Seyella's Journey

The high winds yesterday would have made venturing out onto the river decidedly risky, and we didn’t want to move into Nottingham for an overnight mooring, so we stayed at Beeston. We’d moored under some overhanging willows, and one of them had a haircut at 23:15 on Tuesday night to prevent it thrashing the roof of the boat and keeping us awake!

Leaving Beeston moorings and the “Whomping Willow”
We got away at around 11 today, a lot calmer and dry. A stop for groceries at the handy Sainbury’s just before Castle Lock, and a visit to Nottingham Castle Marina’s chandlery for some stern gland packing took about an hour. I’m going to repack the seal on the prop shaft, probably at the weekend.

Down through Castle Lock, and then Meadow Lane Lock and out onto the River Trent.

There’s lots of coots on this stretch, and I’ve never succeeded in getting a decent picture of one. Here’s one that’s half decent.

CootAnd here's a Pochard , spotted in Nottingham in company with Mallards


Meadow Lane Lock
At Meadow Lane there was a crew of “Tree Surgeons” chopping down the sycamore alongside the lock. Apparently the area is to be “redeveloped” so the tree has to go.

This development further back up the canal had hardly started last time we came through.

New Canalside Apartments.
At least the old Fellows, Morton and Clayton warehouse is now a museum.
On the Trent and Corbiere passing under Lady Bay Bridge
Towards Holme Lock we passed this grebe. They usually dive just as I point he camera at them….

Grebe

We stopped for the night just above Holme Lock, alongside the National Watersports Centre. The slalom course is just by the mooring.

Locks 2, miles 7.