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A 15-day adventure by S Read more
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  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 6

    Willington

    October 22, 2020 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We moved on from Barton-under-Needwood just to get a little farther before we lost the light. We stopped up just an hour later at Branston, a massive new housing estate just outside of Burton. Despite parking next to the Bridge Inn, the 'pub' apparently didn't do drinks, only food. So we wandered to the local Co-op for a couple of supplies before making fajitas on the back on the boat and spending an evening reading and playing cards.

    A lazy morning saw us traverse the canal through Burton, which we plan as a stop on our return. With the sun out and the sky very blue, we had a first properly warm morning on the boat. We moored at Willington to visit Bevington's tea room and have a spot of lunch (but no cake today as we still had cake left over from yesterday!).    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 6

    Stenson

    October 22, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Trundling on from Willington, the day was warm in the sun but the breeze and clouds brought a distinct chill. We arrived at Stenson Lock, our first double width (widebeam) lock - it was huge. It took ages to fill and the doors were a massive challenge to move! So much so that we ground-anchored in after the lock and stopped for a swift pint at the Bubble Inn on the lock.Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 6

    Swarkestone

    October 22, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Next stop - Swarkestone. Basically nothing here except a pub and a nursery, so we thought we'd investigate the pub. Turns out we've driven through here many times on our way to Calke Abbey and that the pub was pleasant enough (a Marston's pub with a distinctly chain feel but nice). The beer garden looks out onto the beautiful Swarkestone Bridge, lit up in the late afternoon sunshine. Unexpectedly, it also contained a cairn commemorating the further south the Jacobite Army (of Bonnie Prince Charlie) got in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. In the falling sunshine, we made one last push for the day to Weston on Trent.Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 6

    Weston on Trent

    October 22, 2020 in England ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    We pootled on from Swarkestone aiming for Weston-on-Trent. The falling sun meant for beautiful views over the countryside and wonderful colours and reflections on the canal. We enjoyed the last bit of the day, soaking in the su shine we had been missing for much of the journey, before mooring up just shy of Weston Lock.

    A short walk into the village took us to the Coopers Arms for dinner. The real ales and ciders on tap rounded off the day, and we ordered pie & mash, and fish & chips...the latter of which was so large I was simply unable to finish it! It was however absolutely delicious. A couple of pints later we wandered back to the boat trying to walk off at least some of the meal before retiring for the evening.    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 7

    Shardlow

    October 23, 2020 in England ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    It rained once again through the night and the rain stayed with us for the rest of the morning. We went through the Weston Lock and on to Aston-on-Trent for a very brief stop (being too early for pubs and little else there).

    At Shardlow, we moored up for a walk of the area and a look at a house we liked that was on the market. Shardlow is apparently the furthest inland port and the buildings in the area are often renovated warehouses, mills or workers cottages. They are beautiful even when abandoned and we spent a fanciful half hour talking about how we could renovate one before retiring to the Clock Warehouse for a pint and some lunch out of the rain.    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 7

    Kegworth

    October 23, 2020 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Shardlow to Kegworth was a pretty uneventful run, being essentially where we live. Just beyond Shardlow, we went through the Derwent Lock which was the first double-wide lock we'd been through with another boat. It was interesting to travel through some of the junctions where canals meet the River Trent and Derwent, and indeed to pilot the boat down the wide stretches of the Trent, but pretty much from Shardlow onwards we could always see the power station on the horizon as we drew nearer and nearer to home. We stopped briefly at Sawley to pick up provisions before heading through Sawley lock which is a hydraulic lock (thankfully a Canal and River Trust person was there otherwise I think I'd have been turning the windlass and wondering why nothing was happening for ages!).

    As we came down the final stretch we were greeted by a C-17 doing circuits over East Mids Airport much to Ben's delight.

    We moored up just the other side of the Kegworth flood lock, cooked curry for tea and decamped to the Anchor to meet mum and Kev for some drinks...a few too many judging by Ben's hangover the next morning!    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 8

    Willington in the Rain

    October 24, 2020 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    A breakfast of sausage sandwiches to stave off the hangover (for Ben!), before mum and Kev joined us on board at about 8am. We pushed off, aiming to reach Willington for the night.

    The day was pretty miserable: grey skies and drizzle, occasionally turning over to pouring rain, made for cold and wet driving conditions. Having stopped at Aston and Weston on the way down, and knowing there was little there, we just pushed on for most of the day, weather be damned.

    At Weston Lock, I hopped off and ran 5km to Swarkestone Lock, before rejoining the boat for the final stint. The weather held just long enough for me to complete my run then at Swarkestone the heavens opened and we got absolutely sodden. Pulling into Willington was more of a challenge due to the weather and lack of mooring points, so we land anchored in the rain before turning the boat into a massive drying room!

    A quick wardrobe change later, we visited the Green Man in Willington for some food and drink, before retiring for a relatively early night.    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 9

    Alweras Again

    October 25, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We left Willington reasonably early, aiming for Alweras by mid-afternoon. We therefore skipped Burton once again deciding that the half hour walk to town wouldn't yield any different shops to a normal town. Instead we pushed on, and about 6km outside of Alrewas mum and I jumped off the boat and went for a run. I had to stop twice to stretch my aching knees and nearly gave up at Wychnor Lock, but stretched again and pushed on, running along the Trent and over the beautiful footbridges into Alrewas...where we continued running to the nearest pub! We had a few drinks and some starters at the George and Dragon, before Ben and I wandered off on a tour of Alweras under a beautiful sunset.Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 10

    National Memorial Arboretum

    October 26, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    With the clocks going back, we were up in more than good time for the day's plan. So we breakfasted before walking out, through Alrewas and over the A38 to the National Memorial Arboretum, which none of us had visited before. We arrived rather early and so had to wait 20 minutes for it to open, wandering around the Dunkirk memorial at the front.

    Once in, we took a route past the big memorial, to the Shot at Dawn Memorial (where a plaque to James Crozier was notable), and on to the Pegasus Bridge memorial. The site was huge and well kept, whilst the sun graced us with its presence for the during of our visit; it had rained as we waited for the doors to open.

    We returned to the boat aiming for Hopwas for tea, with the spectre of an afternoon run through the military ranges looming!    Read more

  • TravelerCanal Boating Oct 2020
    Day 10

    Hopwas Again

    October 26, 2020 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Through Fradley and back onto the Coventry Canal was fairly uneventful. At Whittington, I jumped off the boat and did a 5km past the military ranges, which was painfully slippery underfoot. 5km took me to Hopwas where I holed up in the Red Lion waiting for Ben to catch up in the boat. We ate tea in the pub before retiring for the evening.Read more

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