As in the previous two parts of this walk we found ourselves touching on routes we had followed before at various times. In fact the first section of this final part of the Trowell Circular follows exactly the same path between Hallam Fields Lock and Stanton Lock that we walked in Parts 04 and 05 of the Hallam Fields Industrial Trail (link).



In the Hallam Fields Industrial Trail walk we covered this stretch of the Erewash Canal in some detail but on this occasion I spent most of the time trying to capture images of the dragon or damsel flies that were flitting about over the water .... but with little success! It was much easier with the young moorhens tripping across the water lilies (left) as we neared Stanton Lock (right).

At Stanton Lock the Hallam Fields Industrial Trail joins the Nutbrook Trail to cross the footbridge and continue through the former Stanton Works site. Stanton Lock was formerly know as Whitehouse Junction Lock or just simply Junction Lock but the nameplate now displays its current name.

We continued from the lock along the towpath of the canal which is also the Nutbrook Trail heading towards Long Eaton and although the canal doesn't seem to be quite as wide it is just as straight as it heads south. Seen here from the bridge at Stanton Lock, another bridge crossing the canal is just visible in the far distance and it is bridges that feature quite a lot from here to the end of the walk.

The first bridge is a railway bridge that carried a branch line into the former Stanton works.

In contrast just a little further on the brick and steel construction of the railway bridge is dwarfed by the concrete structure carrying the M1 motorway over the canal.

And just a short distance after the motorway is another old style bridge carrying traffic from Stanton Gate to Moorbridge Lane at Stapleford and vice versa. We didn't reach this bridge though but left the Nutbrook Trail and walked up the slope on the left. Although there is not a picture on the site we had walked down that same slope and passed under the bridge in the Sandiace Loop walk during the second week of the Autumn Footprints programme of 2008 (link). The small image left taken on that walk in 2008 shows some fellow walkers descending the slope to the towpath with the motorway bridge visible in the background.

Turning left at the top of the slope we were on another bridge over the railway just in time to see a train approach having passed under the motorway. The branch line that we had passed under on the canal towpath can also be seen heading off to the left.

Continuing from the bridge we entered Stapleford and Moorbridge Lane where there are footpaths leading off from each side of the road. Left to my own devices I would have turned left and followed the path behind the houses but the described route in the booklet insists that we should ignore both paths and walk along Moorbridge Lane. Exactly why I don't know but we followed the instructions anyway.

So we continued along Moorbridge Lane and immediately after passing St Lukes Church (left) turned into Hartwood Drive. Turning left again we walked along Talbot Drive to the end of the cul-de-sac where we climbed over a small metal footbridge - yes another bridge (right). The bridge crosses a small stream and leads into the Trowell Park housing estate.

From there it was just a pleasant walk through the middle of the estate along footpaths through an open space like a long linear park to Stapleford Lane. The booklet walk continues where we had started along Pit Lane (right) to the car park but on reaching Stapleford Lane we turned left and took a few steps to the bus shelter. We must have just missed a bus so sat sheltered from the rays of the beating sun for about twenty minutes before catching the next one back to Ilkeston.

Click here to see an aerial view of our complete route.

Back to Part 02

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