Up the tower and down the pub

Our last day in Newark and I'm writing this while sitting in the Prince Rupert, using their wireless network (the first time I've done that!). They've got a mini beer festival on, featuring Dark Star beers - we come all this way to drink beer from Sussex! But that's what gave us the incentive/excuse to stay on until today. We leave tomorrow morning for Cromwell Lock, onto the tidal section, but this time, unlike in 2009, we are going to stop overnight at Torksey and make the rest of the trip to West Stockwith, entrance to the Chesterfield Canal, on Monday morning's tide.



Today started with us going up the tower of Newark's rather impressive church, the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene. This is only open occasionally, in aid of the spire fund, so on Izzy's recommendation we took advantage of the opportunity to trek up the 198 steps of the spiral staircase, stopping half way in the bell ringing room (Bones will know the proper name for it), before emerging onto the parapet with a wonderful view of the town below and panorama of the counties beyond. The church was built in the 12th century, and the spire added in the 14th.


At lunchtime we strolled over to the Prince Rupert to sample the Dark Star, and one of their excellent pizzas, when I got a text from the people we met last week to say that they had just been passed at Hazelford by Dove and Trout. So we trotted along to the lock to meet them, before repairing back to the Prince Rupert (or the Rupe, as I've already taken to calling it).


After Andrew, Andrea et al went back to their boats for some food, we splashed out on one last Newark meal and were shown to an upstairs room. Well, it is amaxing. This place was in the process of being gutted when we were here last year; it was built in 1452 as a merchant's house, and then became a pub called the woolpack, before being closed for a long while. The restoration is stunning; I'd be impressed to be looking at a building this old, so well restored, as a museum piece, and here I am eating dinner in it - a room to ourselves too.


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Location:Newark,United Kingdom