First thoughts about the Erewash Canal

At the junction of the Rivers Trent and Soar we briefly turned left heading upstream for a couple of hundred metres until we reached the entrance to the Erewash Canal

It’s OK… A bad attempt to prove I had some hidden artistic talent.  (Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station)
It would be a bad decision to turn right at the junction.  Hopefully the boom would stop most boats from going over the large weir further downstream.

To the left of the photo is the channel that leads to the locks taking boats around the weir.

We’re not going that way this time.  It eventually eventually leads to the North Sea!  A little further left of the photo is the entrance to the Erewash Canal.

To the left of this the River Trent heads upstream and inland.
Jan jumped off Waiouru on the landing below the lock and was just about to empty it when a single-handed boater appeared from the opposite direction.  We locked him through and he kindly gave us some advice about the canal having just returned from reaching the end.

The power station is very imposing
It was a bit of a grey day and one would expect the lock tea rooms to be very attractive on a sunny day.

Above the lock there was a CRT weed cutter working up and down removing some very long weed growing in the canal bed.  Waiouru started to struggle and I asked them whether the canal was shallow.  To which they replied “No….. Except at the edges!”  I had to go down the weed hatch three times between the first and second locks.  A long very fine weed (like green hair) kept entangling the propeller.  Going into reverse didn’t clear it.  We were doing lest than 800rpm and even then were hitting the bottom.  If the entire canal was like this it was going to be a very slow trip.

One of half a dozen houseboats at the lower end of the canal.

An interesting cratch cover.
There was still plenty of weed in the canal after Long Eaton Lock (2nd lock) but the canal seemed deeper and the propeller wasn’t being fouled nearly as often.  Rather than risk repeated trips down the weed hatch we cruised at 800-1000rpm (tick-over) eventually arriving at the Sandiacre moorings.
Sandiacre has a Cooperative, Lidl, two pubs and numerous takeaways.  Also a group of six teenage youths who seem to take pleasure in winding up moored boaters.  We have their photos.  Sandiacre is home to two lions.

The Red Lion pub

The White Lion pub
I thought this building might have been a church.

But it had chimneys on the side and eventually I worked out it’s the local hall.

Tonight’s mooring in Sandiacre































PS
We had a text message from Three today informing us their mobile SIM only plans have changed.  The "One Plan" is now available on a monthly plan for £15.  The plan includes 300 minutes talk, 3000 text and "all you can eat data" including "tethering".  I don't feel so guilty now as this is what they accidentally sold us two years ago!