The lower end of the canal



near Willington

quiet countryside

The morning was crisp and clear with a trace of mist rising from the water, perfect for cruising. As we reached Stenson lock the gates opened as the lads from the boat about to go down had seen us coming. With their help we descended rapidly. By the time we reached Swarkstone lock the sun had warmed us up.

deserted waterway

We had to queue there as the CaRT team were carrying out temporary repairs, but as the queue ended opposite the water point the Captain filled with water and I picked some blackberries from the hedge opposite. Lottie lay alongside the boat while we queued and worked the lock. For a speedy hound she can be very lazy.

restored canal buildings

After we finally descended we had a gentle cruise down to Weston lock where we stopped for lunch.

Shardlow - once an important inland port

After a sunny rest we went through Weston lock alone but shared the following lock with two Canadians. It’s amazing how many people come to England to cruise the canals. They had hired the boat for five weeks to go up the Trent, including its tidal reaches through Leeds and round to Manchester before returning to Birmingham. I hope they enjoy the trip – it has a great variety of scenery, and flights of locks over the Pennines.

At Shardlow we stopped in the historic inland port and set out on a quest for milk and bread. We walked a mile into the village but came out of the tiny shop with milk, bread and ice creams to fortify us on the trek back to the boat. Walking to the shops is all part of the boating life.

old working boats at shardlow