Erewash Canal

I enjoyed a week in Newark-on-Trent resting my strained back and sciatica. I explored the town and it's market and visited the National Civil War museum to which the city is home.  The museum also houses local historical items including a superbly restored Brough Superior SS100 as famously ridden by Lawrence of Arabia.  This is a 1925 model which has been fully restored and is simply stunning.

I had a visit on Saturday from old friends Mac & Helen Cook from Harrogate along with their friend Amanda who I met briefly in Skipton. After a coffee and a walk around the market we took Mr Bunbury for a short trip up the river  before returning for lunch.

On Sunday I left Newark heading south along the Trent and stopped overnight in Nottingham before continuing to 4 way junction at Trent Lock where the rivers Trent and Soar meet with the Trent & Mersey canal and the Erewash canal.  The Erewash is a short canal, only 15 miles long, which meanders northwards through Long Eaton and Ilkestone to the basin terminus at Langley Mill.  A pretty little canal in places with almost a lock per mile making it quite hard work. 

Entrance to the Erewash canal

One of the highlights was the splendid tea room at Trent Lock which was stuffed with canal memorabilia and served an excellent mushroom omelette.

Now moored back at the Trent junction I'll head south again tomorrow down the river Soar through Loughborough and Leicester to join the Grand Union canal.

River Trent to Newark

Over the past week I left the canals and joined the river Trent to cruise up through Nottingham to Newark.  While some narrow boaters are wary of rivers I enjoy them.  Tides and current need to be taken into account and weirs are to be avoided but it's so much easier to navigate the wide water.
Shortly after joining the river boats are diverted onto the Beeston and Nottingham canal which bypasses an unnavigable stretch.  The canal rejoins the river at Trent Bridge where the county cricket ground and both football clubs are within a mile of each other.

Trent Bridge - Nottingham

After a day or two in Nottingham it was good to get out into the countryside again and I spent a quiet night moored up at Gunthorpe lock on my own island.  Mr Bunbury looks very small against the much larger river locks.

On arrival at Newark, through Town lock, the castle stands proudly on the far bank.  The town has plenty of moorings so I'll spend a week or so here before moving on.  I'm expecting a visit from my good friend Mac & Helen Cook on Saturday.  Hopefully the weather will be better than the day we moved the boat from Skipton to Gargrave in a gale.

After the weekend I'll head up onto the tidal Trent to join the Chesterfield canal.  This is a new canal to me which I'm looking forward to exploring before heading back southwards.

Along the Trent & Mersey

I suffered a bit of a setback last week by tearing something in my back while trying to split a large log with a hand axe - don't try this at home it hurts. As I could hardly stand let alone walk I managed a brief hobble to the chemist where I stocked up on strong painkillers and heat pads. After a week the pain had reduced from agony to severe so I decided to visit a chiropractor last Thursday to see if I had done any serious damage.  After a detailed inspection she confirmed it was muscular and suggested manipulation could help.  After an hour on the modern equivalent of the rack I did leave feeling better if a little sore. However, that evening my back went into spasm and the pain was worse than the initial injury.  Thankfully, after a long night I woke to find the pain had once again reduced to severe.  It has been gradually improving daily since. 

Anyway, back to the boat. After leaving Penkridge I joined the Trent and Mersey canal at Heywood Junction near Stafford and headed south east along a very pretty stretch of canal.  When the canals were built skilled workmen were required and often the canal companies would provide housing for these artisans.  This is a typical row of such cottages, the first of which is named Stone Masons cottage thus identifying the occupant.  

The T&M canal has a unique narrow passage between narrow vertical rock sides.  This was originally a tunnel but became unsound so the roof was removed leaving the narrow cut.

The T&M is joined by the Coventry canal at Fradley Junction, home to the Swan pub which is one of the most popular landmarks on the network.

Leaving Fradley I'm now heading along the canal towards Shardlow where the canal joins the river Trent.  Along the way the discussed Derby canal leaves the T&M at Swarkestone.  Although closed in 1964 the towpath is still maintained as a footpath and the overgrown canal bed is still very clearly visible.