Cromford Canal Camp CC2024-07

The reason: The original route of the canal has been lost under the A610 main road, so a new route will be created, crossing the road via an old railway bridge. But because this new canal route will run across what is designated as floodplain land, there is a requirement to create an alternative area for any floodwater to go - hence the reason for excavating the compensation area. And the spoil excavated from this area will be used to build up the embankment for the new canal channel.

The restoration: The Cromford Canal once stretched for 14 miles from the top of the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill to Cromford. The Friends of the Cromford Canal eventually aim to reopen it all the way through, but there will be several difficult lengths to restore, where the canal is blocked by road and railway crossings, a collapsed tunnel, and sections which have been lost to opencast coal mining. Initially, restoration work has been concentrated on the better preserved sections including the Cromford end, and sections at Ironville and near Ambergate, even though these will remain isolated lengths for some years to come. But more recently planning permission has been obtained for the current Beggarlee project to reopen the first length from Langley Mill, which will allow visiting boats from the rest of the waterways network to continue northwards via two new locks which will be built in the coming years. When the initial length is open, the aim is to continue northwards towards Ironville.