Beeston Cut to Trent Junction

Yesterday I’d tried calling the company who will be doing the printing for panto and the lady I wanted to talk to was always elsewhere, I’d started to think she didn’t want to talk to me, it was suggested I sent an email. So first thing this morning I sat down and went through the proofs I’d been sent, checked dimensions, tried to write everything out as clearly as I could, did a few sketches to explain things and pinged it back to Katie. She later called me back to check over a few things, hopefully, eventually, they would now be ready to press the big PRINT button! I also took some time in going through the photos I’d taken over the last couple of days. Editing a few out and ear marking ones that may be useful for my illustrations.

After lunch we decided to move on, well back actually, just to keep Tilly happy, she really needed some quality shore leave as by now the toilet rolls days were numbered! And if she tried digging at the shelves in the corner one more time then her days would be numbered too!

As we were about to push off we spotted a breasted up pair heading towards us from Nottingham. We had a pretty long time to wait for them to pass us, their progress incredibly slow. We winded at the next winding hole just through the next bridge and made our way back to Beeston Lock. It was hard to make out what the breasted up pair were doing. Were they winding? Pulling in for water? Crew jumped off, centre rope, bit of reverse. Eventually it looked like they were stopping at the services, we pulled in at the lock landing for me to get off to set the lock.

A lady with two big Rhodesian Ridgebacks was already at the lock, her husband had headed off to get their boat, so we’d be able to share the lock. Coming out onto the river all the same boats that had been moored on the lock landing pontoon were still there along with the one by the weir. They had been joined by a narrowboat which meant that now there was one cleat left on the pontoon for anyone to pull into. Mick pulled up alongside the narrowboat and I walked across it’s stern. If you were a single hander heading for Nottingham it really wouldn’t have been easy, nowhere to tie up and the bow of a narrowboat or sides of cruisers to clamber over to get to dry land. I took a photo and reported the situation to CRT, should the river go into flood this could be really rather dangerous.

Back up stream. We spotted the boat we’d thought had gone aground a few days ago, now on the other side of the river. Had it been washed off the bottom when the levels rose? Was it now stuck on the submerged wall? We then spotted that there was a rope tied to a tree, so at least someone must be about. The going was far slower than it had been coming down stream on Sunday, yet we pulled quite a distance away from our locking partners.

No crowds of drinkers at Cranfleet today, I went up to set the lock and hope our partners would appear before too long. Still no sign of them as Oleanna came into the lock, maybe they’d stopped on a mooring at Beeston? I closed the gate and then lifted a paddle. Keeping a close eye on Oleanna and the jet of water she was just starting to rise when I could see the other boat pulling in at the far end of the lock landing. I closed the paddle and went down to the other end of the lock, it didn’t take very long at all to empty what water I’d added and be able to open the gate for them.

Up we rose, two boats is far far easier in this lock. It was taking forever to equalise again. the bottom end now letting as much water out as was coming in. So the two of us teamed up to get one gate open a chink to equalise things. We pootled up to the far end of Cranfleet Cut. Pulled in behind a few boats, we really wanted to be close to the water point, I went to look. Plenty of room one boat away from the tap, I also noted that the boat we were closest to had a cat on board, we moved up.

All day I’d been feeling the effects of the chicken I’d had in Huddersfield, no brisk walking for me today. I actually felt quite rotten, I should have checked what I was ordering, all my own fault! A quiet afternoon for Mick and me whilst Tilly rampaged in the field behind the hedge.

2 locks, 5.9 miles, 1 wind, 1 more email, 1 more photo, please let the print be right soon, 2 locks shared, 2 VERY slow boats, 1 boat not adrift, 1 far happier cat, 4 brisk minutes walking, 1 pan of paprika peppery pork.