Swarkestone Stop put-in (South Derbyshire)
This stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone sits on James Brindley's 93-mile link between Preston Brook and Shardlow, first navigable in 1777, next to Swarkestone Lock No. 5 and close to the former junction with the derelict Derby Canal, whose route can still be traced towards Derby. It offers still, canalised water rather than open river.
Swarkestone Lock No. 5 is a Grade II listed structure built in 1770 from red and blue brick, its gates on rack and pinion paddle mechanisms, with stone steps on the south side and concrete semi-circular landings flanked by brick steps at the gates. A cast-iron milepost made by Rangeley and Dixon in 1819 stands at Swarkestone Stop, reading Shardlow six miles to the east and Preston Brook eighty-six miles to the west.
The Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust is working to restore the derelict Derby Canal and reconnect it to the network here at Swarkestone, as part of a planned 25-mile circular route for boaters, cyclists and walkers between Derby and Sandiacre. Paddling east from the put-in leads towards Shardlow, where the Trent and Mersey Canal joins the Trent Navigation at Derwent Mouth.
Nearby
A drive-thru coffee shop in the Chellaston housing development, reached via the A514 and Pingle Lane.
Conditions to check
Swarkestone Lock No. 5 is a working canal lock with a chamber about twelve feet deep and heavy gates at each end.
The Trent and Mersey Canal here carries narrowboat traffic on the Cheshire and Four Counties cruising rings.
SourceThe lock chamber's brick walls are vertical to a depth of about twelve feet, so there is no bank to climb out onto within the chamber itself.
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