Ranby to Retford

Long post, but it’s 99% piccies.
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All these pics and many more are at Flickr

After Saturday’s rubbish I thought I’d better do something worth doing. Walked from Ranby to Retford along the Chesterfield Canal towpath. Weather was quite nice as I started out, sun poking through clouds.

The Pond

First, of course, I had to walk round Godfrey’s pond (or Sandhills lake as the council want it) and down the canal to Worksop:

Then the bus to …

Ranby

From the bridge …
… and from the towpath

 

Steel Away

Nb Steel Away was moored just east of Ranby
A very handsome boat, she’d picked up a “Patrol Notice” from BW. I rang the owners when I got home & told ’em (They’d left a contact number on the boat)

 

Willow trees

There are some beautiful willows on the stretch from Ranby to the Barracks bend.

I could fill a whole series of pages with pics of willows, but I’ll restrain myself:

Any time of year but especially spring & autumn, they’re beautiful

On to

Forest locks

Forest locks are allegedly so called because of the
proximity of Sherwood Forest

The names of some of the individual locks are also weird This one, quite reasonably, is “Forest Top Lock”
Next is Forest Middle Top lock where the lock keeper’s house is apparently up for auction. If only I’d the spare cash!
There are quite a few residential boats here
Some of which I’ve seen elsewhere.

Next up, or down I suppose, is Forest Middle Bottom Lock
Told you they had unco names

At Forest Bottom Lock, I took five to eat lunch:
a Birds the Butchers corned beef salad sarnie:
Excellent

I hadn’t noticed the cages over the paddle mechanism before

 

Onward

A nameless boat moored up and a solitary swan

And finally to Retford and the bus home

Excellent house for sale Old canal warehouse, I believe