Erewash canal

[Cheshire cat]

Considering doing the Erewash canal next week. Anywhere to be avoided? Any standout features, overnight stops?

[PeterScott]

The most northerly bit beyond Great Northern Basin is fun, and then you've navigated the connected part of the Cromford Canal.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

The most northerly bit beyond Great Northern Basin is fun, and then you've navigated the connected part of the Cromford Canal.

We didnt get as far as that but the GNB is a great place to moor. And there is a spotless sanitary station too and an Asda in easy walking distance. 

 

 

[Beo]

Sandiacre has everything you may need within walking distance of the moorings - Aldi, Co-op, hardware shops and a great chip shop opposite the White Lion. 

[mrsmelly]

It's a fine trip, make sure you go as far as possible. If u need work doing book in with Dan at Langley mill as the work is spot on and Dock Exellent. 

[Scholar Gypsy]

I agree, it's a fine trip. I would make sure you don't moor overnight close to the M1, it was a bit noisy. It's also worth exploring the Cromford north of Langley Mill, here are some photos from a year ago.

https://scholargypsy.org.uk/2019/06/06/spring-cruise-3-erewash-canal/

[Cheshire cat]

Thanks everyone for the big thumbs up. Any pubs to be supported?

 

[stagedamager]

I may be biased but the boatyard at the top is great and very welcoming...... pubs are somewhat scant en route, the steamboat at trent lock, Gallows Inn used to be ok and the Bunny Hop Ale House at Langley Mill is cracking. If you like a good curry, the gurkha at Langley Mill shouldn't be missed, and there's a lidl over the road and Asda 2 mins away. 

Watch out for the weed, its quite prevalent this time of year, but well worth the trip up. Some of the locks you'll find locals swimming on a hot day but most of the time they're happy to help push gates and help if asked and engaged with.

Once at Langley Mill if you need anything give us a shout at the boatyard.

 

Kind regards

 

Dan

 

Langley Mill Boatyard Ltd 

[Nightwatch]

I can vouch for the Bunny Hop. Definitely, hic!

’Dan the Man’ IS the man for the job. Lets not forget young Vikki, excuse the pun Vikki, is the work horse of the outfit. Smashing place. Nothing too much trouble. Just ask.

[Tesla]

5 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

I can vouch for the Bunny Hop. Definitely, hic!

’Dan the Man’ IS the man for the job. Lets not forget young Vikki, excuse the pun Vikki, is the work horse of the outfit. Smashing place. Nothing too much trouble. Just ask.

Agree, top people. We did have a spot of bother with a couple of young lads on the way up, one insisting on hanging off the lock gate when we wanted to open it...but no real bother. You will probably pass our old boat on the way up there.

[Mac of Cygnet]

I enjoyed the Erewash, too, and can endorse the Bunny Hop, but it certainly doesn't have space for social distancing!    The Great Northern Basin, a rather grandiose name, accommodated Cygnet for a few days with the boat club, but is a bit of a misnomer, being a small but secluded pool.

 

 

[Nightwatch]

42 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

I enjoyed the Erewash, too, and can endorse the Bunny Hop, but it certainly doesn't have space for social distancing!    The Great Northern Basin, a rather grandiose name, accommodated Cygnet for a few days with the boat club, but is a bit of a misnomer, being a small but secluded pool.

 

 

May I ask? Is Cygnet a Mick Sivewright owl class? Our first boat, Tawny Owl was such a vessel.

[Tracy D'arth]

24 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

May I ask? Is Cygnet a Mick Sivewright owl class? Our first boat, Tawny Owl was such a vessel.

It certainly looks like one. Does it have the optional external coal bunker with the trapdoor into the boat?

TD'

[Mac of Cygnet]

23 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

It certainly looks like one. Does it have the optional external coal bunker with the trapdoor into the boat?

TD'

 

Yes it is a Mick Sivewright boat.  I have seen Tawny Owl on my travels, as well as several other Owls.  I probably have a pic somewhere - I take one whenever I come across another Owl.

