Through
Nottingham.
43.5
Castle Donnington power station water intake right
43.6
miles - Railway bridge
43.7
miles Castle Donnington power station water outlet right
Castle
Donnington power station, coal fired, owned by PowerGen.
Now closed and demolished. The site is due to be turned into an
industrial estate.
45
miles - A50 bridge
Shallows.
At
the peak of the next long right hand bend, the river and canal are adjacent.
Here
is the river photographed from the canal bank 
But access is not easy 
46.1
miles - Cavendish bridge
Land
right at stone wall under the bridge. It is only a short carry to the
barrier which cars can reach The
river is navigable for motorboats from here on.
46.2
miles - Shardlow Marina left
Camping
at Shardlow Marina Caravan Park, London Rd, Shardlow, Derby, DE72 2GL
Tel. 01332 792832
46.3
miles - Pipe bridge
47.3 miles - site
of Long Horse Bridge
This
concrete footbridge which used to carry the
Midshire's Way footpath has recently been demolished.
This
is “Derwentmouth” a busy river and canal junction.
The Trent and Mersey canal leaves the river left and immediately
afterwards the Derwent joins left.
From this point, apart
from occasional lock cuts and the Beeston canal through Nottingham, the navigation follows the river
entirely.
Along
with most of Britain's inland waterways, the Trent was nationalised in 1947.
47.5
miles - Footbridge/aqueduct
47.7
miles - M1 Bridge
47.8
miles - Sawley cut right -
Weir left
Sawley
cut route
Sawley
Flood lock immediately before bridge
48
miles - Bridge (B6540)
Small basin right. Footbridge over the entrance.
48.1
miles - Sawley marina right
Footbridge
over the entrance.
The
canal opens out into a wide basin.
Ratcliffe
cooling towers in front.
48.4
miles - Sawley lock
A
parallel double lock each wide enough for two narrow boats.
Necessary for summer weekend marina traffic.
Note the 2000 flood level.
Officially
you need a British Waterways permit to be on the river, but I've never
been asked for one when passing through the locks between here and
Newark.
Cut
rejoins main channel (48.6 miles via the river)
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Weir
route
This
shallow weir is familiar to millions from the adjacent M1.
Said to be shootable, but not by me! Protected by orange marker buoys there is a gap at the right
(Sawley cut) end, through which
small canoes can access the weir. The current speeds
up immediately after the buoys. Do
not be tempted to land on the steps immediately above the right end of
the weir unless the water level is very low.
The current is fast.
Portage either side.
Either land left above the orange buoys immediately after the M1 bridge. Easy carry and re-launch.
Or enter the Sawley cut and land left up a rather
tricky high steel bank. Once
landed, an easy carry and re-launch below weir.
48.2
miles - Harrington bridge (B6540)
48.5
Landing stage right just before Sawley cut rejoins main channel from the right
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A Turnpike
Act for the Nottingham and Derby, and Lenton and Sawley Ferry roads was passed
in 1758, making the ferry at Sawley a link in the main route from Nottingham
to Birmingham.
48.6
miles - Railway bridge
Footbridge attached to the upstream side.
49.5
miles - Trentlock
There is
no lock on the Trent at Trentlock! I guess
the name refers to the first lock on the Erewash
canal which leaves left.
Pubs,
tearoom, and parking. Busy in
summer.
49.6
miles - Cranfleet lock cut left
Lock cut
route
Past
the sailing club boathouse right.
Flood
lock
Railway
bridge
Farm
bridge
Cranfleet
lock.
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Original
river route
49.7
miles - River Soar joins right
Camping
at Redhill Marina, Ratcliffe On Soar, NG11 0EB Tel: 01509 672770
Orange
warning buoys, about 20 yards above the railway bridge, passable on the
left (Summer 2004).
49.8
miles - Steel girder railway bridge.
Midland main line.
49.9
miles - Thrumpton weir
About 50 yards below the bridge.
Portage
left or right. The right is a
slightly easier re-launch. Land downstream of the power station intake and re-launch on
the shingle bank below the outfall.
If portaging left land well above the weir (flow is faster this
side) and re-launch beyond the end of the concrete wall.
