A Sentimental Journey
- No. 06
Cossall To Ilkeston - Part 5
w/e 02 March 2008
All
this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
Gonna take a Sentimental Journey, Gonna set my
heart at ease.
Gonna make a Sentimental Journey, to renew old memories.
We began Joanne Apergi's sentimental journey at the end of
January on Ilkeston's Market Place (click
here to revisit) and concluded part 4 of the walk near the
small car park off Cossall Road between the villages of Trowell
and Cossall in rather misty conditions.
  We resume our walk at that same car park
but under much brighter skies and in this final part which will
see our return to Ilkeston, we will follow the route of the old
Nottingham Canal. The car park was actually constructed on a
filled in section of the canal and now two paths continue from
it towards Trowell. On the right the original towpath runs along
side the hedgerow whilst to the left is a bridlepath well used
as can be seen here by local equestrians.
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Although most of the canal has now been filled in there are still
several pockets where water, often stagnant, remains. This one
pictured above is not far from the car park and is actually the
site of another former swing bridge across the canal. With the
original towpath being only on the western (right hand) side
of the canal, the bridge and a footpath across the field to the
east allowed access presumably for pedestrians and horses used
for towing the narrow boats when the waterway was a major means
of transportation along the Erewash Valley.
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This section of the canal on a spring like day is just a joy
with daffodils growing wild, intermittent views through the hedgerow
of Ilkeston and strategically placed seats to while away the
time and enjoy nature.
Derby about ten miles away is of course the county "town"
although it is now designated as a city and Chesterfield to the
north is the largest town in the county. Next in the pecking
order is Ilkeston but this zoomed shot across the Erewash Valley
reveals just how close we are to the countryside. In the foreground
are the fields and buildings of Meadow Farm which obscure the
River Erewash (the county boundary) but the railway lines running
along the valley can clearly be seen. Beyond them is the Furnace
Road (a reference to the former furnaces at the nearby Stanton
Ironworks) Industrial Site and then a residential part of the
town rises up the hill to the green spire of the United Reformed
Church and the tower of St Mary's Church on the Market Place.
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But to return to the Nottingham Canal, the two paths have now
merged into one running down the centre of the old canal route
and any water is confined to a ditch on the left except where
it expands into more small pond-like areas. There are now more
trees too on the left which form Grange Wood.
 This part of the canal is now
included in an 8.7 mile route known as the Nottingham Canal Trail
that comes under the jurisdiction of Broxtowe Borough Council.
More information about the Trail can be found on their website
and a map in pdf format shows the whole length
of the Trail but we need to look out for some steps (left) that
will lead us away from the canal and down the hillside. The boatman's
shed that Joanne spoke of in her email stood somewhere between
the swing bridge and the steps but apparently it burnt down some
years ago and I have to admit I saw no sign of it.
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The path down the hill leads as Joanne also wrote " to
another train bridge to Gallows Inn and Nottingham Road."
Don't you think that this bridge is a much more attractive
sight than its counterpart that we crossed on our outward journey?
I certainly do.
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As the conclusion to Joanne's sentimental journey she wrote,
" ... we would walk home all the way back up Nottingham
Road and up South Street" and "if it was nice
weather we would have an ice cream from Bampton’s on the
corner of Queen Street." Well from the railway bridge,
I've jumped directly to South Street and although Bampton's sweet
shop is no longer there, the same premises on the  corner of Queen Street are now occupied
by "Lunch Bites".
Joanne first completed this walk with her dad but now intends,
when she returns to the town for a visit, to repeat it with her
children. As Bampton's no longer exists, I wouldn't be surprised
if she treated them to a lemonade instead in the Sir John Warren
(right). Well it is on the Market Place at the top of Burns Street
which is where she used to live, isn't it? And it's also from
where we started our walk so is a good place to end it too.
Cue song:- Never thought my heart could be so yearny. Why
did I decide to roam?
Gotta take that Sentimental Journey, Sentimental Journey home.
If you have a sentimental journey of your own that you would
like featured, email
a few details to me.
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