Erewash Canal

[Airbed]

The boat I share is at Gt Haywood, and I wondered about an exploration of the Erewash Canal. I'm familiar with the joys of getting from Ashton into Manchester on the Cheshire Ring. Also, Tyburn on the outskirts of Birmingham. Aren't school holidays fun when you're passing through such areas between moorings.

However, I've read that even mooring on the Erewash Canal - the dangers thereof - make any trip very risky.

Perhaps some readers of this forum have recent experience that could help me choose the right moorings, or help me decide they don't exist. It's hardly that long that it needs more than one or two safe places, surely.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance if you can help.

Peter

[by'eck]

No issues at all when I did the trip late last year unlike the Ashton you mention when the kids are out of school.

 

If you draw much more than 30" though it may be a problem.

[Suzie_q]

We are doing the Erewash over the easter weekend, so will make a point of reporting back for you.

 

The only issue I can see in planning is that there is limited mooring above Sandiacre as Langley Basin has hardly any free moorings.

[Guest]

We are doing the Erewash over the easter weekend, so will make a point of reporting back for you.

 

The only issue I can see in planning is that there is limited mooring above Sandiacre as Langley Basin has hardly any free moorings.

As far as I know all moorings in the basin are free.

 

Often somebody from the preservation society will seek you out and offer to sell you a plaue though....so what?

 

A great place to moor.

[stagedamager]

Moorings as follows:

 

Trent Lock

Padmore Moorings, Sandiacre

Above Whitehouse Lock, next to former Stanton Ironworks

 

After that, i'd crack on through to Langley Mill, you don't really want to stop in Ilkeston, or around Shipley or Eastwood Locks. Langley Mill has moorings for half a dozen boats, and it's not been full for a while.

 

Depth wise, shouldn't be too much of a problem, anything over about 2'6 you may struggle to get totally in to the bank. Channel has been greatly improved over the years by several deep draughted boats at LM ploughing their own channel!

 

A lovely cut, and greatly improved over the years. The quickest we have done it is 5 1/2 hours top to bottom, and that was with a pair, so easy in a day if you wanted to.

 

Kind Regards

 

Dan

Erewash user for the past 25 years!!

[Suzie_q]

As far as I know all moorings in the basin are free.

 

Often somebody from the preservation society will seek you out and offer to sell you a plaue though....so what?

 

A great place to moor.

I was meaning free as in available, rather than there being a charge.

[KJT]

We did most of it last summer and found it to be a very pleasant canal for the most part. We were defeated by weed though which was particularly bad when we tried to get to Langley Mill, probably caused by the prolonged hot weather at the time. Others though have reported no such problems so I think we were unlucky.

 

Ken

[Guest]

I was meaning free as in available, rather than there being a charge.

We did it at Easter and got moored no problem.

 

Easter 2011

 

 

I would wager you would be found a mooring no problem what so ever.

 

They like boats to get that far, they don't discourage them.

Edited April 13, 2014 by The Dog House

[Dyad]

We have just had a clean up at the end of March on the Erewash, so now is a good time to cruise before the locals chuck the next batch of rubbish in.

 

I wouldn't stop too long at ilkeston (and Ilive there) apart fom maybe a restock at Tesco or Marks and Spencer.

[MoominPapa]

We did most of it last summer and found it to be a very pleasant canal for the most part. We were defeated by weed though which was particularly bad when we tried to get to Langley Mill, probably caused by the prolonged hot weather at the time. Others though have reported no such problems so I think we were unlucky.

 

Ken

We had weed problems last year, but weren't defeated by them and got to Langley Mill. (Coming from the Middle Level, we're used to a bit 'o weed .....)

 

The canal was pleasant, and Langley Mill was great for a couple if nights mooring. The locals were fine: some lads swimming in lock, but we treated then as human beings and fellow waterways users, and they were no problem. The VMs at Trent Lock are good too.

 

MP.

[Sarah and Ian]

Hello we did it in August 2011 during the school holidays.

