Torksey Lockie to the rescue

More about the rescue later. First, the "scary bit" - our first ever voyage on a tidal river.

We left Muskam Ferry pub early yesterday morning as were booked to go through Cromwell Lock. After the sweltering heat on Friday, the forecast was for storms but we were lucky and only had a couple of quickly passing showers all day.

We had a bit of a wait at Cromwell while the river level reached optimum depth

but then we packed into the lock with our travelling companions on n.b. Vagabond plus 2 other narrowboats and a yoghurt pot

Cromwell weir is the largest on the Trent. Upstream it has a safety boom plus safety buoys but this is the view as we came out of the lock. It's just a sheer drop of cascading water. I bet it's quite a sight when the river is in flood.

Once we got out of Cromwell Lock we were onto the tidal section of the river. I'd been quite scared as I'd heard some horror stories from other boaters, but as usual they were exaggerated and we didn't have any problems. We had a really good guide book which showed exactly the route we needed to follow to avoid the sand banks which started to appear as the tide dropped and the couple of sunken islands which were below the water level.

Just follow the red line ......simples

As the tide dropped the cows started to paddle in the mud banks

Navigation notes are given by kilometer markers down the river plus landmarks such as fences or gates and derelict gravel wharfs.

Plus the odd landmark you really couldn't miss like Cottam Power Station

 This is Butlers Island and we needed to go round to the right

It took us 2 and a half hours to do the 16 miles to Torksey Lock

but the water levels weren't right for the yoghurt pot to get over the cill so we had to breast up and wait an hour while the tide started coming back in again. It worked out just right anyway as we had lunch and a walkabout while we waited.

Torksey Lock is a strange shape, narrower by the top gate - that's me in red on the left hanging onto the rope

but wider by the bottom gate. We just managed to get 4 narrowboats and the plastic cruiser in but it was a bit tight

Now for the tale about my rescue by the lockie

We'd moored on the extensive visitor moorings above the lock and I'm not sure what caused it, maybe hanging onto that rope in the lock, but something made my sore back go into spasm (remember I'd fallen on goose poo on Thursday).  Now I've normally got a very high pain threshold but I have NEVER been in such pain. I couldn't sit, stand or lie down and Roger decided I needed hospital treatment. It's never easy when you're in an unknown village and have no car but we decided to walk back to the lock where Roger was going to try and get us a taxi. Half way to the lock there was an almighty thunderstorm and we got soaked. We took refuge in the shower block where a very nice woman suggested we talk to Neil the Lockie who was just about to go off duty to see if he could recommend a local taxi firm.

As he was just about to finish his shift he offered to drive us to the A&E department at Lincoln Hospital which was an absolute god-send. Thanks again Neil, I don't know what we'd have done without you.

The staff at the hospital were wonderful and filled me full of morphine which helped tremendously with the pain. Being Saturday evening we'd anticipated a long wait or even an overnighter but we were seen and back home on the boat 3 hours later. There's no structural damage to my back as such, so they've given me lots of pain killers and muscle relaxants and reckon the spasms will stop over the next few days. This morning it was like a scene in a Carry On movie here. The pills had worn off and the spasm was back and I just couldn't get out of bed. Roger ended up dragging me out by my ankles and me laughing just made it hurt more. Once I was up and about and the drugs had kicked in again I'm not too bad and we continued our journey today to moor in Saxilby along with a few of the other boats coming across The Wash with us next weekend. It certainly won't stop me finishing our Big Summer Adventure, just a shame I'm not allowed alcohol as I've been told this 4C's cruising club are really into "Pimms o'clock"

Nottingham to Newark

We really enjoyed watching the canoeing beside Holme Lock on Wednesday evening, but yesterday morning, just before we were due to leave, I slipped on goose poo and fell heavily down one of the grassy embankments. At first I thought I'd broken a rib or two but I now think it's just muscular. Whatever it is it's agony and a good job I don't have to steer the boat while Roger works the locks as here on the Trent the locks are all done for you.

Have you ever seen a black swan cygnet with a family of white swans?

They had obviously adopted it and were feeding it weeds at the same time as feeding their own solitary cygnet.

There are plenty of Cormorants on the Trent and we've seen several sunning themselves in the heat today.

 

Apart from a couple of short showers this morning it's been a scorching sunny day. As I'm typing this at 9pm our weather station is showing it's 28'C out and 29' in

This is Newark Town Lock which is almost right beside Newark Castle.

