Back on the Trent

Waiting at Stoke Lock

We will enter the lock once the lights turn green

We left our central Nottingham mooring and moved on down the canal until Meadow Lane lock (next to Meadow Lane Stadium - Notts County). This lock is only open for a couple of hours between 7am and 6:30pm as redevelopment work is taking place. We had arrived at the right time and were able to go straight through onto the Trent opposite Notts Forest stadium.

The weather was ideal for boating - blue skies but not too hot - and the scenary was interesting. Our first lock on the Trent was at Holme, next to the Holme Pierrepoint National Watersports centre. Whilst waiting for a boat to leave the lock I was able to watch a couple of canoeists shooting down the artificial white water course.

On this section of the River Trent there are several weirs each of which is bypassed by a lock. These locks are large, having been designed for the commercial barges which no longer travel on this non-tidal upper river. The locks are usually controlled by lock-keepers who, as well as operating the lock machinery, check that your boat is licensed and inform the lock keeper at the next lock of your impending arrival.

3 miles beyond Holme lies Stoke Lock just beyond attractive wooded cliffs at Radcliffe on Trent. After a further 4.5 miles we arrived at Gunthorpe where there are good moorings. As on most rivers mooring on the Tent is difficult and is limited to a few officially designated locations.

Gunthorpe is an unusual little riverside village in that it has no shops, one pub/hotel, but three restaurants one of which we look forward to trying tonight.