Network

A May Day outing to the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire borderlands saw me exploring a little of the canal network around Langley Mill and Eastwood.  Three canals or former canals converge at the Langley Mill Basin (extra).

This stretch forms part of the Erewash Canal, on the Derbyshire side of the border, and connected Langley Mill with the River Trent at Nottingham about twelve miles south. Adjacent is a disused stretch of the Nottingham Canal (extra) which looks like it would be fabulous spot for butterflies and dragonflies later in the summer. It was a cool and overcast day though, so no butterfly activity.

Stepping into Notts I entered Eastwood, a former coal mining town but these days very much devoted to the heritage of their most famous son, DH Lawrence. His birthplace museum was shut (on a Sunday, in the middle of a bank holiday weekend) but there were many pavement plaques to view, pubs bearing names of his famous works (extra) and a fine sculpture representing themes from his works, appropriately outside the library (extra). 

It was then time for the football part of the expedition, with a game between Nottingham Forest and Brighouse Town in the third tier of the women’s football leagues (extra) Forest Women play their home games at the ground of Eastwood CFC, and the new stand and 3G pitch seems to reflect some investment from the partnership. It was the last game of the league season and both teams were firmly safe and mid-table. It proved to be a fairly balanced game, and ended goalless. 

I think I now have just Ilkeston and Barnsley left on my gradual tour of the stops of the Leeds-Nottingham line, but I think I’ll return to Eastwood at some point when the museum is open and the butterflies and dragonflies are about.