Off the Trent & Mersey and onto the River Soar

 Another long (for us) day cruising..  The weather forecast is now showing frequent rain next week so we need the freedom not to travel if conditions are really bad.

We set off from Shardlow at 8:55 travelling through the village to Derwent Mouth Lock which took us down to the River Trent which has now become a major river, far wider than when we last saw it at Alrewas.  About 3/4 mile later the navigation  avoids a large weir on the river by a short diversion through Sawley Cut where there are extensive moorings and a large marina with all the services needed by passing boats.

Here we stopped for about an hour to empty our waste tank.  This required turning the boat around in the soewhat limited space available so that the waste tank outlet was next to the pump and then turning around again when we had finished.

On the River Trent below Sawley Lock

Sawley Cut ends at the paired powered Sawley Locks which take one down back to the Trent.   The locks were operated by two very helpful volunteers who kindly offered to take our rubbish bags to the nearby bins.  After a mile cruising on the Trent we reached the junction at Trent Lock where the river cariies on towards Nottingham whilst our route  turns off to the right onto the River Soar towards Loughborough and Leicester.

Kegworth Shallow Flood Lock, open at both ends

On the Soar above Kegworth

The Soar near Zouch

View looking back from Zouch Lock

Half a mile further on we passed through Redhill Flood Lock, where the gates at both ends were open as floods are not a major problem at the moment. The River Soar is much narrower than the Trent and provides a very attractive journey through isolated countryside.

The route passes through one further flood lock and ascends 3 normal ones.  2 of these were very difficult to operate with stiff paddle gear and heavy gates.  To make matters worse they  took a long time to fill because the bottom gates leaked badly.

After lunch on the move we moored for the night at Zouch (pronounce Zoch) at 14:35.

5 hours 40 minutes (including pump-out), 5 normal locks, 8.99 miles

The route passes through