WIDE WATER, BIG LOCKS AND BROKEN BRIDGES

 

Sunset on the river

Before we left Leeds we stopped and had a chat with Pete and Dawn. It turned out overnight some low life had nicked their bike off the front of their boat. What is the world coming to?

They were heading back to their moorings at Rotherham, so we wished them well and hoped to see them soon. However Alison and Nick off NB Panacea, who they had been travelling with were heading on to the Trent for the first time, so we said we would catch up with them nearer to Keadby and the Trent if they wanted any tips.

At the first lock of the day a small yogurt pot was coming up so I went to help, the guy on the boat had no experience, and was being helped by the crew of a widebeam which was coming up after. I recognised the yogurt pot as one reported stolen a week earlier, but was happy to hear it had now been reunited with its owner. All well that ends well in some cases.

At the river lock 2 lockees helped us down and onto the river, and then I was on my own. It seemed strange at the first river lock to jump ship without my trusty windlass. These big (and they are big) river locks are all electric, and just require a BW key to operate them. So much easier for me.

Once through we were on the Aire and Calder Navigation. 4 more of the huge locks and we stopped above Lemonroyd lock for the night.

I love being on the river for a change, and we managed to spot a pair of Kingfishers zooming past the boat, we also saw a Red deer, it ran through a field, and then performed what looked like a vertical take off to clear a high wall into the next field, were it disappeared into the undergrowth. Buzzards have soared above us, and Terns dive behind the boat fishing for their dinner. Snowy white Little Egrets and Herons have lined the river bank as we have cruised by.

At Castleford junction we turned left and headed for Ferrybridge, its once famous power station just a pile of rubble now. We found decent moorings at Ferrybridge and decided to stay for the night, and there was a pub (of course), The Golden Lion. So what better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon than sat outside with a good pint of Cruzcampo over-looking the river.

Although we don’t usually do long days, the weather was so nice next day we decided just to keep going and had lunch on the move. We did around 14miles and 3 locks. Turning right at Southfield Junctions we joined the New Junction Canal. This is 5½ miles long and very straight, with a number of lift and swing bridges, but only 1 lock. The bridges are all electric apart from one, which is right in the middle Sykehouse lock and had to be opened manually before using the lock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Junction_Canal

I had been in touch with Alison, and suggested meeting up at The New Inn at Stainsforth the next day. She was happy with this suggestion, so after a quiet night we headed for the pub.

https://www.newinnstainforth.co.uk/

At Bramwith Junction we turned off the New Junction canal and onto the South Yorkshire Navigation. Bramwith lock was a bit of a shock, although it is still a large river lock its manual, so my trusty windlass had its first outing for a while. The swing bridge which followed also had us scratching our heads, as it appeared to be closed and there were a number of men working on it. We were really pleased to find out it was only closed to traffic, and not boats (the pub was about 2miles beyond it). A very helpful man from CRT operated it for us, and we were soon on our way.

There are great moorings right outside the pub, which were empty, so we were soon moored up. It has happy memories for us, as Bubbles, our ginger tom cat who died in 2019, made a lot of friends here roaming round the beer garden being a right tart, as was his way.

Alison and Nick turned up after lunch and we agreed to have a pint together later. But the pull of the pub on a hot afternoon was too much, and we were soon sat in the beer garden enjoying a cold beer and the sunshine.

We decided to travel together, so next day we headed for Thorne, only a short hop of about 3miles, they needed diesel and there are 2 boatyards there. At the first, Stanilands, there was no one there to serve them, so onto Thorne Marina and success, and we moored on the pontoons overnight. We headed to the Canal Tavern for a pint, and it was great to see that it was very busy. No darks on for the Captain so he made do with Bierra Moretti, he is becoming a right lager lout like me.

https://www.facebook.com/stanilands/?locale=en_GB

https://www.thorneboatservices.co.uk/index.html

7 miles to Keadby and 7 moveable bridges. The first Princess bridge can be a bit of a pain to operate but behaved itself on this occasion. It was the next bridge, Wykewell lift bridge that proved our undoing. I jumped off and let 4 boats through, but when it came to lower the bridge, nothing, not a dicky bird, it was going nowhere. The fault light was on so the only option was to ring CRT and hope someone came out quickly, as we couldn’t leave it as my key was still in the control panel and we were having to explain to drivers that the bridge was stuck.

