Trent Lock - Attenbrough Nature Reserve walk

So at 10am we met at Trent Lock car park, this was after a 6 hour sleep from the Buxton Midnight walk the night before. A few of aching legs this morning due to playing badminton before the walk too. It was a very warm morning with hardly any clouds in the sky. We set off just after 10am with sun cream all over, loads of water in our bags and a few little snacks too. From Trent Lock we walked along the Cranfleet Canal which was built so boats can travel along the River Trent avoiding the weir. Trent Lock is also the home of The Nottingham Yacht Club, we saw a group of rowers warming up on rowing machine next to the Trent which amused a few of us thinking they had forgot their boat.

Cranfleet Canal, Nottinghamshire.

Once past Cranfleet Canal we walked along the Erewash Valley Trail. By about 2km into the walked the temperature increased as the breeze dropped and the Trent looked like a very big swimming pool to cool down in. However the nice chilled water in our bags did the trick as none of us really wanted to jump into the River. Along the Trail there was so much wildlife with hundreds of Common Blue Damselfly along with Swans, Mallards, Canada Geese plus loads more. If you’ve got an I-spy book and a set of binoculars you will be sorted for hours.

River Trent, loving the reflection in the water.

Once we made it to Attenborough Nature Reserve we had a little nature stop at the Visitor Centre. After suffering mindless vandalising a few weeks ago to the bridge we thought it would buy a few snacks to keep us going and to help them out, as it’s such a good facility run by volunteers and by donations. The annoying Canada Geese took a liking to Mathew and his flapjack and one had a little nibble at his finger. It did start a debate about if there should be a cull of them as they are taking over the waterways from native Swans and Geese.

 

From here we walked around the back to Attenborough Church which looked amazing with a perfect blue sky behind it, then past Attenborough Cricket Club which again looked really nice with the sun beating down on it as players warmed up for the match that afternoon. A few minutes later we were back on the trail at the side of the Trent and on the homeward leg of the walk. It gets me every time, the minute your back on the Trent it feels like you will be back at Trent Lock in minutes. From this point it was still another 6km back to the cars. The walk back was far more peaceful than the walk there as we passed far less cyclists than the way out. This meant we could walk as a group rather than single file and with the sun still beating down this led to conversations about holidays and were we all want to go next. Before we knew it Cranfleet Canal was back in view which meant one thing….FOOD! It was time to sit down in the sun out the back of the Trent Lock Pub and enjoy a nice afternoon bite to eat with a beverage to refresh after the walk.


Nice house and boat along the River Trent.

In total it was 14km so in a 24 hours period this walk, Buxton and a dog walk totalled up to about 27km (17 miles). Home, World Cup, afternoon nap and relax! The foam roller was very handy for some self-myofascial release.

Overall in 2014 with the free walks I've organised with clients, friends and family we have clocked up 130km (80 miles). Have a look on the NHS website for benefits of walking.

Bring on the next walk, once I've planned it.