The Three Parishes Walk - Part 03
w/e 09 February 2014
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
The final leg of the walk was a little longer than
originally planned but only took the length of the walk to about
three miles in total and I probably covered the last mile quicker
than the previous two.
As I walked down Coach Road at the side of Derby Lodge I could
see the remainder of Shipley Lane down to Osborne's Pond which
I negotiated at a leisurely pace on this occasion without mishap.
A previous walk along the lane some time ago had seen me end
up in the casualty department of the local hospital with a badly
sprained ankle following a fall on the grass verge when avoiding
two cars. This time I kept to the tarmac!
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Osborne's Pond, like the Mapperley Reservoir passed earlier in
the walk, was a feeder for the Nutbrook Canal but today is favoured
by bird watchers and anglers with photographers not far behind.
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And like most photographers before me, it is almost impossible
to pass the pier at this end of the pond without it being the
focal point for another shot.
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On the other side of Shipley Lane the overflow channel from Osborne's
Pond can be seen spilling into Coppice Lake but later in the
year this view will be obscured as more leaves appear on the
trees.
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At the end of Shipley Lane the road passes under a former railway
bridge that now carries the Nutbrook Trail to become Coppice
Court at Marlpool with Shipley Lane continuing to the right to
the Lakeside Business Centre and The Field at Shipley. I climbed
up the bank and crossed the Trail in order to catch the bus back
to Ilkeston but this is where I revised my plan. I discovered
that the bus I wanted hadn't arrived on its way into Heanor yet
where it would begin its return journey to Ilkeston. It wasn't
due back for at least ten minutes so I decided to lengthen the
walk and returned to the Nutbrook Trail.
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A brisk walk along the former railway line of the Nutbrook Trail
led me to the Lakeside Business Centre on the right. The Trail
also turns right here to follow Dog Kennel Lane on its way south
eventually to Long Eaton.
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I however turned left off the Trail and into The Field which
is the road that leads back onto the bus route at Hassock Lane
North at Shipley.
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After passing the old Station House, a terrace of cottages, the
entrance to Michael House School and some old colliery buildings
the road twists over another old railway bridge but I was now
on a mission to reach Hassock Lane in time to catch the bus.
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Once over the bridge The Field straightens out and even though
it was just after midday, the sheltered verges were still frost
covered.
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I emerged onto Hassock Lane North with just a couple of minutes
to spare before the bus I had seen earlier heading for Heanor
arrived here on its way back to Ilkeston. This would actually
have been a better option in the first place as there are more
frequent bus services passing here than at Marlpool so if I had
missed the Heanor bus there would have been another one along
soon .... or I could just have carried on walking of course.
To see an aerial view of the whole route from West Hallam click
here.
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