A Lift Bridge

Alison and Nick kept going not realising we had a problem. After my phone call with CRT, were they said they would be as quick as possible, I messaged Alison and explained the situation and they agreed to wait at the next bridge for us.

We only had to wait about 20mins and Paul from CRT arrived, it turned out that the lift mechanism was low on oil and he had oil, unfortunately it didn’t solve the problem completely and the bridge still refused to lower. Eventually he had to lower it manually, then the barriers wouldn’t open, so these had to be done by hand to. Once everything was back in place the control panel released my key and we could get back on our way. Paul was great and did a fantastic job.

Our eventual destination Keadby also had a problem with a bridge, the Vazon sliding railway bridge, which is an amazing bit of kit had a fault, and as the railway it carried was a main line and well used, they were only opening it for boats at 10pm at night.

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/sheffield/sy9.htm

We arrived in plenty of time and brested up on the bridge landing to wait, we were informed by the gate keeper it would be dead on 10pm that the bridge was opened. Not a problem and we were both ready to go in plenty of time, but it turned out this was a big fib (and told to make sure everyone was ready). About 10.20pm the bridge opened and we made our way through in the pitch dark, which was fun. A very helpful boater guided us to the available mooring spaces, and we were soon settled for the night and prepared for our adventures on the mighty Trent the next day.

Waiting for the bridge

47 miles, 15 locks, about 17 bridges, 5 canals and 1 river.

THE LAND OF THE STAIRCASE LOCKS.

 

Home

Our journey to Leeds involved 5 sets of staircase locks, plus a few single locks, and of course some swing bridges, at some of the locks we had the help of lockees, which always makes my life so much easier, but when they aren’t there its all down to me.

We left Saltaire and stopped only after a mile or so to do some much needed shopping, it was a busy day for me, as it was also wash day. We got to the first staircase lock and met up with Living the Dream again, they were already in the lock, so we helped them down before following them, but then we stopped, I had had enough, so we had a quiet afternoon catching up with this and that.

Feeling rejuvenated, next day we headed for Rodley, and the only locks of the day. At Apperley Bridge we saw Living the Dream again, but they were moored up just before the locks. There were lockees on but I jumped off to have a word, and we had to wait as they bought a boat up. I was very surprised when one of the lockees removed the pawl to wind the gate paddle up, this is a safety feature which stops the paddle falling if your windlass slips, and stops your windlass flying off and doing you an injury. I pointed this out to him and he just wasn’t bothered, saying he didn’t like the click clicking noise it made, but he also admitted to being hurt when his windlass had slipped one time when the pawl wasn’t on. Very strange.

The White thing is the pawl

It wasn’t long before we were down the locks and on our way to Rodley, the Captain wanted to stop before the second swing bridge, as we needed a pump out the next day at the boatyard there. We pulled in and the Captain took a walk to see if there were mooring near the Tiny Tearoom were we had moored before. I got him through the first bridge and then walked down to help moor, as I got close I could see 2 paddle boarders just in front of the boat, and then they did something very dangerous, which the Captain hates, they split and went different sides of the boat, one went in front of the boat so the Captain couldn’t see them at all. He was having a heated discussion with them as I approached, as now one of them was at the side were we were mooring. A narrowboat doesn’t just stop, and at 16 tons it can do a lot of damage to other vessels and people. It all ended well we moored and they went on their way, moaning about rude boaters.

There are 3 pubs in Rodley but we only tried the nearest, The Railway, and the Captain was happy with a good pint of Old Peculiar. 

https://www.facebook.com/therailwayinnrodley/?locale=en_GB

Getting a pump out was fun next day as the boatyard was not really visiting boat friendly, with boats moored at all strange angles and places, but we managed it and off we went to do the 5 miles, 3 staircase and 4 single locks into Granary wharf in Leeds.

At the first staircase we had lockees to help and that was ok. At the next I was all on my own until a very helpful boater turned up coming up the locks, after an initial misunderstanding he was very helpful and we were soon down.

