We were a bit later away this morning, for one reason or another. So it was around 10:00 when we were maneuvering to reverse under the bridge to pick up fuel at Shobnall Marina.
We had to go in there… backwards!
Nicely lined up…
…and in, barely touching the sides.
We took on 90 litres of the red stuff, swapped an empty gas bottle for a full one, and were on our way again 15 minutes later.
The entrance channel to the basin would once have held a stop-lock, controlling access (and water) from the T&M into the Bond End Canal, of which this was the terminus. The Bond End dropped down through the town and joined the Trent, but is now mostly filled and built over, just this terminal basin and the dry dock built over the top lock.
Leaving the town behind the first lock for the day was Branston, only 3 foot deep and quick to negotiate, even though I had to empty it after another boat had just gone up.
The development at Branston seems to be moving on; the new bridge over the canal is now open, and there is a huddle of posh new houses just west of Branston Bridge, in what used to be a meadow alongside the water park.
We caught up with the boat ahead at Tattenhill Lock, it was Mick and Sue on Mercury with a customer aboard having a training day. Which is why they were going more slowly than normal…
We keep bumping into them, up at Skipton in the summer, then on the Trent at Holme Lock, and now here.
Between Tattenhill and Barton is the narrow Bridge 36, where the towpath switches to the left again after moving to the right above Tattenhill Lock.
With no sign of it once being a turnover or roving bridge, where the boat horse could swap sides without dropping the tow line, I‘m at a bit of a loss as to why it’s built the way it is. If the towpath had been originally stayed on the left, there still would be no route for old Dobbin under the arch. And all the other bridges along here are a lot wider with towpath access. The only ones of this shape are at the tails of the locks… and there was certainly no lock here. Odd.
Heading to and past Barton Lock the canal runs close alongside the busy A38, or that should be the other way around!
We caught up with Mercury again at Barton Lock and passed them when we cleared the lock. They were turning round below Wychnor Lock and heading back into town.
Above Barton Lock was moored Pilot, an ex-GJCCo tug from the late 1800s. She is believed to be one of three steam tugs used to haul strings of barges through Blisworth and Braunston tunnels, and had a reinforced hull for ice-breaking.
That probably explains the unusual bow design…We finally left the traffic on the A38 at Wychnor, going up the lock onto the Alrewas River Section, the only bit of river navigation on the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Brindley must have gutted when he surveyed the route in 1755 and found that he had to cross the Trent on a level at this point. To control the water level he installed sluices and weirs at the downstream end of the mile-long pound and a large weir at the upstream end.
In fact, the term “river section” isn’t that accurate, the only stretch that carries all the river is from below Alrewas Lock to the large weir, a distance of about 250 yards.
Alrewas Lock was, as expected against us.
We managed to get moored above the lock, in the last remaining spot on this popular length. There are plenty of other moorings in the village, but this gets the best sunshine.
Another fine day, a little warmer than yesterday and it’s bright and sunny now. Really enjoying this.
Locks 5, miles 7¼
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