As the river had dropped, we donned our specially purchased life jackets and set of on our third attempt to traverse the dreaded confluence of the River Derwent with the canal.
The Derwent enters from the left, and is almost opposite the confluence of the Trent which joined us from the right. It was totally benign. I could imagine that coming up stream in a flood could be quite exciting. At this point the river is wide and the sudden exposure to what at first seems like a vast expanse of open water is just a little disconcerting after the confines of the canal. The feelings of apprehension soon passed as we increased the engine rev’s and settled down to enjoy a very pleasant trip. Passing through the open Sawley flood lock we were a little surprised to find rows of plastic boats moored nose in to bank for virtually the full length of the cut, but then realise that this was of course an outpost of river navigation. Being a weekend, Sawley Lock was manned by volunteers which made for a swift drop down to the next river section which gives access to the restored Erewash Canal, our original intended destination, the River Soar Navigation and our new destination the Cranfleet Cut.
The short Cranfleet Cut has no entrance lock and is a very pleasant location in which to spend the night or visit the bottom lock of the Erewash Canal without entering it. The cut has a very very long stone built length of mooring wall, while the other bank has grass running down to the waters edge. To me it had an almost Irish canal feel. It was built by the Trent Co as part of their campaign to stop the Trent & Mearse Co extending its line to bypass the river.
On the long riverway to Beestone one is accompanies by walkers on the West flood bank enjoying the benefits of the vast Attenborough Nature Reserve formed from old gravel workings and on the East bank by a meselany of waterside shaks, sheds and the occasional Des Res.
There are no Architectural gems as on the Themes, but they do provide an insight into mans ability to turn almost anything that stand up into his castle.
Just as the novelty of the ingenuity of man was beginning to pall Beeston Lock came into view.
A long floating pontoon is provided but we used the traditional dock wall as it is closer to the gate.(But keep a look out for river debris)
Once through Beeston lock one is back in Canal-land.
Now called the Nottingham Beestone Canal. This waterway is in fact “The Beeston Cut” linked to the bottom of the Nottingham Canal (opened in 1796) which in the North originally joined the Erewash Canal in the Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill and the Trent Navigation below Nottingham.
As if trying to make amenze for the destruction of its canal all the bridges now sport brand new NBC Bridge Number Plates, in reality they just serve to rub in the short-sited ness of past city fathers.
But thankfully some of the more original paraphernalia of municipal city administration remains in the form of this parish boundary marker for Standard Hill located on Rope Walk adjacent to Castle Lock.
This magnificent werehouse welcoms the boater to the centre of Nottinghams canal past.
Other warehouses and old arms follow all now turned to other users.
The most interesting and imaginative re-use must be the Fellows Morton & Clayton Office and Warehouse complex.
Boats unloaded at the open wharf or entered the building through the arch to unload perishable cargos.
I mean just how many Pubs do you know with a boat moored its centre.
The survival of the interior of the warehouse and office, indeed the complete complex is probably due to the fact that it was used as a canal museum during the canals wilderness years.
This is also a CAMRA Pub with good food and exarlant beer, the office area was packed out so we had to eat in the warehouse. It was a bit to cold for the beer garden on the old wharf.
Sue and I had spent time in the city in the past so we were not that interested in going into the city centre but I needed to check train time tables for the car pick up.
What should have been a five minuet job turned into restoration inspection.
The station is adjacent to Castel Lock and it restoration is exerlant it is now worth a look in its own right.
The entry to the old Taxi pick up area has been filled in with plate glass and the original Art Nouvo cast iron railings and entry gates have been renovated and the brick openings, filled in with plate glass. The overall effect is bright clean and stunning.
The roof light to the old ticket hall has also been beautifully restored.
Travel details to hand, we set of for Meadow Lane Lock and the river.
On arrival we were stunned to see the red danger light indicating danger on the river. Climbing the steps to the flood bank the view of the river indicated all was clear, a check with boat crew at the river moorings below the lock reviled that the red light was stuck.
So we set off past the location of the captains of the moored boats (Going to a football match by Narrowboat was a new one on me.)
and the old entrance to the Grantham Canal.
This time the Trent seemed welcoming as we cursed gently down stream in bright sunlight
under the high Lady Bay Bridge and passed uneventfully through the large Holme & Stoke Locks.
As we came out of the wide sweeping bend at Burton Joyce the wind got up again, we had decided to moor at the pontoon mooring at Gunthorpe. This was a mistake as a plastic gin palace had taken prime place in the centre of the pontoon and in my efforts to avoid plastic confetti we had something of a bumpy landing on the landward side of the pontoon, resulting in the re-arrangement of the kitchen and a fatality in the form of one of my best Waterford whisky glasses.
On reflection, we should have just run into the sheltered Gunthorpe Lock approach which has a good long mooring key before the lock itself. The local boaty who assisted us with our pontoon landing told us that the adjacent Pub was a weekend stop over for cruisers coming up river from Newark, so with that in mind next time I will not evan consider it.
Extricating ourselves from the inside position next morning also resulted in much ringing of hands by Sue as altho the wind had dropped it was still there as we squeezed past the potential confetti factory.
Guide Pearson’s. East Midlands.
Recommendations Cranfleet Cut, great mooring/stop. If you have not been to Nottingham before, allow a good few days.