Up the Tidal Trent

We've retraced our outward journey up to Sheffield and out to Keadby where the canal system meets the mighty River Trent. Yesterday we came up the Trent on the tide to West Stockwith where we are presently moored in a delightful basin above the lock with lots of other boats.

We left Sheffield on Saturday with Kevin and Alex on Christal Haze. Since this was a repeat journey I've just shown a few highlights below:

 

Most of the Tinsley locks are designed to allow water to flow over the top gates.  However as the locks are barely 60 feet long this means you have to reverse into the waterfall in order to open the lower gates.  In one lock even with the back doors closed I had an inch or more of water on top of the engine cover inside the doors and a little in the bilges.

Here Christal Haze with Alex at the tiller follows Leo out of Lock 4 of the Tinsley flight.

Here's another lock waterfall.  I needed my waterproof on for this one!

In this view of Waddington's Boatyard at Swinton, if you look carefully to the right of the large barge you can just see the lock gates of the second lock of the old Dearne and Dove Canal that used to link to Barnsley and the Calder and Hebble Canal.

We stopped to look round Doncaster on the way back and were quite taken with the place generally and in particular with the Minster seen here.  It was built in the 19th century by Gilbert Scott when the old church burned down.  It is beautifully proportioned.  Jams and chutneys were on sale inside and we came away with a jar of chutney.

This huge knarly tree at Barnby Dun is an enormous weeping beech tree that has its main trunk in one garden and has spread to two adjacent gardens, one across the street.  Amazing.

Below Barnby Dun we came to Bramwith Junction where the Keadby and Stainforth Canal separates from the New Junction Canal that we had travelled to come from Goole. Here we turned right and moored in a lovely spot just above the lock. We had a walk around the area including crossing the Don Aqueduct, this time on foot. In the early morning there was a huge movement in the boat and we believe that the 600 ton barge, Humber Princess, probably went past the junction on its way to Rotheram. 

Here Helen is walking over the Don Aqueduct.  The water looks continuous but beyond the railings there is a drop of 12 feet or so down to the river below.  There is a guillotine gate at each end of the aqueduct for use if something goes wrong with the structure.

We walked through Kirk Bramwith and visited the church.  The churchyard was either unkempt or full of wild flowers depending on your point of view.  We thought it was delightful having the gravestones surrounded by Spring flowers.

 

We carried on Tuesday and Wednesday to reach Keadby on Wednesday lunchtime ready to go out on a flood tide on the Trent in the afternoon.  Although the winds lately have been difficult to cope with, our Trent day was just right.  Mostly sunny and still.  The river was like a millpond.

This is a new pedestrian swing bridge at Thorne.

Windfarms are everywhere round here.  I think we know why! Yet another swing bridge is just coming up.

We stopped overnight on Tuesday just past Maud's Swing Bridge and in the morning saw these two Roe Deer swimming in the canal.  We've seen several dead deer in the canal but this time a couple of chaps appeared and drove the deer under the bridge to a landing so that they could get out of the water.

Just before you reach Keadby you have to go through the Vazon sliding railway bridge.  This is quite a busy line and the chap in the signal box came out and asked us to wait for about 10 minutes for a suitable gap in the timetable.

And here you can see the bridge sliding open to allow us through.  We've never seen anything like this anywhere else on the waterways.

At Keadby we had to wait for a suitable point in the tide.  These boats seen leaving Keadby Lock were heading for Torksey further up river than us so had to leave earlier.

While we were waiting this huge barge came in.  Though it was going fairly slowly as it came out of the lock the suction was amazing.  The water level fell by a foot or more and Leo slewed about in a crazy fashion.  Residents on the barges opposite came out to handle their ropes seeing the problem.

And here are the pictures of our 14 mile, two hour cruise up the Trent on the incoming tide:

Ian does seem to be smiling as we leave Keadby Lock.  Perhaps it's because we've not been swept into the piling to the left.

Helen did most of the helming up the river.  Here we are passing a big ship moored at Gunness Wharf opposite Keadby.

Soon after leaving Keadby you have to cross to the other side of the river to go under the right arch of the lifting bridge which is a combined road and rail bridge.

Here is the second of the two bridges we passed.  This one carries the M180.  The river is really wide here, bigger than the Thames.

Here we are passing Owston Ferry, a pretty village along the river, but with no ferry now.

Though we tried to arrive at West Stockwith at slack high water as the tide turned, the time of this happening is difficult to predict.  Though we slowed down we were still too early, so had to turn beyond the lock to 'stem the tide' and steer into the lock against the flow.  Quite tricky as the lock faces the wrong way and we did make contact, but quite gently, with the wing wall.

Here is the view of the lock from the river as we passed.

After the drama of coming in and Neil the lock keeper helping us up the lock, you come out in this lovely basin above.  

We have had a day off boating today, doing a few jobs this morning and going into Gainsborough by bus this afternoon.  Tomorrow we set off to enjoy the delights of the Chesterfield Canal.  After Retford we are back on narrow locks - the first since the Huddersfield Narrow last August.