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Ratcliffe-on-Soar is a, Power Gen owned, coal-powered station with a capacity of 2000MW
50.7
miles - Cranfleet cut rejoins main channel
51
miles - Thrumpton village right
52 miles - Attenborough
Nature Reserve left.
This extends for the next 2.5 miles
An
ancient waterside meadow was opened to gravel quarrying in 1929.
RMC still extract gravel today, but most of the pits have long since been
landscaped and provide a wildlife sanctuary.
RMC are justly proud of what they’ve achieved.
Presumably,
unless man continues to interfere the area will eventually revert to water
meadow as the pits silt up.
52.5
miles - River Erewash joins left
Having
flowed though the first of the large gravel pits
52.8
miles - Barton ferry
53.5
miles - Barton island
54
miles - A row of chalet type buildings appear on the right, one of which is
Beeston sailing club.
54.5
miles - Rows of moored boats left mark Beeston marina.
54.6
miles - Riverside bar and Marina cafe.
54.8 miles - Beeston cut (April 1796) leaves left through Beeston lock.
This
canal passes through the centre of Nottingham to join the remaining section of the Nottingham canal and
return to the river just below Trent
Bridge. Although paddlers who take this
route will miss
some flowing river, the canal basin is thoroughly renovated with many
tempting bank side pubs and cafes.
Beeston
canal route
54.8
miles - Beeston Lock
Canalside
Road follows the canal on its left side and the towpath on the right.
Many walkers and fishermen
55.2
miles - Footbridge
Sewage
works left
55.5
Pipe bridge
Footbridge
Minor
road bridge
Minor
road bridge (Thane Road)
Boots
estate left. Players Horizon
factory right
57
miles - Bridge (Redfield Road)
Bridge
57.4
miles - Railway Bridge
57.5
miles - A52 bridge
Lenton
chain, about 100 yards beyond the A52 bridge marks the junction with the
Nottingham canal which used to run north from this point to join the
Erewash canal at Langley Mill. It
is now disused apart from the next section which leads us back to the
river. The name comes from
the chain, which the Trent navigation Company used to place across the
entrance to the Beeston canal at weekends.
Canal
aqueduct over River Leen
57.7
miles - Clayton’s bridge (Lenton Lane)
57.9
miles - Railway bridge
Marina
right
60.1
miles - Bridge (Castle bridge road)
60.2
miles Footbridge
Tax
offices right
Take
a look at these six huge office blocks devoted to parting the people of
Nottingham from their hard earned cash, and paddle on resolved to vote for
lower taxes.
Castle
left
Castle
lock
Bridge (Wilford Street)
Navigation
Inn left
Canal
museum left
Magistrates
and Family courts right
Bridge
(Carrington Street)
First the
old railway bridge which now carries the tram.
Immediately adjacent the road bridge
Bridge
(Trent Street)
Back
of the Crown
and County Courts left. They have no canal frontage
Footbridge
on 13 03 2005 blocked off
61.1
miles - Bridge (London Road)
Canal
turns right immediately after bridge.
Bridge
(The Great Northern Close)
Railway
bridge
Bridge
(Queens road)
Look
left for the Eastcroft incinerator chimney. It deals with 150,000 tonnes
of household waste annually, generates electricity and heats local
buildings and council estates.
The
windmill on the hill, a mile or so behind the incinerator, is Green's mill
at Sneinton, where the mathematician George Green worked on his
theories. Click here
Bridge
(Cattle Market Road)
Bridge
(Meadow Lane)
Footbridge
62
miles - Meadow Lane lock
Canal rejoins Trent (58.8 miles by river)
|
River route
54.8
miles - Beeston Weir
In
low water land right just above the orange warning buoys. Easy portage
over the dry right hand end of the weir.
In
high water keep well clear of the weir and either pass through Beeston
lock or land left just above it for an easy portage past the lock.
To regain the river cross the bridge over the lower lock gate and
make a short carry to an easy slipway launch.
The old Beeston back lock, which originally provided a route
back to the river, remains only as a
short blind mooring.
