This short route along the towpath of the Trent and Mersey Canal has all the ingredients of the ideal bike ride. It has no traffic and no hills, lots of wildlife, boats and waterside views. There is even a pub and a marina at each end! The South Derbyshire villages of Stenson and Willington are very different however. Apart from the lock keeper's cottage, now an excellent cafe, the marina and the nearby Bubble Inn, Stenson has little else.
Willington however, is much larger, having everything that a village might need. There are three excellent pubs, a supermarket, and even a railway station. Nearby Mercia Marina, on the Northern outskirts of the village, was until recently a small trout fishery near to the Trent and Mersey Canal. It has been transformed into one of the largest and most modern marinas in the country with cafes, shops, holiday chalets and moorings for over 600 boats.
Willington is close, but not too close, to the junction of the A50 and A38 trunk roads, so access is good from all directions. The five cooling towers of the de-commissioned coal fired power station serve as markers for the village and can be seen from a great distance over the flat lands of the Trent Valley, as the river flows from Burton-on-Trent to Nottingham.
We start here from Mercia Marina. The steel structure in the background is an extension of the shopping complex.
Looking Eastwards the five cooling towers of the redundant coal fired power station. The water is the link from the marina to the canal, this running beneath the Findern to Willington road.
Access to the towpath is from the canal road bridge. On the right is the garden of the Dragon PH to which we will return on completion of the ride.
Off we go then, heading for Stenson Lock.
The towpath is fairly basic but well worn by walkers.
Water irises along side the bank.
The village of Findern is midway along the route but we see little of it, and another pub, once the Greyhound, later the Canal Turn and now reinvented as Nadee Indian Restaurant and Bar. Access via the road bridge.
Looking back from beneath the bridge.
Arrival at Stenson Lock. Plenty of boats here, due to the marina, cafe and pub.
This is the old lock keepers cottage now an excellent cafe, open until 5pm everyday throughout the Summer, and serving basic food at reasonable prices.
Highly recommended.
With covered dining overlooking the lock.
Standing back from the canal is the Bubble Inn. Good food and drink here.
The "Bubble" is the overflow water drain which takes excess water which originates from the River Trent, and bypasses the lock.
A boat traversing the lock, which has a height of 12 feet. The top gates weigh 950Kg each and the lower gates, subject to much higher water pressure weigh 2920Kg each.
The road bridge
View looking downstream from the road bridge.
Suggested return route back to Willington following the outward route and stopping at the Dragon for liquid refreshment.
A very popular pub, the Dragon is always busy and this is midweek.
The enormous lawn is actually artificial grass. No weeds, no mowing, just Hoovering.
Cheers!
Click
HERE for video of the return journey on YouTube.
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