A
lovely section of touring river. Includes the stretch through
Burton. Note mileages measured from Great Heywood.
17.2
miles - Alrewas weir. The Trent and Mersey Canal leaves the river left.
Portage
right side. Land at concrete ledge just above the warning buoys,
for an easy 50 yd carry.
The fish pass cut diagonally across the wild area to the left of the weir
is now rather overgrown. The triangle of land, the Frankies, between the river, canal and the A 38 is the site of a medieval village. It
is now part of the National Forest Tender Scheme.
17.9
miles - Wychnor bridge (A38)
This
stretch of A38 follows the Roman Ryknield Street. From 1729-1873 it
formed the Burton Lichfield turnpike .
Access
and camping in field right below bridge.
Willowbrook Farm, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 7BA.
Tel. 01283 790217 Great site. £1.50 pp per night.
18.2 miles - Swinfen
canoe club slalom site
18.6
miles - Railway Bridge
18.7
miles - Railway Bridge (Wichnor viaduct)
18.9
miles - River Tame joins right.
Numerous
gravel workings nearby. Nearly
one third of the nation’s aggregates come from the
Trent Valley.
The
Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove is being created here on the banks of the
Thame. The Two Minutes’ Silence, accompanied by the Last Post and
Reveille, is observed at 11am every day of the year. Some 40,000 trees remind
us of those who died to protect our freedom. Click here
for details.
20 miles
Catton
Hall right
20.5 miles
Site
of Damford weir built in the early 19th century to divert water along the
old river course to Barton mill, now demolished. Click here
for a poem by someone who once lived there.
21.3 miles -
Walton Bridge (B 5016)
Site
of an ancient ford. In
1834 a toll bridge J
replaced the ferry here. In 1900 it was made free L.
A Bailey bridge replaced it in 1947, and the present structure was built in
1974. In 1322 Edward II crossed
the Trent here on his way to outflank the Earl of Lancaster at the battle of
Burton Bridge.
Jan
2006 update - The bridge was replaced again on 11 Oct 2002.
22.8
miles - Drakelow power station inlet right.
23.1
miles - Footbridge
23.4
miles - Branston left
23.5
miles - Toad hole left
23.8
miles - Island. Pass left
24
miles - Drakelow power station outlet right
24.7
miles - Railway bridge
25.5 miles - Ferry bridge 1889
This
suspension foot bridge replaced a 14th century ferry. It continues as a
1/4 mile viaduct over the floodplain between Stapenhill and Burton.
25.6
miles - St Peter’s Bridge 1985 A5189
The limit of the Upper Trent Navigation.
This part of the river navigation fell into disuse with the opening of
the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1777
For
the next three miles the river breaks into
a series of streams which criss-cross the floodplain.
The
first side stream leaves the river left immediately after St Peter’s bridge.
It is canoeable and rejoins the left hand channel above Burton Bridge
forming Andressy island.
Andressy footbridge 1884 which joins Andressy island to the town was built by
the Allsopps of Allsopp's brewery. St Modwen's church (1720) on the left
bank was built on the site of Burton Abbey, where bulk brewing started here.
26.3 miles - River divides round large island.
Follow either channel. Both have weirs on them
but the portage past the left channel weir at Burton bridge was much easier in
2004 than that past the right channel weir at Burton Flour Mill.
Things may change when the mill has been renovated. I'll be updating.
Left
channel
26.3
miles Side stream from St Peter’s bridge joins left.
26.5
miles
- Diagonal
weir guards left channel
It
extends from the left bank through Burton bridge to a building,
which was once one of Burton’s early breweries.
Remain
right to rejoin right channel just beyond the bridge.
Or
portage left. Land just
above weir by red lifebelt holder and launch 10 yards below the weir
over low wall. It is not possible to portage this weir at the right end after passing
through the bridge.
26.5
miles - Burton Bridge
Shallows
below
27
miles - Footbridge
27.3
miles - Pipe bridge
27.6
miles - new footbridge
28.1
miles - Rejoin other channel
|
Right
channel
26.5
miles - The 32 arch Burton Bridge 1964.
Site of an assault on Burton in 1643, for which
King Charles knighted Thomas Tydesley. It carried trams until 1930.
27.3
miles - Footbridge
Followed immediately by weir left.