Beeston
weir has a hydroelectric generating facility
Clifton
church and house on the hill right.
55.3 miles Island - pass
either side
56.5
miles - Clifton bridge (A52)
The
Black Gates. Left. Just
upstream of Wilford bridge.
The
junction of the River Leen and Trent. The
Leen rises at Robin Hoods spring near Newstead Abbey.
57.5
miles - Wilford bridge
Site
of an old ferry. The toll
bridge was built by Sir Robert Clifton in 1870.
The pillars of the original sections still bear his coat of arms.
The city council took it over in 1969 and in 1979 closed it to
cars. The centre span was replaced by a steel
footbridge. Line three of the
Nottingham tram system may cross here.
The
sign on the old tollhouse at the north end reads:
“Table
of tolls to be taken under the Wilford Bridge Act 1862. For every
horse or other beast drawing any Coach or Stage Coach, Omnibus, Van,
Caravan, Sociable, Berlin, Landau, Chaial, A-Vis, Barouche, Phaeton,
Chaise Marine, Caleche, Carricle, Chair, Gig, Dog cart, Irish Car, whisky,
Hearse, Litter, Chais or any little carriage 6D. For every horse or
other beast drawing any wagon, wain, cart or other carriage. 4D. For every
horse or mule, laden or unladen not drawing 1 1/2 D. For every Ox,
Cow, Bull or Neat cattle 1 penny; or for a score 6D.”
57.6
miles - Site of demolished
railway bridge
The piles are just below the surface
at low water.
Easy
access left via embankment steps.
Many
fishermen as you pass through Nottingham
58.3
miles - Suspension footbridge 1906
Originally
built to carry a water main across the river
58.5
miles - County Hall right
58.6
miles - Trent Bridge 1871
Eastcroft
incinerator chimney behind it
on the
left bank 
A
wooden bridge on stone piers was present here in 924 and prior to this was
the site of a ferry crossing. A
17
arch stone bridge was built In 1156, and replaced by the present structure
in 1871. Two of the approach
spans to the older bridge remain, next to the road outside County Hall.
The bridge was widened in 1925 to the present six-lanes.
It is now painted blue with gold leaf decorations.
County
cricket ground set back to the right.
58.8
miles - Nottingham canal rejoins left.
Meadow
Lane Lock
at the entrance
|
Nottingham
Forest Football Club right.
Notts.
County Football Club left, set back from the river.
Boathouses
and Nottingham Kayak club right.
Grantham
canal (disused) right
58.9
miles - Lady Bay Bridge
Initially
carried the Midland railway from Kettering to Nottingham.
The line closed in 1969 and the bridge was converted to road use. In
the 80 miles from here to the junction with the Ouse Trent falls, there are
only nine road bridges over the Trent - Gunthorpe, three at Newark, Winthorpe,
Dunham (toll), Gainsborough, Butterwick and Keadby.
Canal
depot left.
You
can paddle into the dock. Freight used to be transferred here from small canal barges
into larger boats for onward shipment down river.
Tunnel
mouth left bank
Sea
cadets left
60
miles Sailing club right
60.2
miles - Holme Pierrepont
National
Watersports Centre, click here
Toilets,
café and free parking. Access from corner of first car park on the left as you drive in. Wide
slipway and jetty.
Camping
at Holme Pierrepont Caravan and Camping Park, Adbolton Lane. NG12 2AP
Entrance
to Colwick marina left
60.3
miles - Slalom course
Entrance
right between posts 100 yards above lock.
Check in and pay at the course office to use it. Difficulty varies with water level. At quiet times you can land just above the course and
portage down the bank.
60.5
miles - Holme locks and weir.
Exit close to lock right (concrete boat moorings
approx. 5’ high with steel ladders). Portage along riverside path for approx.
200 metres and re-launch from jetty directly onto river (easy access down
concrete steps)
In
the 1920's there were no locks between Nottingham and Newark. The river
was only about two feet deep, making navigation to Nottingham difficult.
By 1929 Holme, Stoke, Gunthorp and Hazleford locks had created a reliable
seven foot channel above Newark.
Click here for the next section ,
Holme Lock to Cromwell weir
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