Sileby to Nottingham

Wed 20^th Apr  Sileby to Loughborough

A beautiful sunny day greeted us this morning.  The two weirs were shining in the sun, and even the bubbles floating down the river looked interesting!

Sileby Mill

Sunshine on the weir

Glinting

Bubbles

We had a visit from the engineer at 8.30, and we started the engine to demonstrate the loud screech we had been experiencing for several days.  In accordance with a certain law, there was no screech this morning!  He adjusted one which was a little slack, but they didn’t need replacing.

We filled up with diesel while we could, and visited the chandlery. We need a new flagpole, something adhesive to hold cables in place, and a new mop. We couldn’t find any of these things, although the chandlery looks quite good for other things.

We have noticed that footpaths in Leicestershire are marked with a high pole, painted yellow at the top. These are easy to see from the other side of a field, and are much better than the tiny little circle with an arrow favoured by other councils. 

Footpath marker

The first lock was Mountsorrel, where usually there are lots of people patronising the adjacent pub. Today we were there before the pub was open, but a hire boat was ascending in the lock. They had some difficulty collecting their crew as no-one could make up their mind which side to get on. Soon after the lock there are some houses which would make a good film set for a scene in Amsterdam.

Mountsorrel Lock

 Dutch houses

We used the facilities at Barrow-upon-Soar, the first opportunity since Kilby Bridge. It took half an hour as our tank was low.  Another boat arrived and waited for us to finish.

When we arrived at Barrow Deep Lock there was a volunteer who operated it for us.  He was interested in BCF so we gave him a leaflet.

At Pilling’s Flood Lock we were surprised to see the gates closed. Usually this is open and we cruise through on the level.  This time there was a small difference in levels, and we were asked to leave a paddle open at the top and bottom.  There was a fisherman below the lock who had three small fish in his keep net, but a large pike had just tried to carry off the net.

Flood lock sign

We cruised into Loughborough, and moored just before the T-junction, where the towpath area is wide with a few bushes. It is a good place to moor, but we needed to use our mooring pins, as there was no piling.  We were near Aldi and B&Q, so we went to visit both establishments. We managed to buy some adhesive cable fixings, and a mop, as well as several other things we hadn’t been looking for.

There was some beautiful blossom on some trees there.

Blossom

3 locks, 6 miles

Thu 21^st Apr  Loughborough to Trent Lock

It was sunny this morning, but slightly cooler than yesterday.  We left our mooring and turned right at the T-junction, which marks the end of the Leicester Navigation, and the start of the Loughborough Navigation, which is the oldest section.

Loughborough T-junction

There were two boats coming into view behind us as we turned, and ahead was a hire boat waiting for Loughborough Lock to fill.  Apparently it had taken half an hour to fill, and we arrived just as they got the gates open, so we shared with them.

We left first as they had crew to collect, and as we approached Bishop Meadow Lock, there was a boat going entering the lock to go down.  We signalled the hire boat to go in, as they were in more of a hurry than we were, and we had just effectively overtaken them.

It then got complicated, with two boats coming up, and a wide beam also waiting.  We shared with one of the two who had appeared behind us – Plan B. 

Sharing locks with Plan B

Some river sections followed and we cruised past Normanton-on-Soar, through Zouch, and the wide two mile reach, passing under the flight path for East Midlands Airport. There are some nice looking moorings here but the planes mean we don’t stop here.

Normanton-on-Soar

Then we arrived at Kegworth Deep Lock, where there was a fox who was watching the boats going through. We guessed that some people feed it, because at one point James dropped a glove, and the fox came running over to investigate!

Fox by the locks

Encounter with wildlife

We moored up for lunch at Kegworth Shallow Lock, and checked the weather forecast. Saturday didn’t look so good, so we decided to move on while we had the sunshine. Plan B left just before us, and we passed them at Kegworth Marine to have their bottom blacked. They are not the same Plan B that we met on the Llangollen two years ago. 

Kegworth Shallow Lock

Plan B stopped for bottom blacking

There was only one more lock, at Ratcliffe, before the end of the Soar, where we joined the Trent. We needed a fair bit of power to go upstream to the floating pontoon where we found a space to moor.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station

Trent Lock pontoon

There were some threatening rain clouds and unusual light effects soon afterwards, but the rain missed us.