I had a bit of a rest until the next ones so made some lunch, the last of the staircase was the most awkward even thought it was only 2 locks (the other were 3), it took ages to do, and the gates seemed so much heavier than the previous ones, I think I was just tired tbh.

At the last lock before Granary Wharf we spotted Pete and Dawn Bell on Rosie O’Leigh moored with another boat on some new offside mooring. We stopped for a chat and were pleased we did, as he informed us that the pontoons in the wharf were closed off with no explanation why, and we might have difficulty finding moorings there. So we decided to moor behind them for the night and head to the pub. We had not really explored this side of the canal before, so after Googling pubs we decided to try a couple. Firstly the Northern Monk, which has its own brewery on site, the brewery is on the bottom floor with the bar being above it. The girl behind the bar was lovely, and whilst the Captain was thinking asked what I drank, lager of course, and they had their own lager on tap, that did nicely. The Captain plumped for Cuppa, tea, milk, sugar described as a brown ale. It was really nice with a biscuity sweet taste. 

Then we tried the Midnight Bell, part of Leeds Brewery, they had their own lager on to so that did for me, and a Midnight Bell dark ale for the Captain, he had a little taste and wasn’t sure so we only had a half, glad we did as in was over £6 for 2 halves. For our last pint we decided to walk round the The Hop, the Ossett brewery this time. The Captain had Voodoo, a chocolate orange stout and I had Madri. It was so nice we had another. Walking back we past the pontoons and think the reason they are closed is something to do with the walkway onto the them, which didn’t look particularly safe.

https://www.northernmonk.com/

https://midnightbell.co.uk/

https://thehopleeds.co.uk/

When we got back to the moorings, Pete and Dawn were sat out with the other boaters, we had a chat but didn’t stay and headed back for a late tea, and a quiet night.

We had decided to spend the next day exploring Leeds and its markets (I love a good market), but the weather was against us and it mizzled most of the day. But I wasn’t to be deterred and we set off after lunch (in the rain) to find Kirkgate market, I enjoyed walking round looking at the diverse array of stalls, but as with many markets quite a few of the stalls were empty. A sign off the time

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_Kirkgate_Market

Leeds is also the place of Victorian Arcades, which are stunning in their architecture and house some of the more exclusive shop brands.

What a Roof

https://leeds-list.com/lifestyle/leeds-is-famous-for-its-shopping-arcades-and-heres-why/

of course we had to try a pub or 2 and Leeds has some hidden gems down little alleys off the main streets. Starting with The Ship Inn at over 300yrs old it is one of the oldest pubs in Leeds and a great real ale bar.

https://www.facebook.com/TheShipLeedsCity/?locale=en_GB

Then on to the Whitelocks Ale house dating back to 1715, another old pub and again great real ales.

https://whitelocksleeds.com/

The Captain treated me to tea at Zizzi’s which was lovely, and so plentiful we had enough left over to bring back for tea next day.

That was the end of our time in Leeds, and on the Leeds Liverpool canal. 2 locks next day and we were on the River Aire heading to Keadby and the mighty River Trent.

14 miles, 18 locks, loads of swing bridges, 1 canal and 1 river.

STUNNING SKIPTON

Skipton Wharf

Well I must say our trip along the Leeds Liverpool had been up to now, very quiet with hardly any boats moving, but this all changed when we got to Skipton.

Skipton is a mecca for gongoozlers and tourists. It is a pretty town, with plenty of independent quirky shops and some great pubs. And plenty of places to eat. Boat trips and boat hire is available from the wharf opposite were we moored.

After mooring up we headed out to try some of the micro pubs, which have increased in number since our last visit. Firstly the Beer Engine, a great little micropub which has recently been extended. The Captain was very happy to find Bad Kitty by Brass Castle on the bar, and I found a very nice Mittel pils lager. Then of to find the Ref and Whistle and the Early Doors. Unfortunately the Ref and Whistle is closed, but appears to be reopening as The Yorkshireman, but the Early Doors was open so a pint in there. Then we walked up to the Castle, very expensive in here but a good pint.

