From suevbutler@compuserve.com Mon May 3 18:37:19 1999 Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 18:23:33 -0400 From: susan butler Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org To: "INTERNET:canals@blacksheep.org" Subject: Trip Report - Jemima D - Down the Erewash [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] Trip report - Sue and Neil on Jemima D Taking in the GU, the Soar, the Erewash, the Trent and the Trent and Mersey Day 6 - 25th June Langley Mill to Trent Lock 14 locks, 16 miles, 7.5 hours Sun and rain , some very heavy showers A Happy Fisherman We are sad to leave Langley Mill and the Great Northern basin. But we set off in the hope that for the first time this holiday we will have a run of locks set for us! Quite a few of them have kept their level - or nearly so - so progress is much quicker than yesterday. Just before Stensons Lock we watch an exciting battle between a fisherman and a large and determined fish. We pull in to the bank as we watch him run up and then down the towpath as his quarry tries to escape. He eventually lands a 14lb Carp, but by this time he is so far away we can only watch through the binoculars! He is one happy fisherman! After 7 locks we stop at the cruelly named 'Gallows Inn Lock', the pub is now called the Lock, Stock and Barrel, and provides a welcome break and a pleasant seating area beside the lock. I nip to the shops, and we are soon on our way again. More good pickings at Sandiacre We stop briefly at Sandiacre to take a few photos, and check whether there are any new bits of carpet in the skip! We don't find any carpet - but there is an old boat pole in the hedge! It needs some sprucing up, but appears quite serviceable, so we have brought it home to be refurbished. All the way down we have taken turns to work the locks - poor Neil has had most of the empty ones, while mine were nearly all full! For those of you with petrol driven boats there are a number of garages very close to the cut on the Erewash, one even had a mooring beside the forecourt. I don't think the hose from the pumps would reach your boat though! Mini-GIG at Trent Lock We pass the BW crane moored up, partially rebuilt again! We arrive at Trent Lock about 7.30. I don't think our timing was great as Chris D was struggling with the innards of his van, which had just failed its MOT. I hope all is fixed now Chris! We sat outside the Steamboat, watching a double rainbow over the Soar - it even made the power station look pretty. (It was interesting to hear when we got back that Judy had seen a double rainbow in Ripon on the same night). Later we spent a pleasant and interesting evening with Chris in the Navigation. Thanks Chris for finding the time to spend with us when you were so busy. We think that Chris and Jan have chosen a lovely spot to live - but it must get very busy at times. Sue and Neil Happy to be on Jemima D