Threatening weather

One more boat arrived later, rafting up with the one behind us, and it turned out that three of the five boats there were friends, and there was a lot of merry making until quite late. We asked them where they were heading, but they had no destination in mind, other than other local moorings. They were continuous cruisers / continuous moorers.  The length of stay here is 72 hours, but it should really be 24 hours, as an overnight stop. There are 14 day moorings on the banks here.  One of them had a dog, so Hugo was a bit limited in his explorations.

5 locks, 9 miles

Fri 22nd Apr  Trent Lock to Nottingham

We left at the leisurely hour of 1040, and no-one else was around. We think they had all left for work by car.  We turned and went downstream to the Cranfleet Cut, with the Erewash Canal on the left, and the Soar over to the right by Thrumpton Weir. At the end of Cranfleet Cut, Cranfleet Lock takes us down onto a wide section of the River Trent, past the Attenborough Nature Reserve.

Trent Lock Junction

Cranfleet Lock

River Trent steel girders

We didn’t understand what these strange sets of steel girders were for, until we saw one with a sign on it.  Presumably the signs had come off this one.

There was quite a strong flow carrying us along, but there was a cold wind and it was chilly work at the helm. We came off the river at Beeston Lock, which is next to a large weir.  We used the facilities here, and we had considered mooring here, but the moorings have a road alongside, so we moved on into Nottingham.

Garden loos

We moored near the Castle Marina, behind a Hungry Horse pub. We went shopping to find a gadget to clamp Hazel’s computer tablet onto a microphone stand.  After some bus rides and visits to two music shops we were successful.

Nottingham Castle rock

2 locks, 8 miles

Sat 23^rd Apr  Nottingham

We visited Pets at Home (Cat biscuits) and PC World (SD card) before getting some items in Sainsbury’s.  Then a wander to the Marina Chandlery where we bought a replacement flagpole.

Alan and Hazel Dilnot came to visit, and after tea and chat we all went to the cinema to see Eddie the Eagle.  Good fun.   Frankie and Benny’s had a long wait, so we returned to near the boat and went to a Beefeater for a meal. Then coffee back on board.  It was good to catch up properly as there never seems to be enough time at BCF events.

Alan and Hazel

There are three large churches in the area – Trent Vineyard, Grace Church, and Cornerstone.  We think we may go to Cornerstone tomorrow as it is right opposite.

No boating today

Sun 24^th Apr  Nottingham

Moored in Nottingham

 Cornerstone Church

We decided to go to Cornerstone this morning as we have not been there before, and it was facing us across the canal. It is a large church, and there were several people on welcome duty. Apart from those, others came up to us to say hello.  This is a good achievement for a large church where it must be difficult to know who is new and who isn’t.  The people in the row in front were David and Jenny (Godmother to Anne Clark’s daughter).

David and Jenny

Band Practice

The worship band had around 7 to 8 members, competently led by a young man on guitar, who had a strong and tuneful voice. They managed to avoid being the centre of attention, and were not in performance mode, unlike some modern churches. We were able to hear ourselves sing and worship. There were a few good songs we did not know, noted for the future.

The talk was based around the letter to Thyatira in Revelation.

Over coffee afterwards we met Mark, “Just a church member” who introduced us to Colin Webster, the Evangelism Pastor.  We also met Peter Lewis, who, until retirement recently, was the senior Pastor. He knows Gerald Coates, and Paul and Christine Dicken.

Peter Lewis

We returned to the boat and discovered a BCF boat, Eunoia, moored behind us.  We arranged to moor with them this evening. Meanwhile we had some shopping to do in Sainsbury’s.

No boating this morning

Sunday afternoon to be continued in next entry.  Next week – dinner in Gunthorpe with Elaine on Monday (BCF / Canal Ministries). Plans to see Hazel’s cousin Rod and Mary in Newark later in the week, also Caroline Bonnet (friend, musician and ex lodger from Cobham).  A visit to the theatre in Newark also booked for next Saturday “The Simon and Garfunkel Story”.