Langley Mill - Erewash Canal
w/e 13 April 2014
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
Over the years we must have, at various times, walked
along the towpath of the majority of the almost twelve miles
of the Erewash Canal between its northern end at the Great Northern
Basin at Langley Mill and its southern junction with the River
Trent at Sawley. There are however still a number of small sections
that our feet have not trod and this at the northern extremity
is one of them.
We walked from the Langley Mill end of the canal to just beyond
where it is crossed by the Anchor Road bridge before turning
and retracing our steps back to the Great Northern Basin. All
of the images were captured on the way back starting with this
one of two narrow boats moored next to the Anchor Road Bridge.
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Opposite the boats, blossom from a tree growing in the garden
of a canal side cottage was overhanging the towpath.
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Children on the bridge were throwing bread to a rooster who seemed
to be spending more time crowing to his brood rather than partaking
of the tit bits.
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On the other side of the bridge and also across the canal more
cottages on Anchor Road have an attractive position overlooking
the canal.
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As the canal turns slightly to the right it runs behind the Access26
Business Park on the site of the former Vic Hallam Company that
finally closed in 1995 having previously been a major employer
in the area.
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Just around the corner at the side of the towpath a concrete
marker post with the figure 11 presumably indicates the number
of miles from the southern end of the Erewash Canal at Trent
Lock.
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From the post it's virtually a straight run apart from a slight
deviation at the end into the Basin. Here there is a single bird
swimming in the canal with what looks like another flying immediately
above. This is actually an optical illusion as it could also
resemble a flying fish but actually it was a piece of plastic
detritus caught in the branches.
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As we continued along the towpath I had a "Railway Children"
moment and waved to a couple on an approaching boat. At my request
they responded with a wave of their own but their arms had gone
down by the time I'd pressed the shutter release.
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  As the canal turns to enter the Great
Northern Basin it passes under the bridge carrying Derby Road
between Langley Mill and Eastwood where a welcome sign (left)
greets all visitors travelling along the canal. Of more historical
interest is another sign under the bridge proclaiming the Cromford
Canal was engineered by William Jessop and Benjamin Outram in
1794.
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Seen here from Derby Road, entry to the Cromford Canal and the
Great Northern Basin is facilitated by the Langley Mill Lock.
The Basin marks the end of the navigable section of the Erewash/Cromford
Canal network northwards from the River Trent although a charitable
organisation, the Friends
of Cromford Canal, have long held aims to restore the 14.5
mile Cromford Canal to its former glory.
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