 

Yes, it has the coal bunker, and it was full of coal (real coal, not smokeless) when I bought Cygnet in 2006, but I gave it away as I burn only wood, and converted the bunker, which is very deep, into a 3-layer locker.  Ropes &  mooring equipment on top, then spare cassette, with some coal for emergencies, never used, in the bottom, still available via the hatch by the stove.

[Nightwatch]

We had Tawny Owl on the K&A from 2002 to 2005. Sold to a young teacher who was going to moor on the Slough Arm i believe. Be good to see piccys.

[Dave123]

It's worth doing! Much of the bank is too shallow for easy mooring though. But there is some secret underwater armco attached to the canal wall along Gallows Inn Fields which makes it possible to moor here. It's a nice walk up to the dry bed of the Nottingham canal. Nice moorings before the railbridge above Cotmanhay too.

[frangar]

I have to say it’s quite a few years since we did the Erewash but an encounter with quite a lot of feral youth in the middle of it trying to work out how to trash our boat in a lock together with broken paddles/glued shut anti vandal locks and a very low pound on the way out...not to mention a noisy night thanks to a metal stamping works at the end rather put us off ever venturing up there again....hopefully it’s better now but it’s firmly ticked off our list! 

[Keeping Up]

The first time we went up the Erewash, about 35 years ago, we disturbed a corpse that was lying at the bottom of a lock chamber. We didn't go up there again until 6 years ago when we were pleasantly surprised to have a very enjoyable, corpse free trip.

 

Incidentally, watch out for the bridges below the locks; the arches are very low on the offside so you cannot get two breasted narrow boats through them.

[Scholar Gypsy]

40 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

The first time we went up the Erewash, about 35 years ago, we disturbed a corpse that was lying at the bottom of a lock chamber. We didn't go up there again until 6 years ago when we were pleasantly surprised to have a very enjoyable, corpse free trip.

 

Incidentally, watch out for the bridges below the locks; the arches are very low on the offside so you cannot get two breasted narrow boats through them.

I had a very quiet and relaxing trip last June. Last time we saw a corpse was in Blackburn in 1979. A cheery policeman (who was waiting for forensics to arrive) asked if we were having a nice holiday. Stopped shortly after for a whisky in the local pub.

[Cheshire cat]

The Bunny hop is open and everyone is social distancing in the garden. Nice RealAle

[stagedamager]

Just now, Cheshire cat said:

The Bunny hop is open and everyone is social distancing in the garden. Nice RealAle

Good to hear, it is the best place for real ale in the area.

How was your trip up?

[Cheshire cat]

Probably the best single word description is strenuous.

Lovely canal though. More like the Avon river. Every lock was against us. Hoping for less effort going back.

[Chris Lowe]

It would be an even nicer trip if the Cromford, Nutbrooke and Nottingham canals could be restored.

[hughc]

17 hours ago, buccaneer66 said:

It would be an even nicer trip if the Cromford, Nutbrooke and Nottingham canals could be restored.

It must be the best part of forty years ago that we attended a public meeting in Ironville village hall called to discuss the restoration of the Cromford after the ECP&DA had organised work parties to clear the flight through the village. At this meeting the  BW representative said that the restoration movement had to choose between the Cromford, the Grantham or the Nottingham only one was going to be viable. It was not too long after this that BW ripped out the top of the flight in order to 'safegaurd against a 100 year flood'. The only other place where this happened was on, I believe, the Huddersfield Narrow also in danger of restoration. Well we have had some serious flooding since then but not in Ironville nor would there have been since a plan was put forward to enable the flight to be used as a flood spillway. The Nottingam is of course a lost cause and the Grantham appears moribund which leaves only the Cromford so perhaps B.W. were not so far off the mark. Not of course that any navigation in the accepted sense of the word will ever be allowed past Ambergate.

[mrsmelly]

20 hours ago, Cheshire cat said:

Probably the best single word description is strenuous.

Lovely canal though. More like the Avon river. Every lock was against us. Hoping for less effort going back.

It is however less strenuous than the locks ont K and A innitt.