Onto The River Soar

We have come to the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal and continued onto the River Soar over the last few days – heading back to the boat builders at Thurmaston, Leicester for a few jobs to be done after 4 months of continuous cruising.

A misty morning just before we left our mooring on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Branston on Wednesday.  It didn’t last long as it has been so hot up here over the last few days the mist soon gets burnt off!

We passed another well known blogger at Horninglow Basin, Burton on Trent.   Andrew on Granny Buttons wasn’t at home.

Leaving the Trent and Mersey canal we enter the River Trent.  The expanse of the river is a little different to the canal.  The depth of water also makes the boat go easier (and faster if you want! - a good opportunity to give the engine a bit more stride)

Here we are filling up with diesel, 95p a litre at Sawley Marina. We also topped up the water tank.  We then went through Sawley Lock (this is an automated lock so there are push buttons instead of having to heave on lock gate beams to open them – a nice change for Doug!).  A quick 1/2 mile further down the River Trent we made a left turn onto the Erewash Canal.  This canal is virgin territory for us and we wanted see what it was like.

As you can see it was full of duckweed and so thick, as you passed through, it filled in the gap behind us!  It is a very urban canal for the first part and because of the duckweed and so much rubbish floating in it we decided to turn back at Sandiacre Lock and head off the canal and back onto the pristine River Trent.

Some of the floating homes as we left the canal were amazing – this one reminiscent of a Mississippi steamer. Still on the canal, and just before we left through Trent Lock,  we met Ian and Karen on nb Serenity, (another fellow blogger!)  We had a quick chat with them (as they were blacking their boat in dry dock) before leaving the Erewash Canal.  We may return one day when we have more time and we can be assured of a cleaner canal.

The last lock  (Trent Lock) on the Erewash Canal next to the Steamboat Inn. The Radcliffe-on-Soar power station in the distance dominates the surroundings for many miles around. We moored just off the canal on the River Trent for the evening.

Sunset on the River Trent.