We moored up for lunch on the high town wharf and then went walkabout round the town.

This is the Buttermarket which is now a museum and art gallery

This is the normal fruit and veg market, excellent value

and the Nottingham Building Society with it's ornate decoration

The A1 was quite busy as we cruised underneath

and moored at North Muskham with it's ornate church

perfect moorings

and even better pub, The Muskham Ferry with Doom Bar ale which started calling as soon as we'd moored up.

We're booked to go through Cromwell Lock onto the tidal section of the river in the morning. I'll let you know tomorrow night how we get on as there are  storms forecast.

The first day of our BIG Summer Adventure

Every few months we hire a car and go and visit the family. Last week we left the boat in Sawley Marina and Chico at a local boarding kennels and headed back up to Manchester and Newcastle. A wonderful time was had by all, although Chico has come back minus his bark and has done nothing but sleep since we picked him up yesterday afternoon.

Today we started our Big Summer Adventure. A few months ago we joined the Cotswold Canal Cruising Club which is an internet based cruising club i.e. no club house and no gardening/maintenance duties and is perfect for us as continuous cruisers. Back in early June some of the members sailed across the River Mersey from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool and later this month another group are planning to cross The Wash.  This is the trip that is forming the basis for our B.S.A.

It's been another glorious sunny day, perfect for cruising on the River Trent.

I always used to be scared of rivers but now I think I prefer them to canals. I may change my mind of course when we get to the tidal bit.

I love the way the rivers are so wide and have such a diverse bird life. We saw lots of Grebe families and several Cormorants too, much more interesting than mallards and Canada geese.

At Nottingham we met up with one of the other boats coming on our trip, n.b. Vagabond, who had been stocking up at the canal-side Sainsbury's. They set off behind us with the intention of sharing the double width locks but another narrowboat pulled out in front of us so we ended up sharing the locks with them and Vagabond caught up with us when we moored for the night at Holme Lock.

When you come down Meadow Lane lock Nottingham City Football Ground is right in front of you. No football today though.

This is the huge weir barrier and sluice gates at Holme Lock. We're moored in the channel to the right.

It's a great spot to moor as it's beside Holme Pierrepont Country Park which is home to the National Water Sports Centre. Basically it's a white water canoe centre and makes for some excellent entertainment.

This is one of the rapids......remind you anywhere Michelle?

Just as I was starting cooking our dinner, these intrepid souls went past the boat heading back up-stream to the river entrance to the slalom course.

I reckon you could get a narrowboat between those bollards so we kept well away........

I grabbed the camera and rushed back out, just in time to watch them come into the course.

They didn't last long though

and were almost instantly tipped over

It didn't seem to put them off and half an hour later they came back past the boat to go for another run.   Each to their own I suppose.

On to Shardlow

We left Alrewas late on Sunday afternoon, after Roger had watched the Silverstone Grand Prix.

This sign was beside Barton Turn Lock

The obstruction was where the towpath has collapsed into the canal. I wonder how long it'll be before C&RT do the repairs.

The cruise to Branston was very pleasant.  It was very quiet as everyone had already moored up for the evening. I'd put the dinner in the oven to cook as we travelled and by the time we moored up at 7pm the smell of garlic and rosemary roast lamb had a couple of walkers drooling.

On Monday morning we set off from Branston but hadn't gone more than 50 feet when we got stuck on a submerged rock. It must have been quite big as it lifted the boat up about 6 inches. Nothing we did made any difference, we were well and truly stuck! After 5 minutes a boat called Slimline Tonic came along and gave us a hand. By tying a rope between the two boats and going hard into reverse they managed to dislodge us. Thanks guys.

Later in the day we called into Shobnall Marina for diesel and a pump-out. That's the entrance to the service dock from the canal. It's a bit tight but the service at Shobnall is excellent and their diesel isn't too expensive either.

Today has been lovely and sunny again, although we've been followed by big black storm clouds which seemed to be circling around us. We're now moored just beyond Shardlow and I've been doing a bit of gardening.

I thought we might have been lucky to miss the rain and had just finished watering and dead-heading the plants on the roof when the heavens opened.

My dwarf tomato plants are proving to be quite prolific this year

and the dwarf sweet-peas are coming along nicely. They may be small but their perfume is very strong.

The surfinias and lobelias are getting lots of compliments although they probably won't look as good tomorrow after the heavy rain that's pelting down at the moment.