There were also less-welcome visitors lurking on the pontoon…
I don’t think we have any stowaways, though.
The weather has been mixed; Saturday was pretty wet in the morning, and the runoff pushed the water level up a foot by last night, but it had returned to normal by this morning. Although it’s an artificial cut the Newark Dyke takes a fair bit of water so it always has a good flow and responds to the amount of rainfall it receives.
Some morning shots of Newark Castle from the park on the opposite side of the dyke…
We were getting a bit low on solid fuel, and the local marinas don’t sell it, but luckily there’s a coal merchant not far from the Dyke, just above Town Lock.
I arranged for them to drop some bags off for us, above the lock next to Mill Lane Bridge, but they couldn’t do it till 2 this afternoon, so we had a lazy morning then set off from the pontoon below The Kiln at around a quarter to twelve.
Mags going in to Town Lock
We had just over an hour to wait for the coalman before we could get away, heading up the Dyke to rejoin the river.
Keel Leicester Trader moored at the old British Waterways depot
You can just make out the logo and some of the British Waterways Board lettering on the sign on the end of the building.
A disused windmill alongside the canal is open to the sky…
At the upstream end of the Newark Dyke the river is rejoined as it flows over Averham Weir on it’s way around the north side of the town.
Averham Weir
Plan A was to stop at Farndon on the pontoon just above the marina but it was occupied, so it was on to Plan B, and maybe Plan C…
Farndon Visitor Pontoon
There was a bit of “fresh” on following the rain, and the flow, especially around the shallow river loop at Gawburn Holt, was quite fast. Plan C, our final fall-back position, was the moorings below Hazelford Lock, but it was looking more and more likely that it would be getting dark by the time we got there.
So I was pleased to see space on the pontoon below the Bromley Arms at Fiskerton.
Hazy cloud is preventing a decent shot of tonight’s supermoon…
So here’s one I took during the last event, in August 2014.
Hi Naughty-Cal. We were the only visiting boat in Newark this weekend! Sun wasn't a big factor in our choice of mooring, there wasn't much of it! Anyway, as you say, the town-side moorings aren't ideal if you've a dog.
Locks 1, miles 7
3 comments:
Averham Weir looks a bit precarious! With higher water and the wind in the wrong direction I bet there has been a boat or 2 stuck on that weir. We were effected by the rising water over the weekend too and had to abort museum gardens in York at 10 at night when the river encroached on the footpath. I need to get some night vision glasses I reckon as I all too often end up cruising in the dark!
Hi John. A bit hairy, that! Where did you finish up?
I just returned to York Marina where we have a mooring. It only takes an hour when the river is flowing as it was. Fortunately the moon was out although the OH was stood on the front with a high powered torch for the later part of the journey where there are high trees and few cheeky bends which make it impossible to see anything. I could have moored at Queens staith in York but as I have never done so in the daylight I didnt fancy trying it in the dark against a swollen river for the first time. Especially as I dont think there are any mooring rings. You just have to lash your ropes around anything you can find.
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