To the Trent

We are nearing the end of our boating for this year and we are moored tonight on the River Trent downstream from Nottingham.  Since we are heading for Newark for a winter mooring we are nearly there.  It is likely that the next posting will be after we get back home.  Till then, here is the story of the last week or so.

Last Tuesday (5th September) we were in Rugeley.

At Rugeley the Trent and Mersey Canal crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct.  This is the view looking down to the river.  The Trent will be a recurrent theme in this posting.

We passed this smart boat which shares its name with ours.  There are quite a few Leo boats on the system.

At Brindley Bank by the Aqueduct a gruesome event occurred in 1839.  A lady called Christina Collins took a ride in a canal boat bound for London.  However she was murdered by the crew and her body was found here.  This time we found her grave in the nearby church.  As we doubt you can read the inscription here, it says "In memory of Christina Collins, wife of Robert Collins, London, who having been most barbarously treated was found dead in the Canal in this Parish on June 17 1839 Aged 37 years.  This Stone is erected by some Individuals of the Parish of Rugeley in Commemoration of the End of this unhappy woman."











On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we carried on through Fradley Locks and on to Burton upon Trent.

Beyond Rugeley is the Armitage Tunnel.  This used to be a proper tunnel but later the roof was removed.  However this section of canal cut through the rock remains only wide enough for one boat at a time.  Fortunately nothing came the other way!

The Trent and Mersey has characteristic milestones like this one.  Curiously Shardlow is not quite the end of the canal though it is the last village.

Having come down the Trent Valley for miles, at Alrewas the canal joined the river albeit for only a short way.  Here you can see the Trent coming in to join the canal from the left.

 Beyond the barrier is Alrewas weir where the Trent leaves the canal which turns to the left.

Some of the bridges on the Trent and Mersey are only just wide enough for a narrowboat.  This crossover bridge where the towpath changes sides is typical.

This picture is looking back to Tatenhill Lock which is very pretty.  You can just see the lock gates under another very narrow bridge.











We left Leo at Burton upon Trent for a few days while we went south by train for the weekend to see our son David.  One attraction, apart from seeing him, was that the Frome Show took place that weekend.  The Frome Show is now a big agricultural show but it was originally a Cheese Show and one marquee was entirely full of cheese.  We particularly liked this wedding cake made of cheese:

We came back on Monday (11th September) and carried on along the Trent and Mersey.

After Burton there is one more narrow lock at Dallow Lane and then we were once more on a wide canal with 14 foot wide locks and bigger boats.  Soon the canal crosses the River Dove, a tributary of the Trent.  This view is taken from the canal aqueduct looking to the old road bridge over the Dove.

This is the first of the wide locks at Stenson.  There was a queue here for this deep (12 feet) lock.  The white house is a cafe with tables on the covered terrace. We did not stop for a cuppa but went on though the lock.

A road runs alongside the canal above Swarkestone lock and has this amusing but realistic sign on it.

Our boat pole is going rotten and has recently even developed a growth of fungus.  So we were delighted to find a replacement in far better state floating in the canal.  Having dried it out, Ian is busy painting it.


















On Wednesday we reached the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal and emerged onto the much larger River Trent.

Having come down Weston and Aston locks we reached Shardlow.  In this picture looking back you can see Shardlow Lock to the left and the Clock Warehouse on the right.  Narrowboats used to go in for loading below the arch.

And here is Leo a little further on, waiting above Derwent Mouth Lock, the last on the canal.  After the heavy rain we thought the river might have risen but the flood warning boards below the lock showed the river level was on green and so safe to navigate.

Below Derwent Mouth Lock is a crossroads of waterways.  To the left the River Derwent comes in and to the right the waters of the River Trent join and together the water flows straight ahead.

 This is the first bridge on the Trent downstream and in the background you can just about make out the traffic on the M1 bridge beyond.  With the Trent being about a foot above normal there was a good flow and even with little throttle we were doing nearly 6 mph.

Unusually in our experience the flood lock at Sawley was closed so we had to lock through in the conventional way.  When we've passed this way before both gates have been open.

Beyond the Flood Lock we cruised the wide waters past Sawley Marina and towards the cooling towers of Ratcliffe Power Station.

Wednesday night we spent moored on the pontoon at Trent Lock near where the Erewash Canal and the River Soar navigation join the Trent.  We stopped and tied up just before a heavy hailstorm.  We were pleased to meet old friends Dave and Linda on Davlin also moored on the pontoon.  Last time we saw them was passing on the Caen Hill flight in early August.

This is the view through the bedroom porthole of Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station.  This is a good place for trains and planes too as the Midlands main line and East Midlands Airport are nearby.
















Today (Thursday 14th) we have come through Nottingham:

This picture was taken this morning as we left the pontoon moorings at Trent Lock.

The navigation bypasses Thrumpton Weir through the Cranfleet Cut.  This view is looking back to Cranfleet Lock where the navigation rejoins the river.

Here we are back on the River Trent following a boat called Malahat towards Beeston and Nottingham.  Malahat has new owners since we last saw her.

The Beeston Cut and Nottingham Canal bypass the river for four and a half miles through the city.  Here we are waiting to pass through Castle Lock.

By the side of Castle Lock is the Navigation Pub which has this really good looking offer for passing boaters.  We didn't succumb this time.

It has been a day of blustery showers but here we are above Holme Lock where we are moored tonight and it looks more settled, though the wind is still blowing.  We came into moor with a bit of a wallop as we didn't take enough account of the wind and also the flow into the National Water Sports Centre alongside the lock. The massive shadow in this picture is cast by a sign warning boats to keep right for the lock and avoid going over the weir on the left.






Our last day or two will be continuing down the Trent to Newark.  By this time next week we will back home in Knaresborough with Leo safely tucked up ready for next year's boating.