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.