Half way (almost) on the Erewash Canal

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:33

It was good to be back on a canal again

The Erewash is a surprisingly rural canal, despite running through some built up areas. However, these areas do not encroach too badly and when they do it is a pleasant cruise through.

There are a number of houseboats above Trent Lock - all require BW "cruising" licences and mooring licences - I have yet to see one of them move! Some of them are quite substantial like this one.

Two storeyed houseboat

We passed the rest of Mills Dockyard, with its wet dock and moorings, and then we were into a stretch of countryside. Long Eaton's railway bridges mark the outskirts of the town. Before the first one are flood gates and an intriguing sliding footbridge, with "traffic" lights.

Sliding footbridge

Sheetstores Basin was built in 1840 by the Midland Counties Railway for loading and unloading coke from boats to railway wagons. There was a managers house and a coke store.

Sheetstores Basin

When this trade declined a few years later the basin and buildings became a Sheet Store. Sheets, the tarpaulins used to cover open wagons, were manufactured and repaired at the Sheet Store. The basin is now used by Wyvern Marine and Long Eaton Boat Club. There is more about the basin (with photos) and its history here - clickety click

Long Eaton Lock

Long Eaton Lock, Dockholme Lock and Sandiacre Lock lift the canal up through the towns and out into more countryside. We had a long wait at Long Eaton as the pound above had been drained because of problems with the top gates not being closed; the bottom gates were very leaky. Once we got through, the pound was still very shallow, not having refilled completely, so we grounded a couple of times.

As you pass through Long Eaton look out for this ferocious (?) guard dog. He has a very loud bark, but looks so cuddly!

Guard dog

Above Dockholme Lock, we saw this narrowboat in a back garden - we were baffled as to how it could ever be launched, as there is no wharf and apparently no room for a crane. The tarpaulin covers what is going on underneath but the bows look good!

Perch in build

A word about the locks on this canal - they are hard! Most of the paddles are locked with anti-vandal keys and most locks have upper ground (some working, some not!) and gate paddles. I managed to work a couple of the locks, but John did the majority. It was very windy so I pulled into the lock landings and took a rope ashore whilst I waited for the locks to be ready.

Dockholme Lock

Sandiacre Lock has the last remaining toll house on the Erewash and it was here that we met a blog reader on narrowboat Arrina. I hope you are still reading this - and enjoying it! Sorry we couldn't stop.

Toll house

The entrance to the Derby Canal can still be seen above the lock. This linked the Erewash with the Trent and Mersey and was another coal carrying canal built in 1797. There are moorings in Sandiacre near the shops and pub. We did not fancy mooring right by the road and the pub, so continued on and passed Springfield Mill.

Springfield Mill

This was a lace mill, built in 1888, and has four towers which house spiral staircases, one for each lace making company. It has been converted into apartments - a nice place to live, I think!

Sandiacre Church on the hill

We left Sandiacre behind and decided to moor below Pastures Lock. It was here that a huge gust of wind blew our satellite dish and pole off the roof. Sadly, despite much perseverance with the sea searcher magnet, John was unable to recover it. Still, a week or so without TV will do us good - a new dish is on order!

With the long wait at Long Eaton Lock, we were ready to stop! The canal was still low on water but overnight the level came up and it was a nice, rural mooring.

Erewash Canal, Trent Lock to Pastures Lock

3 hours 50 minutes, 4.46 miles, 3 locks