Portage either end.
This
is tough in summer. Dense reeds make landing on the right (mill)
end of the weir difficult, and nettles and brambles obstruct the left
route. Anyway this is what you do.
Either
land left in the trees just above the weir alongside some old brick
foundations. Portage
through trees and launch down steep bank below weir.
Or
paddle between the weir and The
Sump pub right, to land on the left of the old mill stream just before the disused Burton Flour
Mill (built in 1714, being renovated in 2004).
Portage in front of the mill and launch down steep bank 20 yards
beyond the mill.
27.5
miles - Pipe crosses river.
28.1
miles - Other channel rejoins left.
|
28.2 - Sewage
outflow left
28.9 miles
Newton Solney.
White painted
house right.
29.1
miles - River Dove joins left
The Trent
was once a great salmon river, but they had all disappeared by 1925.
However, the river is getting cleaner and the Trent River Trust, (click here)
supported by Severn Trent Water has been
re-introducing salmon parr to appropriate sites on the Dove since 1999.
Adult salmon have been sighted suggesting that, after a
round trip to Greenland, some have returned to the river.
30.4
miles - Footbridge
31.9
miles - Willington bridge 1839 (B 5008)
Built
in 1839 with a tollhouse at the Willington end.
Tolls ended in 1898 L
when, according to a plaque on the bridge, a local subscription was used to
buy the 'freedom of the bridge' from the owners, the bridge trust.
The bridge then passed into the control of Derbyshire County Council.
Hmmm? I wonder?
Did local people really raise sufficient subscriptions to buy the
bridge, and did they then really hand it over to the council.
I suspect the council brought the owners out.
Can anyone tell me more?
32
.9 miles - Willington power station left.
Coal fired. Built in 1956 and closed in 1999. The site is owned by
National Power. The power station is demolished but the cooling towers remain standing.
Click here
for more.
34 miles - Twyford left
Land left for the tiny St
Andrew's church.
In April 2004 there were fresh flowers on the newest grave,
that of Mary Holmes
who had died, aged 89, on 20th Dec 2003. If you don't like churches picnic opposite on the inviting gravel
bank. Here's a picture of the ferry here in 1899, and a modern view
with Willington cooling towers in the background
35.2 miles -
Caves in cliffs right
35.8 miles -
Ingleby village right
Do not land
here for the famous John Thompson pub. Carry on round the next right hand
bend to 36.5 miles and land in field. The pub is just visible from the
river. It has it's own brewery. Click here
to read more.
36.8 miles
Gravel works bridge marked on OS Explorer 245 has now gone. No trace
visible from river.
37.8 miles - Barrow-on-Trent left.
No easy landing
38.5
miles - Swarkestone Bridge and causeway C13th
Land right at
concrete wall immediately above the bridge
Shallows
below.
The next eight miles to Cavendish bridge is lovely canoeing
with numerous small rapids providing interest. The reason is that
the Kings Mills weir has been allowed to disintegrate and the river allowed to
flow free. Read why we should allow more weirs to disappear here.
Here
is a watercolour of the river 100 years ago. Frank Gresley (1855-1936) -
The River Trent at Swarkestone
The
Crewe and Harpur Arms pub left
At
just under a mile this is said to be the longest stone bridge in England.
It has 17 arches, five over the main stream and the remainder over the
surrounding marshes. For about
three hundred years it was the main Trent crossing in the Midlands.
At the battle of Swarkestone bridge during the Civil war (1643) the
Royalists defeated the Cavaliers. In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie turned back
here to Culloden. The nearby Jacobean Grandstand, connected with Harpur Hall,
was used for bull baiting.
40.2
miles - Railway Bridge
Motor racing audible from here.
41.4 miles - Wooded
hill right - Donnington
Park on top
Home
to motor racing and heavy metal music.
Camping
at Donnington Park Farmhouse Caravan Site, Melbourne Road, Castle Donington, DE74 2RN. Tel. 01332 862409 Email: info@parkfarmhouse.co.uk
42.7
miles - Kings Mills
The
central section of the weir here has long been washed away, leaving a grade 1
rapid.
Priest's
House hotel right, allow launching from their grounds.
Car parking by token. Free from hotel.
Camping and Caravanning Club
site 200
yards up the road. Open to non members.
Click 
