When last we reported we had just acquired an expensive piece of wood, the Calder and Hebble handspike. So armed we headed off downstream on the said navigation. It’s here that our 57 foot long boat lived up to its “go anywhere” label. If we had shared locks going downstream with a boat of similar length we would not have been able to open the inward pointing mitre gates; on our own it required a diagonal shuffle. The C & H has a strange mixture of paddle gear. No two locks the same in dimensions it seemed as well as gear. Almost looked as though they bought up a mixed lot and fitted whatever came to hand. Canalised sections are protected by flood locks on the upstream end all of which were open at both ends as river levels were normal. And the expensive piece of wood? There was really only one lock where it was absolutely essential as most locks had paddle gear of some sort at each end that was operated with a standard windlass! Herself will remember the C & H as the place where what started as a terrible sore throat and was possibly the swine flu, laid her low and we holed up while she took to her bed. And no, this was not followed by an epidemic of man flu! Rusty old boaters are made of stronger stuff.
Near Castleford a sharp left onto the Aire and Calder navigation. When we came this way some 20 years ago this was still a commercial waterway with 90ton craft carrying gravel, coal and oil. Its huge locks (120 feet by 18 feet) manned by lock keepers who controlled these mechanised giants from their tower lookout using traffic light to communicate with the boater and communicating with each other on progress of traffic; so the gates opened as if by magic as you approached. Along with the commercial traffic the lock keepers have disappeared and boaters operate for themselves from control panels at each end. For himself, perched on the hatches, this wide waterway is merely a corridor to somewhere else with its high banks thickly clothed with willow obscuring any view of what lays beyond. Having said that, the mooring above Lemroyd lock, with its new marina and neatly mown grass, was delightful on a warm sunny evening, with pleasant walks through the adjacent wooded countryside. It’s a popular spot with the locals.
You want to send herself into raptures of delight? Take her to a mooring with electric hook-up. She can dry her hair and Hoover to her hearts content without himself fretting about the state of charge of his batteries. She’s in seventh heaven! And where is this boating Nirvana to be found? Why the newly re-opened Clarence Dock in Leeds. As we approached Leeds it was as we remembered it, with crumbling Victorian mill buildings, but once you approach Leeds Lock at the head of the navigation the scene has been transformed, with mills and warehouses delightfully converted to apartments and the once derelict waterfront restored to a living community. The Royal Armouries Museum right beside the dock provided a pleasant interlude from boating and with a Tesco Express just round the corner to cater for your household needs, this is a superb stopping place to explore the centre of the city. Fortunately for the communal purse, herself was still not the full mustard so even retail therapy was beyond the limit of her stamina.
Now we have reached the ultimate objective in our cruising season, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, with its broad 62 foot long locks for the short boats that used to ply their trade here. Staircase locks are a feature as well, where the top gate of one chamber is the bottom gate of the next. Unlike Foxton staircases on the Grand Union, where the chambers are emptied or filled from side ponds, the water here is got from the chamber above or emptied into the one below so the whole staircase needs to be set differently depending on whether you are travelling up or down hill. Most have lock keepers to help those confused by this but also to ensure that the precious water supply is not wasted. Above Leeds they are also there for the safety of boaters. “Don’t stop at Kirkstall!” is the word. Vandalism is a curse; handcuff keys to unlock paddle gear the norm. Sunny afternoons and young men with cans of beer seek entertainment on the cut!
At Bingley we reach the limit of our previous cruise on this waterway the foot of the Bingley three rise followed by another of the wonders of the waterways, the majestic Bingley five rise.Five great chambers leading one into the next as you climb sixty feet up the hillside. Himself assists the lock-keeper rather than the other way round. It’s a delight to watch an expert at work. A man who knows just whereto position a single boat, just how much water from which paddle to keep it pinned motionless, not a drop wasted over spill weirs. And the view from the top: stunning.Girls lunching on pie and peas, champion black puddings, it must be Skipton. The cruise here from Bingley with views over dales and fell tops and we consider revising our opinion about the Peak Forrest Canal being the most beautiful stretch on the waterway. When we finally leave Skipton we know that for us, the meandering length from Gargrave to East Marton cannot be surpassed for natural beauty. Skipton is where our nephew comes to join us to care for dogs and boat again as we make use the services of Enterprise car hire to return home to attend to the move of our tenant. From here we meander through those once great mill towns of Nelson, Colne and Burnley on the journey to that former cotton capital of Lancashire; the home of Rovers. (Just don’t mention the opening home match of the season; Rovers 0, Man City 2!). Industrial archaeology there is in abundance.
Now a certain bony dog is definitely starting to show his age. On a morning walk he will come to a dead stop and look round longingly at the boat, “I want to go back!” A manoeuvre repeated many times in the past, boat slows close to towpath where the canal narrows under a bridge, dog and handler skip nimbly onto the counter, this time ends in a dunking. The front legs make it but the back ones don’t and he slides backwards into the cut. As we cruise along he likes to stand at the back of the boat, nose to wind, indulging in olfactory delights known only to dogs. This day we hear a yelp, a faint plop, turn round, “Dog overboard!” Engine in reverse as a dog ,who appears to have just walked off the back of the boat, strikes out for the shore! With the aid of a lead lent by an astonished passer by, he is coaxed to a conveniently positioned ramp placed in the wall of the canal by the builders to aid the rescue of boat horses who had fallen in. As the edges are shallow we cannot get close enough to the bank to retrieve our shore-bound pair so have to lay out the gangplank to get them aboard. Life is never dull afloat. The intrepid hairy mutt, not to be outdone has also once more taken an impetuous leap for shore so as to be first off and ended up belly flopping and swimming back and forth until he could be hauled out by the scruff of his neck.
While we were heading for home Simon, from RunbytheSun, delivered the solar panels we ordered at the Crick show. A better than expected demand had meant that stock had run out so we had to wait until more units had been manufactured. Two 60 watt panels delivering a max of 8.6 amps to reduce our need to run the engine when at rest and to increase our green credentials. Himself spent a pleasant morning fixing brackets, making connections and staring at the charge controller to see how they performed. Well it must be Ohm’s brother Murphy at work here; the amount of cloud cover and rain is directly proportional to the amount of solar power you think you are going to generate. It’s the middle of August for heavens sake! But joy oh joy, when the sun does come out, they deliver their full potential. But himself was able to confirm the truth that solar alignment is crucial for full power. In the early morning sun moving from flat on the roof to angled to the sun doubled the output. Midday sun, angled (22 degrees) and turned southward they delivered the full specified 8.6 amps. In this uncertain weather 30 aH is the best we have produced so far – enough to power the fridge and water pump all day.As we leave Blackburn a lunch at the Boat House in Riley Green and then the cruise down the seven Johnson’s Hillock locks with Excalibur to be greeted in the last chamber by one of those prize Lancashire cloud bursts. Over in a few minutes, but you are soaked through all the same. now we face the delights of the infamous Wigan Flight; 23 locks descending over 200 feet in less than two miles. Not only heavy mitred gates but also all paddle gear (six sets on each lock) locked with handcuff keys as an anti vandal measure. We will only do 21 as we take a left to head for Manchester and the Bridgewater Canal. We’ll let you know if they live up to their reputation for a miserable and gruelling passage!