Next day our friend Chris (from Manchester) was coming to visit for the afternoon, she was staying nearby. In the morning we walked back into the town as we both needed to get a few bits. The main road was closed to traffic and there were all sort’s of activities for all ages going off. Apparently it was Yorkshire Day, and the town was celebrating. It was lovely strolling around and we got the things we needed to. Chris came promptly at 2pm and we set off to the pub, the Beer Engine first of course, followed by The Swadford Tap, a new micropub, We tried a couple of others but no darks on, so out we came, the bar staff were helpful and suggested other place to try. We ended up in the Boathouse opposite were we where moored. The Captain was truly happy in here with Naughty and Nice by Vocation, a chocolate stout. Chris headed off and we headed back to the boat for tea and a quiet night.

Just Like the Captain

Something did not sit right with the Captain, and he was not well at all next day. I suggested staying in Skipton but he decided to move on. We had only gone a short distance, and at the first swing bridge he took a turn for the worse and we had to moor up at the end of the bridge mooring, which luckily was very long. We normally would not even think if mooring somewhere like this, but had no choice. He went for a lie down and I had some lunch. I had just finished eating when one of the large trip boats tried to wind next to us, but we were in their way. I went to sort it out and pulled the boat back far enough for them to complete their manoeuvre. I chatted with its Captain, and although it isn’t an official winding hole, they use it every hour. So we decided to move. Again not far, and we ended up by a noisy road, but it was as far as the Captain could go, then he took to his bed for the rest of the day.

We put it down to a combination of heat, sun and beer. Or maybe a 24hr tummy bug.

He felt better next day and we headed for Riddlesden. I have already explained that the Leeds Liverpool is the home of swing bridges, and we had about 7 or 8 to do. Mainly manual, not electric ones. But luckily for us we ended up in a convoy of 5 boats, I walked forward and did a few of the bridges for everyone, when I had got enough exercise I jumped back on and let the other take the strain. A rather strange thing happened at the last bridge, we were now alone, all the other boats had stopped. As we got to the bridge it was opening and a boat was coming towards us, so we just assumed the lady doing the bridge was with this boat and continued as normal to pass through the bridge when it was clear. The lady then rather aggressively said, ‘I opened the bridge for MY boat’ and I replied ‘And’ not understanding her point, it was then we realised there was a widebeam, called Just Chillin’ which we had assumed was moored setting off to come through the bridge, but we were through way before it was near the bridge, so I still cant see why she was getting her knickers in such a twist. Nowt as strange as folks.

We moored at Riddlesden for the night and tried the Marquis of Granby, the Captain still not upto the mark only had a pint of lager, they did have a couple of real ales on but neither to his taste.

A real challenge next day with the amazing Bingley 5 and 3 rise to negotiate. These are the steepest flight of staircase locks in England and raise the canal 60ft in 320ft (that’s the 5 rise only).

Bingley 5 Rise

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingley_Five_Rise_Locks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingley_Three_Rise_Locks

For those of you who don’t know, a staircase of locks, are locks with no pound in between them, so basically you use the water from the first lock to fill the second lock, and the bottom gates of the first lock are the top gates of the second lock, and so on and so forth. Hope that makes sense.

We arrived at the locks at midday after 4 swing bridges, all of which were fully electric, yippee for me. But had to wait till 1pm as they were bringing a boat up the locks, and they are very much one way working. I had a rest as there were plenty of lockees on to do the work, and I haven’t been in a lock for quite some time.

We were joined in the lock by NB Living the Dream, I never got the Captains or crews name, but we had a good chin wag, as you do.

The gates on the flight are the tallest on the system I believe, and look sooooo tall from inside the lock, and they leak like mad, the Captain had his work cut out keeping the boat in just the right place, not to far forward so they couldn’t open the gate, and not to far back so that the back of the boat, and us, didn’t get soaked.

Leaking Gates

We were soon down and on our way to Saltaire, another of our favourites places on this canal. Built by Sir Titus Salt in 1851 for his mill workers, it was a Victorian modal village, but had no pubs as Titus was teetotal. He did build schools, a hospital, almshouses and churchs for his workers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltaire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Salt

There are plenty of pubs now though.

Mooring can be difficult in Saltaire, the best moorings are outside the mill, but are limited to daytime mooring only (can’t stay overnight). We did managed to get onto the arnco, but it wasn’t the best as it can be shallow and the boat becomes grounded if we are not careful. To me things seemed to have improved since our last visit, but the Captain wasn’t as convinced.

