Radcliffe, Bassingfield and Cotgrave, 26th November 2017

 A good turnout (thirty) for Marion's walk starting in the centre of Radcliffe on Trent.
The walk took us down Holme Lane to Holme Pierrepont ...
Holme Pierrepont Hall



... and then into Skylarks Nature Reserve, an attractive wetland nature reserve, formerly a gravel pit but now owned by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
Crossing the A52 we walked across fields to Bassingfield and onto the Grantham Canal ...
... and into Cotgrave ...
All Saints Church, Cotgrave
 .. before lunch in ...

... based on the site of Cotgrave Colliery (1962-1994).

 Rejoining the canal, we crossed at the restored Cotgrave Lock (Lock 6) ...
... to join the 3km disused railway line which runs between Cotgrave Country Park and Holme Pierrepont.  The former mineral railway, which used to link the colliery in Cotgrave to the main railway network, is currently used informally by walkers but there are plans to upgrade it in the future.

Then it was back to the start across fields and through the new plantation on the edge of Radcliffe.
 

Trent Lock and Attenborough Nature Reserve, 19th November 2017

An excellent turnout (18) for Hilary's walk today ...
... starting in the car park at Trent Lock ...
... and taking us to the junction of the Erewash Canal and the Trent.
Looking back up the Erewash Canal
Erewash meets Trent - a strategic intersection with the River Soar, River Derwent and Trent & Mersey Canal junctions not very far away
 Then it was along Cranfleet Cut ...
... and then beside the Trent before turning off to the Attenborough Nature Centre for lunch.
Some of the birds we might have seen (but didn't)
 After returning along the Trent ...
Something from the last Trent walk
... some of us ended up in the...
... for tea and cake and a look at some interesting canal-related artifacts in this former lock-keeper's cottage.
And finally, a glorious view of Ratcliffe Power Station, visible all day on the walk.
Coal making a comeback?  From 0% of UK demand five days ago to 25% three days ago!  All going to the French apparently.

Exton, 15th November 2017


Starting at Exton, Rose led seventeen of us (including two visitors) on this interesting and varied walk to Fort Henry Lake and then Greetham and back on the Viking Way.  Here are Roger's photos.

Fox and Hounds, Village Green, Exton
One of the most beautiful villages in Rutland (allegedly)
Biomass in action at a farm near Greetham
Lunch stop
Rutland’s answer to Glampling?
Fort Henry Lake, hunting lodge and folly

Measham, 12th November 2017



There were nineteen on Rab's interesting and varied walk from Measham to Donisthorpe, Conkers and Moira taking in the Ennstone and Ashby Woulds Heritage Trails, Moira Furnace, a (very well restored) section of the Ashby Canal and parts of the National Forest.


Setting out on the disused Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway, opened in 1873 and 
built to serve the Leicestershire coalfield. It linked Moira and Coalville Town with Nuneaton.
Entry to Donisthorpe Woodland Park created in 1996  on the site of Donisthorpe Colliery

 






One of a series of markers along the route of the Ashby Canal  to identify the depth and names of underground mine seams









Moira Furnace and Ashby Canal - lunch stop
Moira Furnace, a coke-fuelled blast furnace for the smelting of iron from local iron ore, with an attached foundry for the manufacture of cast-iron goods
Loading ramp spanning the Ashby Canal.
More industrial archaeology - possibly part of the steam engine blower which supplied air to the bottom of the nearby furnace
The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a 31-mile long canal which connected the mining district around Moira with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire.

Harlaxton and Denton, 5th November 2017








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