To the head of the navigation - Erewash Canal - 3 & 4 May

Thursday 3 May 2018
Sandiacre to B20 Ilkeston
4 miles, 6 locks

Well despite my best intentions of trying to keep up to date this year, here I am several days behind!  It is a combination of having too much fun and a couple of days that were just a hard slog.  It was the two days getting up to the head of the navigation at Langley Mill that fell into the latter category.   As mentioned in the last post the locks are all big and sadly we never found a boat to share with and once again most locks were against us.  The countryside came and went with very few photos taken.  This field of horses caught by eye, but little else did.

At one of the locks Monty, for a reason best known to himself jumped back on the boat, but in the bow with the doors shut, so he was trapped and far from happy, but thankfully he had the sense to just stay there looking very sad.

After the first three locks our luck started to change and we met the first of the twelve boats from the Lichfield Cruising Club on their way back which meant more hands at the locks and locks that were ready for us.  They all said that they had had a great time throughout the cruise, were well looked after and enjoyed the tour round the basin at Langley Mill.

Greenfields Lock with a waterfall over the top gate - I was glad a bottom gate had been left open for us.

 We moored just before bridge 20, north Ilkeston - once again not very pretty, but it has the advantage of a large retail park that includes an M&S food hall just along the road if you turn right at the bridge.

Friday 4 May 2018
Ilkeston to Langley Mill
3.75 miles, 5 locks

Once again we were on our own with no boats coming down today, so every lock was against us with most of the top gates either fully or partially open - not due to slack boaters, just gates that open in the breeze.  Photos are few and far between - it was just a hard slog.

If you ever come along this canal - watch out for these holes by the ground paddles on the top gates - they can provide you with quite a shower if you are not nimble!

 The further north you travel the prettier the canal becomes

I did get relief at one lock when we swapped places

 At Eastwood lock I spotted this plaque hidden away.

Then at last we had made it to the basin.  Just one last lock onto the Cromford Canal and there to greet us

was FreeSpirit with Irene and Ian not far away.  They were busy painting the canal societies new work boat, but both broke off from their labours to come and welcome us.

A quick wind after we had used the services

 and we were moored up bow to bow with FreeSpirit.

The first of many guests over the Bank Holiday weekend - our youngest granddaughter, Evelyn aged 9, was delivered.  We went to the pub for dinner with Irene (whose name we now discovered is actually pronounced 'eye' 'rain' 'a' as she is of Dutch origin) and Ian.  We had an excellent meal and enjoyed getting to know them a little better.  Although we have met several times on the cut this was the first time we have ever spent any quality time together.

Once back on board Evelyn settled down for the night and Monty enjoyed a bit of company!