 

It was fine if the locks were hard going due to lack of use I would presume.

 

We went from Swarkestone to Sandiacre Padmore moorings in a day then onto Langley Mill on the sunday. We decided to come back down to Sandiacre the same day which made it a longer day but it was fine. A few kids playing in and around locks but we had not trouble from them.

[Lockie Junior]

It was fine if the locks were hard going due to lack of use I would presume.

 

Some of the paddles are a composite matierial that can stick under pressure. Once you've got the paddle up a few turns it's easier.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Lockie Junior

[Airbed]

Hi,

Some very detailed replies here, really grateful. Also, I've been contacted by a co-owner who has made the trip, so I'm less worried about depth than I was. I appreciate the reasoning that we're more likely to be welcomed than not, and Ilkeston is the name which keeps coming up.

I had a window broken from the offside by 10 year olds playing with BB guns on the Caldon. I've been back three times. Things happen, and treating kids as human beings certainly is the first approach, with a camera the second. Same with anglers, by the way. So I hope I can make this work this spring, before the weed. I was intending this as a week out and back from Great Haywood, so it's out with the Pearson's to see if it works. It'll only be Liz and I, so I think Liz is going to have to learn to steer or push hard. Double gates - mmmm!

 

Anyone else, please do chip in.

 

I used help from this forum to plan a trip clockwise round the Leicester Ring, and enjoyed it immensely. Depending on Old Father Trent, I'd like to go round anti-clock this summer, and include the Ashby. Fairly slow fortnight this summer.

Peter

[Guest]

Hi,

Some very detailed replies here, really grateful. Also, I've been contacted by a co-owner who has made the trip, so I'm less worried about depth than I was. I appreciate the reasoning that we're more likely to be welcomed than not, and Ilkeston is the name which keeps coming up.

I had a window broken from the offside by 10 year olds playing with BB guns on the Caldon. I've been back three times. Things happen, and treating kids as human beings certainly is the first approach, with a camera the second. Same with anglers, by the way. So I hope I can make this work this spring, before the weed. I was intending this as a week out and back from Great Haywood, so it's out with the Pearson's to see if it works. It'll only be Liz and I, so I think Liz is going to have to learn to steer or push hard. Double gates - mmmm!

 

Anyone else, please do chip in.

 

I used help from this forum to plan a trip clockwise round the Leicester Ring, and enjoyed it immensely. Depending on Old Father Trent, I'd like to go round anti-clock this summer, and include the Ashby. Fairly slow fortnight this summer.

Peter

You can of course use only one side if you are adept enough at steering and can avoid rubbing the gate edges. That said it is a little trickier on the Erewash because of the bridge profiles were they are close to the locks. We managed to rub a small hole in the folded down pram hood on our boat catching it on a bridge just using one side which considerably reduced the available head room.

 

Personally I think you may possibly enjoy the trip more if the person with the greater physical strength does the locks on the Erewash and the other person steers. It's a great trip but the locks can be hard work.

 

As to the Ashby - yeas that is worth doing too (and no locks!)

[cherswud]

Thanks, Peter, for asking the questions re the Erewash and thanks to those of you who responded. David and I are collecting our boat from Barton in Fabis in late May where it is moored awaiting our arrival from NZ for 4.5 months of cruising, and we are keen to get familiar with it on a cut rather than a river - had a bad experience on the Avon below Bath once ... We had thought that doing a couple of days on the Erewash by ourselves would be a good idea, after we have had our owner/buyer handover and prior to our friends with much river experience coming to join us on the cruise from Trent Lock to Willington. I've steered many hire boats (mainly Black Prince) over the years with David as the lock master but we're, for some inexplicable reason , a bit nervous about starting off on our own boat. So I'd rather make the mistakes without a familiar audience ...

Cheers, Marilyn

[nickd]

Can't see this being mentioned (apologies if it has) but last time we were up the Erewash, albeit a few years ago, you needed a handcuff / anti-vandal key for the locks.

