West Stockwith to Drakeholes
West Stockwith is at the junction of the rivers Idle and Trent and was traditionally an active port and trading centre. Historically the shipbuilding industry was linked to this area, with the shipyards surviving from the Medieval period until circa 1914.
Old West Stockwith Basin - Courtesy of West Stockwith Basin - Chesterfield Canal Trust (chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk)
Our stay here was lovely, snuggled in between cruisers and narrowboats, a pub just across the road and a warm, welcoming clubhouse within the basin.
The shower blocks and toilets were well presented and always clean, other facilities like gas, waste & water (including electrical hook-ups), were also available. It is worth noting however there was no diesel facility, which goes for the entire canal, so it’s best to ensure you have a full tank before coming here.
West Stockwith Basin
On our first evening here, we walked to The White Hart Inn, passing a house that sold highly recommended pies. The sign outside made the mouth water, but it had been a long day and the thought of tantalising our tastebuds with refreshing nectar from the gods, was all too much, but we did promise ourselves we would purchase a couple of these appetising delights before we left the area.
The White Hart Pub West Stockwith
The following day Steph needed to return to Derby to visit family & friends as well as collect the car. The Captain of NB Sefton was kind enough to take her to Gainsborough Station, but not before Paul & Tilly kayaked up to Hillsyde Avenue Field Bridge and the obligatory visit to The Waterfront Inn for a little refreshment or two.
Paul & Tilly off for a Walk
The walks around the area were particularly pleasing, with an assortment of riverside and agricultural backdrops. The warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze from the river were intoxicating.
Tilly Walking the Towpath
Paul & Tilly made the most of exploring their congenial surroundings during Steph’s leave of absence. Maybe the odd pub was thrown in as well, in an attempt to numb the emptiness she left behind. 😏
It wasn’t long before Steph returned with Winston (our daughter’s dog and Tilly’s brother) , rested and eager to commence the celebrations by adorning the boat with bunting, following the chorale of boat horns in recognition of our monarch’s 70 years of service.
Flowers & Bunting to Celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Hang Loose
In true Hang Loose style, a celebration would not be a celebration without a little tipple. So a visit to the clubhouse to mark this momentous occasion was definitely called for. Good beer, free food, a Band and a warm welcome, well it would have been an insult to turn this down.
6th June 2022
The following day we woke up with anticipation, “To Weed or Not to Weed”, was the burning question in all our minds. The Chesterfield canal is renowned for being shallow in places and suffers from large amounts of “Cladophora glomerata” (blanket weed). The trick is to slow right down and stick to the centre channel. Keep the revs off, as increasing them just sucks your boat onto the bottom, slowing you down further. As for the Cladophora glomerata, CRT have a solution we encounter later. But for now Drakeholes is our destination.
Map of our Journey Distance:- 6.5 miles Locks:- 4 Cruising Time:- 3.5 hours
Wow - we had the most beautiful cruise through glorious countryside and amazing wildlife from West Stockwith to Drakeholes . We pootled along behind the Captain and the Lady on NB Sefton, and Steph walked part of the way along the towpath with Tilly and Winston.
This is one of the quietest and most rural canals we have been on - the towpath is quite wild and pretty and so quiet, yet enriched by the ballads of nature.
We cruised through Misterton (old english word mynster, a monastery, or religious body), and through two double locks to start the slow climb towards Chesterfield. Before we go through Drakeholes Tunnel, there are two more double locks to navigate, the latter having a beautiful lock-side cottage, quintessentially depicting 200 years of history.
Gringley Top Lock & House
The tunnel is very short and the canal takes a sharp left turn as you emerge from it.
Bats flit in and out at twilight, whilst during the day swallows & swifts swoop down near the entrance to feed and drink on the wing.
Drakeholes Tunnel
The visitor moorings here are lovely, with a lay by next to it to park the car and a pub right across the road!
Drakeholes Visitor Moorings
We, however, did not try this pub 😥as we were told by some locals that it was more of a foody pub than a ‘good old ‘spit and sawdust’ pub that we prefer 😃. On reflection, 🤔we should have just given it a try though as we have since heard that it is very nice and does good food.
The Mucky Duck Pub
We loved these moorings and had some beautiful walks - there are picnic benches where lots of people came to sit and enjoy the sunshine, we saw kayakers, fishermen and lots of cyclists and walkers - what a fantastic spot!… Maybe a model for CRT to consider 🤔…
Drakeholes Visitor Moorings
Paul Kayaking from Drakeholes Visitor Moorings
Paul was out in his kayak again, Thinking “if this is a touch of heaven, I’ll drink to that”
Paul Celebrating Life