We headed off to Fannys Ale House, a good real ale pub in the village, and the Captain wasn’t disappointed with a decent porter, although he still wasn’t up to drinking more than a pint.

https://www1.camra.org.uk/pubs/fannys-ale-house-saltaire-126396

Off to Leeds next.

16 miles, 11 locks, and at least 19 swing bridges, 1 canal.

GODS OWN COUNTRY

 

How True !!!

The Captain will always tell you Lancashire is Gods own country really, and, not as a lot of people believe, Yorkshire, but as we all know its neither its my home county of Derbyshire.

On our trip across the Pennines, I must say that the views between Blackburn and Burnley are stunning. The towns are rather run down to be honest, and we probably wouldn’t moor in either, but the brooding moorland, rolling hills, and green fields as seen form the canal are spectacular. Both towns are a mixture of old and new, with many derelict buildings at the side of the canal reminding us of the areas proud manufacturing history, and the reason for the canal being built.

Its is also the canal of moveable bridges.

We didn’t cruise to far next day but stopped off near bridge 105A to do some shopping at Aldi, which is in easy walking distance from the canal, and there are rings so mooring is easy. There is also a B&M and a Home and Bargains on the same retail park. The Captain was planning to do 3 swing bridges. Lucky for me, at the first one we met another boat and were waved through. Due to a late start and shopping, the Captain reviewed his plan and stopped just before the second bridge. I wasn’t feeling great and my leg was still a causing problems. As he finished mooring up the other boat that had been following appeared, and being the helpful chap he is, he pottered off to get them through.

On his return he informed me that the bridge was hard work, and he had had to enlist the help of 2 people passing by to close it. But not to worry he would help me the next day.

And I did indeed need his help. But we were soon through, and I walked the 1½ miles to the next one. Which was easy to open and close thank goodness.

I was resting my leg when a series of bangs and scraps made me head to the back of the boat to see what was occurring. We had reached the Gannow tunnel, and the Captain was trying to get and sort out a light, and had momentarily lost control of the boat and had hit the side of the canal. No damage done. The tunnel was only 559yrds long and very straight, but a bit damp. It took us about 10mins to get through, and then I went back to resting my leg. As the Captain didn’t want to moor in Burnley we stopped just short of the town for the night.

I didn’t see much of our cruise through Burnley as I decided to rest my leg some more. The most interesting part is the Burney Embankment, a long straight stretch of canal above the town, with spectacular views of the town below and the hills that surround it, which I was sorry to miss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnley_Embankment

After another quiet night we tackled the 7 Barrowford locks, at the 2nd lock we met 2 boats coming down which was handy, and realised there was another boat behind us coming up, so we decided to wait for them, its a lot easier doing these big double locks with 2 boats. This turned out to be a big mistake later on. Whilst the Captain waited in the 3^rd lock I went back to help them through. I had a great chat with the crew of one of the boats descending whilst waiting for the ascending boat.

We were joined in the lock by NB Alyeska, which is Alaskan for Alaska apparently. I never got the names of its Captain and crew, but found out it was a new boat they had been fitting out, and the crew was an air steward, and the captain was a pilot. But then waiting for them came back and bit me in the bum. At the 5^th lock the heavens opened, and as I was left closing the lock up I couldn’t get a coat or umbrella to protect me. After 2 more locks I have never been so wet from just rain. I literally looked like I had had a shower with all my clothes on. Finally the last lock was done and I headed straight for a hot shower, even my knickers were wet. It was time for a beer.

Top of the locks and the rain stopped

Next morning and after discussing our plans, we decided to stop at Barnoldswick, or Barlick as the locals call it. But first we had to negotiate the Foulridge tunnel at 1640yrds long its one of the longer tunnels on the network. It is the summit of the Leeds Liverpool and takes the canal from Lancashire into Yorkshire. It is one way working and controlled by traffic lights. The Captain is always a lot happier when he knows there will be no boats coming towards us in a narrow tunnel. But the tunnel was quite wide, so we had no problems as we cruised through.

In the Tunnel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foulridge_Tunnel

We found good moorings at Barlick near the Skipton Road and close to an Aldi. Just before Aldi is an unusual War Memorial outside an old Rolls Royce factory. The figures representing the various branches of the forces are knitted and look amazing.

