In the 1980s, the River Trent supplied the cooling water for fifteen coal-fired power stations, each one gobbling up coal from the local mines and quenching its heat with gallons of river water. The area was known as Megawatt Valley. As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, the mines closed, the coal trains stopped running, and the iconic cooling towers, one by one, fell to the ground.
The high-voltage electricity lines which connected the stations to the grid are still there, however, and they dominated the walk I did today. The stately silhouettes of pylons stalked across the landscape, carrying fizzing power lines which sliced up the sky. At one point, I was within view of two of the remaining sets of cooling towers.
Diving further back into history, I parked by Swarkestone Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal, walked past St James' Church, and arrived at Swarkestone Bridge, a 14th-century causeway which still, remarkably, carries traffic today. It was famously the southernmost spot that Bonnie Prince Charlie reached before he gave up on the idea of London and returned to Scotland. Whether that was a wise decision or a missed opportunity is a topic of debate.
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| St James', Swarkestone |
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| crossing Swarkestone Bridge |
A short way along the road to Ingleby is a footpath which leads across the flood plain next to the causeway. Usually this is boggy, if not totally flooded, but the recent dry weather meant that I had no concerns about keeping my feet dry. There are often cows here too. No sign of them today.
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| the causeway |
Stanton-by-Bridge, at the opposite end of the causeway to Swarkestone, sensibly stands on a lump of high ground. The village hall was decked out with bunting, and St Michael's Church had tombstones leaning awkwardly against it.
Country lanes took me down to the Trent, past the John Thompson pub, and into Ingleby village. A tiny building had a sign reading "The Chapel" on its green-painted door, and a war memorial and a postbox built into its side. There were some beautiful cottages, and a huge rock looming over a small pool. I guess that may have once been the village water supply.
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| Trent with blackberries |
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| chapel in Ingleby |
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| there's a pool in that dark hole |
I reached Elm Farm and Sycamore Farm, where my previous walk ended. After stopping for a short rest, I turned around to walk back through the village and up across a field, following the route of the Trent Valley Way back to Stanton-by-Bridge. I passed along the edge of Robin Wood.
At this point I discovered that I could see two former power stations at once: Ratcliffe on my right and Willington on my left, and a line of pylons marching across the middle.
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| Ratcliffe |
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| Willington |
And here I was back at St Michael's, Stanton-by-Bridge, feeling like I'd walked a long way to not get anywhere. Actually I was more than halfway now.
I made my way over to Kings Newton, near Melbourne. This gate made things look very complicated, but the path was easy to follow! I paid my respects to the Holy Well along the way.
Both churches I had been to so far had been locked. I took a detour to a spire in Kings Newton, hoping for third time lucky, but it turned out to be a cemetery chapel. Also closed. Still, it was an interesting building, with an arch through the middle of it.
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| Kings Newton |
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| cemetery chapel |
A field sloped down to the Cloud Trail, which would take me back over the Trent. This former railway line is now a pleasant cycle route. When I used to live near it, I would regularly see the mileposts, which say Derby on one side and Tonge on the other. I finally cycled to the Tonge end of the trail, and was amused to discover that it is a tiny place, not a major destination at all!
A wide bridge carries walkers and cyclists across the River Trent. There was an abundance of purple flowers along the way which my app told me was oregano. I sniffed a few leaves - yes, it certainly smelled like it. I didn't realise it grew wild. In a bush, a spider had made a spectacular pyramid-shaped web.
Soon after crossing the river, I was back on the Trent & Mersey Canal, which would take me neatly back to the car. It's the Trent Valley Way in all directions, here!
Several boats chugged past as I walked along the towpath. This one, I suspect, has not moved for some time.
At Swarkestone Lock, the lock keeper said, "You're not photographing my leaks, are you?" The lock gates look like a waterfall, which leads to a picturesque profusion of greenery, but causes big problems. We had a brief chat about canal water shortages, which have been severe this year. The reservoirs which feed the canals are very low. Pleasant as it is to be able to walk across flood plains with dry feet, I do hope we get some rain soon.
14 July 2025
11 miles / 17.7 km
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