Worksop, Retford and Clarborough

After the rain yesterday, today was mostly bright and sometimes sunny - except for three showers, the last of which was a real downpour - but that was much later.

Mike set off but only a short distance later came alongside at the Worksop shopping centre where he went off to buy a newspaper, as usual.

Setting off properly we were almost immediately at Town Lock where there were the usual onlookers. Mike made a quick trip to the miniature sani station - so quick that Christine did not spot it!

After passing under the Straddle Workshop, a re-development project is making something new from a former industrial site, complete with unusual chimney - not yet found out what is was or even what it will become.

Our plan - if it works out - is to reach Clarborough this evening partly so that we can re-visit the pub where we ate on Monday evening, but also to allow time for church in the morning and still make West Stockwith in time for Monday's tide (as said, that is the plan!)

The aqueduct at Bracebridge cross both a river and a feeder and the sides are so overgrown that there is less than a boat's width visible.

At the next lock several spider's webs decorated the mechanism and handrails of the bottom gates - just manage to capture something how how they gleamed in the sunshine.

We were soon through Worksop and the line of car showrooms on the road out of town, together with the B and Q distribution centre and its huge single wind turbine.

As we continued through the attractive countryside, we did feel that we were making slightly easier progress than on the way up and we think we could see that there were several inches more of water passing the overflows. We did have to stop a few times to de-weed but it was also less of a problem - perhaps the weed harvester has had an effect after all.

Osberton Lock

At Osberton Lock a passing cyclist - who will rather more miles that we shall by the end of today! - stopped to chat and help with the locks. He had good memories of hiring a canal boat some time in the past.

Here also was an different type of lock - the star shaped mechanism seemed to be used only on a couple of of locks.

By the time we reached the Top Forest Lock the first of the heavy showers arrived and so we paused here for lunch rather than get wet going on to the next lock where we needed to take on water. Although this meant we would take longer (the filling could have overlapped lunch) not being soaked seemed a good idea.

Charlie's Lock 55

By the time we did arrive at the services the sun was shining once more.

Although the four Forest Locks share the same name they are quite spaced out but Mike did walk one pound to set the lock - the boat speed at this stage was back to very slow so that the lock was ready by the time Christine came into view.

Whilst waiting for Mike to fill West Retford Lock, Christine spotted a bird feeder at a canalside house - being raided by a squirrel!

Even the stretch of three aqueducts just before Retford Town Lock which had brought us almost to a standstill last time, seemed less of an obstacle (or are we just becoming more adjusted to the speed?)
Town Lock had its usual collection of bystanders but at least Christine was able to recruit one young man to help open an awkward top gate. (She did have to close it after starting as a young lass pleaded lateness for a train) The footbridge is a popular route into town and almost had a traffic jam!

Retford Town Lock

Just as we left Retford we could see a heavy shower approaching - would it miss us or not, it was only a very local shower? For a time it seemed that we would be lucky but not to be. By the time we passed Hop Pole is was a real downpour and photos not very inviting but we missed the Pole on the way up so did need to include one this time (the pole is just to the left of the pub) It seems that a thriving hop business here was undermined by the canal which helped to bring a better class of hop from Kent!

Hop Pole

By now we were on a good schedule for Clarborough, just hoping that there would be space to moor. The final four hundred metres or so were suddenly much slower as we tackled three places where large clumps of floating weeds (quite smelly when the roots are disturbed) completely blocked the canal.

A little sooner that had been predicted at lunch time we were successfully moored up and just managed to secure a table for dinner - they are much busier tonight, being Saturday, that on Monday. Christine only managed that table as a result of reminding them that we had been before and were 'repeat' customers!

13.1 miles - 11 locks