Saturday 1st
September 2018
We were both up in the night, so the splash-back tiles behind the hob
were cleaned off. Thankfully they have come up well. It was intended to do a
second row, but one of the tiles need cutting, and quite a thin section, all my
tiling tools, like so many, were given away and rather than have to buy more,
we are making do with the one row.
We left the mooring at 8:10 and crossed the canal to the service point.
I had dumped the rubbish bin last night because, again, it had started to smell,
but there were still many bottles etc to get rid of.
We then moved down to Mercia Marina and moored on the main line to
visit Midland Chandlers. We bought yet more stuff, mainly to do with fendering.
All the spending on the boat has to end soon. But then they do say that if you
have a boat you need bottomless pockets. BOAT – bring out another thousand. Mind
you we did only spend £58.
Then we were on the move again. Stenson Lock is the first wide lock
for us since Middlewich, the remainder of the locks now, on the Trent and Mersey
Canal are wide. It has a massive fall of 12’ 4”. The drop is quite staggering
when you are in the boat and dropping, dropping, dropping. The top gates are
very short in height and the paddles have a hinged arrangement, such that opening
them opens the paddle flap from a hinge on its top side. Never seen anything
like this arrangement before. The old lock keepers’ cottage is now a coffee
shop and there were lots of people watching our progress through the lock.
Stenson
Lock. A fall of 12’4”.
Very
shallow top gates and an
unusual
hinged paddle arrangement.
As we entered the lock there was another boat coming down the canal
behind us so we waited for them, as you should. It was an Otter aluminium boat
so you have to be careful not to bump them as they would dent very easily. I
offered the guy to go ahead of us as we were just taking our time. Brenda did
most of the lock work and there was not so much as a thank you off these
people. I bloody hate snobs.
Considering here, we were only a few miles from Derby, the countryside
is really nice. However, the drone from the A50 is ever present and trains are
very frequent, every few minutes. We have noticed many freight trains here,
perhaps because of the number of sand and gravel works.
Also, ever since Alrewas, where the River Trent ran into the canal for
a short distance, the flow in the canal is getting noticeably stronger.
At Deep Dale we called into the Ragley Boat Stop for a pint. A really
nice place with overnight moorings and electric hook-up. Considering the only access
is by canal or down a very minor road, it was surprisingly busy.
On then, to Swarkestone. I had often wondered about Swarkestone, you
see so many boats registered here. There is an old wharf, another deep lock at
10’11” and an arm that is all that remains of the Derby Canal. The old toll
house at this junction now serves as the headquarters for the Swarkestone Boat
Club.
T&M Canal and Derby Canal Junction Line of Derby
Canal awaiting restoration
The Derby Canal became unnavigable as late as 1964. It used to run
from Swarkestone, through Derby city centre, to Sandiacre on the Erewash Canal.
There are plans to restore the canal and provide another “cruising ring”.
We went for a walk someway along the line of the Derby Canal before
retracing our steps and carrying on into the village of Swarkestone. On the way
we passed what used to be the Old Hall, a Tudor mansion, the home of Sir
Richard Harpur. Sir Richard backed the wrong side during the English Civil Wars
and the hall was subsequently demolished. All that remains are the columns of
the gateway and a square enclosure called the “Cuttle”. This was thought to be
used for bullbaiting or bowls. We couldn’t get near it unfortunately.
Swarkestone was the furthest south that Bonnie Prince Charlie got in
his attempt to gain the throne of England before his retreat and his defeat at
Culloden outside Inverness.
After passing the church we walked alongside the banks of the Trent
where most of the older properties in the village are located. Some lovely old properties
too looking out over the river. We wondered just how many CCTV cameras recorded
our progress.
The 18th century five-arch stone bridge over the main
channel of the Trent was an impressive sight. This is, in turn, followed by an
elevated causeway, of the same era, all the way across the Trent’s flood plain
to the village of Stanton-by-Bridge, a distance of over a mile.
Swarkestone
Bridge over River Trent
We called into the village pub, the Crew and Harpur Arms for a pint. The
queue to get served was over 30 people long, with just one person serving.
Ridiculous, especially on a hot weekend lunchtime. We walked away.
Back at the boat we got the chairs out. Brenda read and I spliced hangers
for the side fenders. We have decided to keep these down all the time. So far they
have not snagged in locks and they definitely save the paintwork. I have
spliced circular ropework to feed through the metal hanging bars on the
gunwhales. The rubber fender hanging ropes are then spliced to clip onto a karabiner
that then clips onto the circular rope. It looks quite neat. We will have to
see how they perform.
Tomorrow it’s Shardlow and the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Day Total: 1 lock; 5 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Boat Lift; engine running
hours 2.4
Overall Total: 177 locks; 352 miles; 15 tunnels; 2 Boat Lifts; engine
running hours 201.0
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