footpath from there to our marina access gate. Ben is redesigning our internal footpath to be compatible with the Leicestershire County Council’s new plans. This means that now we can complete our work around the access gate when we have approved design details.
Work has started on the marina cafe’. The toilets are being built and alterations ready for the kitchen are being carried out. The construction of the car parking for the cafe’ is also underway, together with associated landscaping.
SEPTEMBER NEWS
Dayboat
Harry and Sally will soon be making her way along the Ashby Canal from Nuneaton to Bosworth Marina to be fitted out internally. The design and fabrication alterations have meant that our dayboat has yet to launched, however we are getting close! It is exciting to see our plans coming to reality. The bulk heads have been lined, the plumbing is installed and the inverter final fix electrics are in. Harry and Sally has full central heating for the cooler days!
Proposed café
Good news! We have been awarded a grant towards the fitting out of the proposed cafe’ on the first floor of the facilities building. The ‘LEADER’ grant from Hinckley and Bosworth and North Warwickshire Borough Councils in the Rural Development Programme for England will help with the building of the food preparation and serving areas along with additional facilities. Our disabled lift is already in place.
Site Works
Ben and Mick have now transported our stockpiled topsoil and levelled and shaped areas of the site ready for planting and seeding. The pathway from the towpath bridge to the facilities building for our boaters and customers is now under construction. The gate will be installed when construction work is completed in that area of the site. Construction of additional car parking spaces and associated drainage close to the facilities building is now under way.