Lest we forget

Of course there was a pub involved, The Barlick Tap, and the Captain had it on good authority they had VIP (Victorian Imperial Porter) on by Craven Ales. So off we went. At 6.8% it was very rich and tasty, but a little on the heavy side, so just 1 pint.

https://www.barlicktap.com/

https://www.cravenbrew.co.uk/#beers

A friend had suggested we try the McCullough’s Irish bar and music venue. It was just round the corner so off we went. Again a very happy Captain with a pint of their own stout. Chatting to the barmaid we found out that the bar was owned by an ex member of the band The Animals, Pete Barton, and that he would be playing the next night. We decided we would stop an extra day and see what the music was like.

https://www.barnoldswickmusicandartscentre.com/mcculloughs-bar

Having a pint.

The next day to pass the time I cooked and did a bit of gardening. We headed out around 7pm not knowing what the night would hold. Thinking we might be the only ones to turn up, we were amazed to find place packed with standing room only. It was obvious that a lot in attendance were in the music business, to which made tab hanging to a few conversations interesting. After the first session we decided to find a quieter spot in the bar, the band was playing in the cellar. We could still hear the music but sitting down. It was definitely worth hanging about for a day.

The locks came thick and fast next day with 12 in total. There were 3 at Greenberfield, 6 at Bank Newton, and 3 at Gargrave were we decided to moor for the night. Some were worse than others, the top lock at Bank Newton was leaking so badly through the bottom gates, it took both of us to open the top gates to let the boat in. I did find out that these gates are being replaced this winter, so some good news.

We took a walk into Gargrave, as we had never stopped here before, and found a pretty place with interesting stone houses and plenty of character. There were 2 pubs and we tried both, The Old Swan and the Masons Arms, they both do food, and both have real ales on, but none that suited the Captain. There is also a Coop.

https://www.pubanddining.co.uk/old-swan-hotel-gargrave

https://masonsarmsgargrave.co.uk/

Our final destination on this leg was Skipton, 3 locks and 5 manual swing bridges. At the first bridge I needed the Captains help to open it. It just would not budge, but the following 3 were easier, and at the last a boat coming towards us beat me to it, so I only did 4 of them in the end. We found good moorings on the Spring Branch for the night.

41 miles, 22 locks, 8 bridges, 2199yrds in tunnels and 1 canal

THE WIGAN FLIGHT.

 

Out of the lock

As I explained in my previous blog, the Wigan flight of 23 locks is not for the faint hearted. There are 21 locks in the main flight. Opened in 1816 it raises the canal 217ft over 2½ miles.

https://www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/wigan-lock-flight?rs=1

We were moored above the first lock of the 23, and as I have said, I had posted on the Wigan Flight Crew page, that we were intending on going up on Sunday and was pleased to hear that other boats were going up to.

What I wasn’t so pleased about, was a post from a boater, saying that they had reached the top lock around 2pm on the Friday and found it locked. They had to contact CRT to come and let them out.

After contacting CRT and being told that yes the lock was closed from around 2pm, and that we would need to contact them if we reached the top lock and found it padlocked, we made the decision to set off earlier than at first planned. We then had to rearrange thing with Neil and his family, as they were going to meet us at 10am and help us through the locks.

One of the other boats who had commented on my post let us know they were moored at the start of the flight one lock above us, we decided to move and join them.

The boat was called The Mole, based on the story The Boy, the Mole the Fox and the Horse by Charles Mackesy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy,_the_Mole,_the_Fox_and_the_Horse

It was owned by Keely and Dean Crowther. After we moored up they came out for a chat and we agreed to set off at 9.30am next morning. Later on 2 other boats moored up behind us and they also had paired up.

We got up bright and early next morning, but not before a hire boat turned up and started up the locks. This meant all the locks were set against us. This is were Neil came in very handy, he went ahead and helped the hire boat, and then set the locks for us.

Keely and I worked really well together, and it was great to travel with experienced boaters. Dean and the Captain worked in harmony together too. I will say though, I was definitely more gung ho than Keely when it came to whacking the paddles up after getting the ok from both Captains. Her boat is only a year old, so I can understand her being a little more careful and not wanting to damage it in anyway.

