Great Northern Basin (Erewash Canal) to Lincoln (Fossdyke Navigation)

This is a trip of 78 miles and 28 locks  and includes a Tidal Section of River

 

 

This is another new trip for ‘Ellis’ – that involves a tidal section of the River Trent.  Capt. Ellis doesn’t like tidal rivers… especially after the trip from Selby to York via the tidal Ouse in Ellis’s first year – Still, in order to GET colour in the complete map, it’s a necessity and by splitting the distances required over 3 trips perhaps it won’t seem TOO harrowing !

 

If that’s not scared you off, we’ll begin our journey at the beginning (or end I suppose) of the Erewash canal at Eastwood.  We’ll expect our guests to arrive about 1.30pm and after an introductory blah blah (and most probably a glass of something fizzy) we’ll depart the basin and put in a couple of hours chugging before tying up for our 1st night together around Hallam Fields Lock (no 66) – After Ilkeston but before Sandiacre.

 

Day 2 (after a simple DIY breakfast), will probably see us having an early (ish) lunch near Trentlock before we head back onto the river aiming to pass through Beeston Lock and tie up for the day back on the Beeston Cut.

 

Day 3 will be a short chugging day – pretty much tying up at lunchtime near Nottingham Castle Marina so as to give time to explore Nottingham in the afternoon.

 

In contrast to the previous day, we’ll need to chug for longer on day 4 – possibly stopping off for lunch around  Gunthorpe (if there’s a mooring space) … if not, it’ll be sandwiches on the go whilst Ellis navigates downstream  to Hazelford Ferry Moorings (either before or After depending upon conditions) for tonight’s berth.

 

Day 5 will be another reasonable length - aiming to lunch around Newark and an end of day mooring at Cromwell Lock… tomorrow will be the tidal section from Cromwell to Torksey !

 

Timings are yet to be confirmed (I’m writing this in January 2023) but with luck (or clever planning) we’ll aim to be travelling down the tidal section on the ebb – lunch will have to be a self-service affair again as we can’t stop until we get to Torksey… where we’ll moor for the night. 

 

Assuming we’ve survived the previous 16 mile Tidal Stretch, our final day will take us along the Fossdyke Navigation to Saxilby for lunch time before we end our travels wherever we can moor up in Lincoln.  Our journey together will have ended here and once guests depart after breakfast on the final morning, we’ll begin getting ready to head back on to the tidal Trent and continue our travels north – Next stop the Chesterfield canal.