4th April 2022

We stayed at Swarkestone for a two weeks, initially on the visitor mooring and then we moved back to the 14 day moorings, so that we could visit family, friends and do some exploring 😉

We had quite a busy but very lovely time during our stay here - we celebrated Steph, Chantelle’s and Jake’s birthdays.  Chan and Jake bought us vouchers for a wine tasting evening at Darley Abbey Wines for Christmas, so as this was the first time back in the area for a while, we booked it. We had a fabulous evening tasting delicious Sicilian wines and enjoying a wine tasting food platter.

Steph & Jake share the same birthday so we all decided to visit the fantastic Dolce-Salato Italian Restaurant in Derby - absolutely amazing!

We also celebrated our very good friend Tracy’s surprise birthday in Birmingham, starting with the obligatory beers and cocktails before dining at a teppanyaki restaurant. Again the food was amazing but the occasion and company made the evening very special.   

We met the lovely Aimee and Ant of @trekkingexploration (also see the link below for his brilliant You Tube channel) and we had some lovely walks, including one in the Peak District with Chan and Jake.

Swarkestone’s most well-known feature is the 18th century, five arched stone bridge over the River Trent, which leads on to a stone causeway, carrying the road all the way across the flood plain to the village of Stanton by Bridge.  In 1745, it was here that Bonnie Prince Charlie’s men lost hope and abandoned their march to London to capture the British throne.  The bridge and causeway together are a Scheduled Ancient Monument about 1.2km long.

Another famous feature of Swarkestone is the 17th century pavilion of the former Swarkestone Hall, which was demolished in the mid 18th century.  The pavilion is now owned by the Landmark Trust and can be rented out for holidays (for two people).  The Rolling Stones used it for a photo shoot in 1968!

The Derby Canal was abandoned in 1964 and all that is left of it here is a short arm that is used for moorings.  However, work has started on restoring the canal and as Steph took a walk along the old Derby canal path she saw that work had started on chopping down trees in the old canal bed!

We then cruised on to Weston on Trent - our second home! We have spent our first couple of winters here on the winter moorings and then we were here for the whole of lockdown - couldn’t have asked for a better place to be - we have made some very good friendships with the locals, who have always been so lovely and helpful towards us.

Take a look at our cruise here.

One of the highlights of being here was seeing our lovely friend Emily open up her new cake boat The Coddiwomple Cake Boat..  Emily makes the most amazing cakes and her opening weekend here at Weston was an amazing success - so if you could go take a look at her page on Instagram or Facebook and follow her, you will be able to see where and when she is opening and trading along the canal.

Weston on Trent has a very nice pub called The Cooper’s Arms, previously Weston Hall and built in c1633.  It’s dog friendly in the bar, has great food, welcoming staff and its only about a 15 minute walk from the canal.

Another great place to go for a drink on a Sunday afternoon is the Ukrainian Club.  We really love it here and enjoyed a couple of lovely Sunday afternoons meeting up with friends and having a few beers!  Well worth a visit!

Steph had a chance to catch up with the girls - they came for an evening on Hang Loose and we also met up at Belper River Gardens for a lovely catch up.

9th May 2022

Time to leave Weston on Trent and cruise to Trent Lock, as this year’s plan is to cruise the tidal section of the River Trent before exploring the Chesterfield Canal.  

We love cruising along the river to Trent Lock and were really hoping for a space on the pontoon!  We were in luck!  We just love this spot - and no, of course it’s nothing to do with The Steamboat being so close 😉🍺

For Paul’s birthday LAST YEAR I wanted to get him a kayak!  He finally got it whilst we were here at Trent Lock!  However, getting a kayak …. plus me and Tilly into a mini was no mean feat 😂😂. Hard to explain but here’s the proof that we managed it.

Chan came to visit and had the maiden voyage in the kayak.  Although she felt like she was getting swept away when she first got in, she very quickly got it under control and off she went up the river!  She then came back and hoisted Tilly on board with her - think she loved it too - great fun! 

Paul also got round to fixing our new lamp on the front of Hang Loose.  We bought this off our lovely friends John and Cathy ages ago and it’s finally on and looking magnificent.  This was also thanks to our friend Bob from Weston on Trent, who very kindly modified the stand for it - thanks so much to Bob and Caroline for your kindness and friendship …… and the beer 😆🍻.  And yes we will have a BBQ with you guys on our next visit… Once again Thanks

As previously mentioned, The Steamboat Inn by Trent Lock is a place we like to sit outside, have a pint and enjoy a bit of gongoozling- and it was even better when Chan and Jake came to join us 😊💛

The Steamboat Inn

We really hope you’ve enjoyed this blog …. we are trying to catch up as we’re so far behind with them, but we keep getting distracted with walking, kayaking, cruising …. and pubs 🍺🍺🍺🍺.

Anyway if you want to keep up with where we are currently, then please follow us on Facebook or Instagram 😊

Links:-

Trekking Exploration - You Tube Channel

Our walk in the Peak District

The Cooper’s Arms

Ukrainian Club