[Jerra]

Depending on Old Father Trent, I'd like to go round anti-clock this summer, and include the Ashby. Fairly slow fortnight this summer.

Peter

Hi Peter

 

Great minds think alike! That is just what we are thinking of doing in early September.

[Dyad]

Can't see this being mentioned (apologies if it has) but last time we were up the Erewash, albeit a few years ago, you needed a handcuff / anti-vandal key for the locks.

 

Yes, handcuff key still required but they have replaced some of the old screw in ones with the quick release / push-in type.

[FidoDido]

Another decent mooring spot is by the sports fields just before you get into Ilkeston. We did it about this time last year. Had no issues. Met a few kids, but they were all pleasant. We are quite deep, and found it a bit slow going, but not as bad as the Macclesfiled last summer. Depth was fine at the edges when we were mooring.

 

We wrote a little blog of the trip

 

http://nbrivendell.blogspot.co.uk

Note, there are a couple of very low bridges, so remove chimney and any piles of logs from the roof.

[Birdswood]

Please do visit the Erewash, I live right along side it ( that is Anne who is writing this not the Birdswood boat). The canal is very quiet and it needs more boats. Personally I brought a boat up here last autumn and although some of the locks are a little on the harder side on average they are no worse than those on other canals Ive ventured on.

 

Let us know when you are over this way and I will wave as you pass :-)

Edited April 25, 2014 by Birdswood

[Guest]

Please do visit the Erewash, I live right along side it ( that is Anne who is writing this not the Birdswood boat). The canal is very quiet and it needs more boats. Personally I brought a boat up here last autumn and although some of the locks are a little on the harder side on average they are no worse than those on other canals Ive ventured on.

 

Let us know when you are over this way and I will wave as you pass :-)

When we did it in 2011 we got loads of cheery waves and smiles from the locals. They clearly really like to see boats and boaters up there.

[Suzie_q]

We did the Erewash over the easter weekend.

 

No real issues except some rubbish around the prop which can happen in any urban canal setting. The locks do need an anti-vandal key, which we found rather tricky to get to grip at times.

We were glad we had friends with us as the locks are stiff and just deep enough to mean that you need to use the ladders to get out.

 

There is a sunken crusier just before Pasture lock which is opposite a large clumb of reeds which makes for interesting steering, but its passable with care.

 

Are we glad we did it? Yes

Would we do it again? Maybe. The section above Gallows Lock to Stenson lock appeared to have the darkest and lowest water and the most rubbish but once we were through that the last section was quiet and pretty.

A number of walkers and locals said how nice it was to see boats using the canal. Did mean we suffered from gongoozlers.

 

BTW. Why does Sandiarce lock have No.11 on the beam when everything else lists it as No. 63?

 

I will load up some pictures when I get them off the tablet.

[stagedamager]

I believe because it is the 11th lock on the Erewash but 63rd on the Grand Union north from Norton Junction / Leicester Line??

Dan

[Airbed]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for even more replies. Liz and I have walked from the Trent for a few miles one Sunday, but are now looking forward to getting on with our boat (Solace), once I can put my hands on my Pearsons, which has done a walkies. I have tried Canalscape at default settings (7 hours per day), which gives 8 days. We have six, that may be a problem, as I don't want to be making a wash and/or upsetting everyone to keep too tight a schedule (wrong Dog House???).

Our home mooring is Great Haywood, we don't mind long days on the move, just not moving too fast, but as I said at the start, it's not the T&M I'm worried about, it's the Erewash - new waters.

We'll see tomorrow, when I've found the Pearsons.

Peter

[Keeping Up]

Resurrecting this thread, it's over 25 years since we last went up the Erewash so we'll be interested to see if anything has changed - except that we can't remember how it was then apart from there being a dead body in one of the locks that time so I hope that'll be one change for the better!

 

Anyway we're at Trent Lock tonight, and aiming to be in Langley Mill tomorrow night.