A perfect manoeuvre

Unfortunately we only met one boat coming down. A quiet day on the flight.

It took us around 4½ hours to get to the top. They were going to go a little further, but first Dean came to the pub, the Kirkless Hall, to buy Neil a pint for all his hard work and stayed for a couple more, Keely didn’t come as they have 2 sausage dogs which needed looking after, so she stayed with the boat.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Kirkless-Hall-Inn-100086515640684/

We moored at the top of the lock, and after a very nice buffet prepared by me for us and our helpers we had a quiet night recovering from all the exercise of the day. It was the best passage we have had, and the state of the canal and towpath had improved greatly since our last visit. All thanks to the Wigan volunteers.

The Captain had been stressing out about were to get our next pump out, as the ideal one at Rose Grove was out of action, he thought the one at the top of Johnson Hillocks flight was to soon, but wasn’t sure if we would make it to Reedley Marina. He decided that Reedley marina was going to be on Friday or Saturday. I knew that this was were Keely and Dean were heading for so once again I contacted them and asked if they wanted to buddy up again to do the 7 locks at Johnson Hillocks, soon everything was agreed.

We only cruised a short distance and spent the night at Adlington, and Hannah came with the 2 grand kids for a couple of hours. We tried a couple of the pubs, The Bridge, and the Inn the Dog House, they were both ok, but no darks on for the Captain. The Spinners was unfortunately closed, this was the one I thought might have had something on to suit the Captains taste, but hey ho never mind.

https://www.facebook.com/Bridgepubadlington/?locale=en_GB

https://www.facebook.com/Innthedoghousebar/

https://thespinners.pub/

Just as we were ready to set off next morning the Mole cruised by us and we soon caught them up.

After the 21 locks at Wigan, the 7 at Johnson Hillocks was a breeze and we were soon up. At the last lock we chatted to a group of guys who were fascinated by our life style, it turned out they were doing community service, or I think its called Community Payback now, but were a lovely bunch to chat with.

The Captain decided to moor up for the night and do the pump out in the morning. The Mole continued on and moored at Riley Green for the night, hopefully we will see them again soon.

We went to the pub of course, The Top Lock, no darks on for the Captain but a decent pint of Johns Smiths, so he was happy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1016665219353470/

Unfortunately I was bitten whilst doing one of the locks at Wigan, and had a rather bad reaction to the bite (not that unusual for me), this resulted in my leg below the knee swelling up and becoming very hot to the touch, but we had to go on as our aim next day was to get to Blackburn to try the Calypso Caribbean restaurant. Situated right by the canal it used to be the Wharf Inn, and you can moor outside. There were the 6 Blackburn Locks between us and our destination, not a problem, or so we thought.

A bit of a mess

How wrong were we !!

At the 2^nd lock we met a widebeam coming towards us, great I thought the locks will be set in our favour, but at the third lock everything ground to a halt. I opened the gate and the Captain glided in, but when I tried to shut the gate it wouldn’t shut completely, leaving a 3ft gap. I tried various things, and the Captain couldn’t help me as he was in the lock. A lady volunteer lockee came along and we tried various things again but the gate wouldn’t close.

The Captain got our trusty barge pole and had a bit of a ferret around to see if he could feel what was causing the problem, and now we had a boat behind us too.

Eventually we had to phone CRT and Steve came out pronto with his trusty grappling hook and Keb (a large 3 pronged rake). He tried first with the grappling hook, nothing, then climbed down and onto our boat with the keb, but it wasn’t long enough to reach the problem. Here’s were the volunteer came into play, she was sure they had a longer handle keb and went off to find it, and find it she did. After much prodding and scrapping we tried the gate again and it closed. YIPPEE!!!!

The problem now was the pound above had emptied, as the top gates of the lock we were in were leaking, and all the water had escaped. But what was this, a boat was coming down the lock and to a degree filling the pound allowing us to cruise carefully into the next lock. Steve went off to let more water down and we finished the final 2 locks in the pouring rain.

We made it to the Calypso and had a wonderful meal in there, with enough left over for tea the next day.

A Caribbean Feast

https://www.calypso-caribbean-restaurant.com/

22 Miles, 35 Locks and 1 Canal.