Narrowboat Firecrest

Our goal was to get onto the Chesterfield Canal by mid April so we could meet with family and friends. But we don’t do anything quickly and although we could have done Cromwell to West Stockwell in one go, we opted for an overnight stop outside Torksey Lock. We’re usually quite proud of Firecrest and used to gongoozelers asking how long she is -60 foot, but there are times when we get a real inferiority complex. Yes that’s us moored behind that “ocean liner”

It seems that that the Trent is the place to build your power station, I guess there was a glut of coal and water. I know their days are numbered but I find the cooling towers a wonderful sight.

I wonder if they will survive like the old buildings like Torksey Castle

And this folly known as “The Chateau” a wealthy Georgian lawyer’s picnic palace

Of course not all the sights we saw along the Trent are to be envied

But we were paying close attention to our Boating Association Trent Maps which highlight the cruising channel so we avoid the shallows, although we could see the deep and shallow areas by looking at the chopiness of the water. And with the wind that was blowing, it was quite choppy at times.

We’d made good progress from Torksey but had been advised to moor in Gainsborough for a few hours until the tide was in our favour to enter the lock West Stockwith

Scarily high wall, but the Trent has a tidal bore called the Aegir that reaches Gainsborough and can be 1.5m on a high spring tide. I was quite happy to wait in the town as there’s a wool shop called the Wool Loft in the red brick building at the top of the pontoon and they invited me to join their knit and natter group

We were expecting it to take half an hour down to West Stockwith but once we hit the incoming tide it really slowed us down, we’d been travelling at nearly 6 mph and we felt the water flow change direction it slowed us to just over 3 mph without any movement on the throttle. Another word of thanks to the extremely helpful lock keepers. We’d let Stockwith know we’d left Gainsborough so he was waiting on the lock landing for us and ready to give Eric directions to manoeuvre the boat across the water into the narrow gap. It takes nerves of steel cause the advise is to do it at full throttle and it’s near impossible to see the actual gap . Even so most boats bash the wall, including us.

Once through the lock we were able to moor up in the basin. It’s a lovely small marina basin, we spent 2 nights there, dismantling the anchor and radio and all the river paraphernalia.

Our Journey from Foxton Locks has been 115 miles and 65 locks, we have taken 24 days, at a leisurely pace with time off the boat for family and friends and we still have a few more days in reserve before our next commitment.

Our plan is to meet up with family on the Chesterfield Canal so now that we were all shipshape we set off, Under Trent Bridge, with it’s beautiful blue and gold metalwork

and onto Holme Lock, where we had to wait for the floating gin palace to come through. Lots of happy people looking down on us.

Our first overnight stop at Stoke Lock. Ironically on the canals we would rarely stop at a lock, for a start the landings need to be kept clear for boats on the move and there’s always a risk that the pond will drain if gates are leaky. However that’s not the case on big rivers, there are usually tall walls or floating pontoons near the locks but little else other than a great community spirit.

The turbulence as the lock fills or empties can be quite ‘exciting’ so boats are held fore and aft by our ropes around inset poles to stop us bashing into the walls or other boats.

It feels quite intimidating being at the bottom of a big lock but it’s like opening an advent calendar when the gates open to reveal a whole new landscape.

The weirs on the Trent are colossal, not to be messed with. The froth continues for quite a way.

We made it to Farndon, just outside Newark on day 2. Farndon marina is home to an old Norwegian fishing vessel that has been transformed into a bar/restaurant, and it’s well worth the 5 minute walk for a £6.50 plate of fish and chips.

Next stop Newark, past the beautiful castle and onto the visitor moorings by the CRT offices. We only stopped long enough for Eric to fill the water tank and for me to fill the fridge, Aldi is less than 10 minutes walk from here so a convenient place to do the chhores.

And the final joy of this leg of the journey was to watch the sun setting from our overnight mooring at Cromwell lock.

The Soar had soothed our concerns about travelling on a river again, but this morning before we set off, we prepped the anchor and donned our life jackets ready for the big water on our journey north. The Trent is the third longest river in Britain, 185 miles long. It starts its journey on Bidolph Moor in Staffordshire where it historically marks the divide between the North of England and what lies below. Its large drainage catchment area from the moors and the midlands makes it vulnerable to heavy and occassionally catastrophic flooding, hence the need for boats such as ours to treat it with respect. We shall be travelling 85 miles downstream as far as Keadby, which in theory is 24 hours travelling, however, we need to eat, sleep, explore and spend time with family so you’ll have to bear with us for another 2 months. After Keadby the river carries on for another 9 miles until it reaches the Humber Estuary and the sound of seagulls and proper shipping lanes.

Our first view of the Trent. And although we want to turn right, the arrows guide us to the left to avoid the weir.

Things are starting to look familiar from last year’s cruising. The boat club house on the island,

And the entrance to the Erewash canal

But looking back a solitary swan says goodbye and thankyou for calling.

After all that excitement, seeing the open water, we’re immediately guided back onto a managed canal

And towards Cranfleet lock

And finally onto our destination for the next few days, Beeston