Walk 2

Nottingham & Erewash Canals

(1) From car park turn left onto Brookhill Leys Road & left again onto Church Street. Go over bridge & at other side turn left along road.

(2) Turn down footpath on right hand side, entering Nottingham Canal Nature Reserve. Walk down path to canal, & over former swingbridge to towpath. (Nottingham Canal was completed in 1796 & linked Eastwood directly to Nottingham. D.H. Lawrence referred to the canal in his novel, The Rainbow, when it burst its banks & caused the flood, which drowned his character Tom Brangwen.)

(3) Turn left & follow towpath until you reach a stile that takes you over a road. Cross road & rejoin towpath opposite. (You will notice this section of canal is filled in following open cast mining.)

(4) At junction of paths continue straight, signed to Cotmanhay.

(5) Carry on until you reach a T-junction of the paths, & follow bridle road left. At next bridle gate turn right & follow concrete road right up to entrance gate of Newthorpe Sewerage Works. Turn left onto footpath this side of gate & follow path round sewerage works.

(6) Just before reaching service road, turn right & follow grassy path next to perimeter fence - keeping this to your right. Bear left through small wooded area & then turn right onto grassy path, running alongside service road.

(7) After second wooden bridge, path starts to head closer to road. Before reaching road, take right hand fork in path, going between two high posts. Follow path, passing old railway sidings on left hand side, until you reach a footbridge.

(8) Cross bridge onto bridleway & then at next junction of paths, turn left. Go across small bridge, going over the Erewash River, then through railway tunnel, continuing left along path to Erewash Canal.

(9) Turn right along the towpath & walk along the canal for a good distance.

(10) At the first lock you come to - Shipley Lock go straight on. At the next lock Eastwood Lock cross the bridge & continue in same direction along towpath to next bridge.

(11) Turn right over bridge & walk along track until you reach another bridge. Do not cross, but turn right & join towpath back along Nottingham Canal. The next bridge is where you first joined the canal, cross back over, walk up to the road & turn left. Turn right back over bridge & then right onto Brookhill Leys Road & back to the Moon & Stars pub to complete the walk.