Summer 2019
Bosworth Marina has received an award of excellence and been voted ‘leisure business of the year 2019’ by Living in the Shires magazine.
Spring 2019 News
The winter stoppages have now finished and we are welcoming boats from other parts of the the canal network. The Ashby has been very busy during the lovely spring weather. Our landscaping works and car parking works are still ongoing and our new offices on the first floor of the building are now ready. Our wildlife has sprung into action all over the marina basin and site.
Marina news July
The summer of 2018 is proving to be a hot one, and the picnic tables and benches are in full use. We are very busy using Mallard’s Mere for supplying water for the young trees, shrubs and hedging which are all desperate for some moisture. Ben, Nathan and Chris have been carrying out weeding and finishing work in the landscaped areas and we have put some barley straw in Mallard’s Mere to try to keep the water weed free. All tree and hedge planting was halted because of the very wet spring, and we are now hoping that all our young shrubs, trees and hedging will survive the very hot dry weather we are now experiencing.
Chris (the marina manager) and Jane have been overwhelmed by the donations from our boaters for a bench to be sited by the lake to commemorate Ash, Chris’s brother who died last month. Chris and Jane would like to say a big thank you to all.
Bosworth Marina now has a defibrillator. We have sited it outside the main doors of the building and we are waiting for a demonstration on its usage which we hope as many people as possible will attend.
The linear moorings on the canal, outside the marina entrance, are proving popular with boaters cruising The Ashby, as these overnight stops on the side of the canal saves boaters coming in to the marina to tie up.
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.
Press release February 2018
We are sad to report that a devastating fire broke out on 27th January in Cafe’ 1804, severely damaging the kitchen and causing smoke and water damage to the facilities building. The Cafe will be temporarily closed until further notice and we will keep you updated. Thank you to all who helped and expressed concern and also thank you to the fire service for their prompt action. The shop and facilities are up and running again and the marina is functioning as normal.
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.
Winter stoppages East Area
For information on winter stoppages and map for the East area click here
September news
Cafe’ 1804 Our staff are supporting and organizing our Macmillan Coffee Morning on 29th September. Please come along and enjoy coffee/tea and cake, raffle etc. to support this very worth cause.
The Italian Evening in August was an immediate sell out and was very successful. Thank you for all the great comments received! Our September evening was a Greek theme and also a brilliant sucess thanks to Heidi, Will and team.
Our special Boaters and Friends evening is a ‘Pie and Pudding’ night to be held on Thursday 5th October, so please come along if you are able. Booking beforehand is essential.
Take out drinks, sandwiches, baguettes and cakes are now available to collect and can be pre-ordered.
Take out drinks, sandwiches, baguettes and cakes are now available to collect and can be pre-ordered.
People Fran is now working alongside Jane and Chris to help with administration and the running of the shop.
Nathan has now been with us for three months helping us with all the ongoing maintenance both in the building and round the site.
Nathan has now been with us for three months helping us with all the ongoing maintenance both in the building and round the site.
Works We now have additional bike racks for visitors to Cafe’ 1804 and our boaters.
The cafe and visitors car park has been extended and will be made larger in the future to accommodate our increased traffic to the shop and cafe’. The steep ramp that we used for many months for access to the basin has now been taken out and is no longer in use. Ben and Nathan have started to carry out essential fencing works.
Ecological News Curious Ecologists have completed the ecological survey of the wildlife ponds for 2017 and are delighted with the progress of the establishment of this area. They comment “The ponds seem to be establishing well with good marginal growth and a variety of invertebrates present, along with a few new plant species. There are also definite signs of water voles on site”. The full survey will be produced later in the year. Natural England and the Canal and River Trust’s ecologist are also coming to have a look in early October to see all the progress.
The proud swans who hatched cygnets at the marina this year have five teenage children now.
The proud swans who hatched cygnets at the marina this year have five teenage children now.
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.