Gunthorpe to Nottingham

2019  49 Gunthorpe to Nottingham

Thu 29^th August  Gunthorpe to Stoke Lock

It was thankfully a little cooler today as we left the pontoon for the journey upstream to Stoke.

Leaving the pontoon

Unicorn Hotel at Gunthorpe

This bridge at Gunthorpe carries a lot of connecting traffic

Roosting egrets. This is probably their heronry in the spring.

We arrived at Stoke Lock, which we had to ourselves, and on leaving the lock, we moored on the pontoon, upstream of the lock cut. We have noticed this mooring before, although it is not marked in our Nicholson Guide, and we have never stopped here before. It is a peaceful spot, away from traffic noise.

Approaching Stoke Lock

Stoke Weir and Lock

Stoke Lock

Pontoon mooring at Stoke

Overhanging tree

James went to explore Netherfield Lagoons, a nature reserve mentioned on an information board nearby. It was about a mile walk up the towpath, and then a mile circuit of the lakes. The rest of todays blog is a selection of the better photos of plants and insects.

Netherfield Lagoons

Burdock

Himalayan Balsam

Teasel

Tansy

Toadflax

Speckled Wood

Tortoiseshell

Red Admiral

Green-veined White

Common Darter (?)

1 lock, 5 miles. Dep 0825, arr 0835


Fri 30^th August  Stoke Lock to Nottingham

We set off fairly promptly, as we were hoping for a good mooring in Nottingham. It was very windy as we made our departure.

Early morning at Stoke

Looking back at Stoke Pontoon and weir

Radcliffe Viaduct

We soon arrived at Holme Lock, adjacent to the canoe slalom course. We discovered that the lock keeper knew Tommy, a boater we had met near Lincoln. We decided to use the facilities here, rather than at Meadow Lane Lock, as the Meadow Lane facilities are often out of use due to vandalism. We filled up with water, which meant stretching our hose across the access road to the lock. We had to move the hose once for a passing vehicle.

Just as we were finishing with the hose, a narrowboat, which had been moored on the other side of the river, set off upstream heading for Nottingham. We decided to catch up so that we could share locks. As we were leaving the lock cut, a strong gust of wind took Hazels hat and blew it into the water. James quickly reversed to where it had landed, and managed to retrieve it with the aid of the boat hook. We rinsed it with fresh water and hung it out to dry.

Hazel’s hat

This diversion meant that we were by now more than five minutes behind the other boat, but we made good progress. Thankfully the lock was against us, so the other boat (Seyella) had to set the lock, giving us time to catch up as we approached Trent Bridge.  They stopped for water at the facilities, which appeared to be in working order today. We also noticed Forever Changes above the lock, last seen in Newark. We were now on the Nottingham Canal.

Meadow Lane Services with Forever Changes and 
Nottingham Forest Football Ground in the background

Our first proper canal bridge for a long time

Fellows Morton and Clayton building

Factory building

We stopped near Sainsbury’s, just where we wanted to be. We saw Aqua Vitae going past, a boat that used to belong to Mick and Suzanne, who fitted out our boat.

Aqua Vitae

We indulged ourselves at the nearby Pizza Hut for their buffet lunch.

3 locks, 7 miles. Dep 0845, arr 1205


Sat 31^st August  Nottingham

We had planned a day of pottering about today, exploring Nottingham and seeing some sights. We walked in to the city, as we couldn't decipher the bus timetables. We decided to visit the “City of Caves”. Nottingham is built on sandstone, and there are many caves underneath the city, which have been used for many purposes over the centuries. The tour we did today included caves used as homes, as a tannery, and as WWII air raid shelters.

City of Caves entrance

Inside the caves

The tannery

The air raid shelter

We had a lovely meal at Dosa and Chutney, a South Indian restaurant near the centre.

Nottingham trams

We took a taxi back to Sainsbury's as the trams don't go in that direction.

No boating today


Sun 1^st September  Nottingham

We decided to visit Cornerstone Church this morning. It is a large church, with the associated problems with welcome teams, as not everyone knows everyone. One person said good morning as we arrived, and another gave us a bible and service sheet, but otherwise no-one spoke to us until we asked if we could join a guy over coffee afterwards. To be fair, newcomers and visitors were invited to go to the welcome desk to make themselves known, and we decided not to as we were meeting Elaine. Last time we visited we met several people. The talk was based on Psalm 84 and was entitled “Longing for God”.

Cornerstone church

The worship band

We met up with Elaine afterwards and she took us to her place for a lovely lunch. Thankyou Elaine!  She drove us back later, past the amazingly ornate railway station, rebuilt in 1904.

With Elaine in Nottingham 

The railway station

No boating today

Next: We leave Nottingham, and head for Shardlow, to meet James’s sister Maggie, and her husband Clive.