At the start of the walk we were greeted by four ponies and two even smaller ones in a nearby field. There were lots of
bulrushes on the water’s edge and the bright yellow, cupshaped flowers of the water lily, floating on the slow moving
water of the canal. On the canal path we passed a man fishing and on the other side of the canal we asked another
fisherman if he had caught anything and he replied, “A couple of roach, decent sized ones.” (But then fishermen always
exaggerate, don’t they).
We arrived at Staveley Canal Basin where a lot of work has been done to develop the area into a commercial and leisure
centre – The Moorings. The building has a total of eleven new business units, equipped with kitchen and restroom facilities. Funding has been obtained from the East Midlands Development Agency and some from DCC. The works are
being directed by the engineers of DCC in partnership with the Chesterfield Canal Trust. The carpark has EV points and
bright white markings, with a pathway marked out for pedestrians. There is more work to be done but it looked very
impressive and just waiting for expected visitors.
We reached a part of the canal covered in blue-green algae with tin cans and bottles discarded in it. Several white
butterflies fluttered around the blackberry bushes, the thistles and the bindweed in this overgrown area. We turned
onto the Transpennine Trail towards Renishaw and walked over the new bridge. Mounting blocks were at each end of the bridge with notices instructing horse riders to dismount. We now entered a wide path bordered by trees, one being a purple buddleia, and heard the sounds of a chiffchaff and a song thrush. This path was originally the railway line
which connected Barrow Hill to Clowne. The end of the path marked the end of the canal as it was overgrown with silt and fallen trees so we sat to eat our sandwiches before a sharp rain shower signalled time to leave. There are plans to clean out this area of the canal eventually.
We had a change of scenery as we turned onto a narrow path because it took us through the middle of a large field of
golden corn.
“Bright robes of gold the fields adorn
The hills with joy are ringing.
The valleys stand so thick with corn
That even they are singing”
W. Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)
Our way on a narrow path was partially blocked by nettles, brambles, bindweed and flowering teasels before we approached a metal bridge and soon walked underneath the new bridge we had negotiated earlier and were back at the
Staveley Basin to finish our walk along the towpath and return to the car.
Thank you to our leader, Julie, for a very interesting, easy walk.
New members are welcome to join us on the next walk,Sunday 3rd August, 4pm outside the church gates.
Ev Lowe