Colne Valley Beagles and other things of interest.: CANAL TRIP ODDS AND ENDS

Another canal boat trip around the North East to Skipton and a few images from it.

House maintenance at Kildwick.

Relaxing while moored at Skipton

Old sluice winding gear at Skipton, much photographed no doubt. A chap dashed in before me to take a snap of the gear wheel and worm but ignored the rest.

Just an old hook by the bit of canal under Skipton castle walls but I couldn't see how it would be used.

Misty September mornings usually ensured a good sunny day.

And of course September here was the hottest September on record so they say. Good time for a holiday say I. (But beware the winter as I think it will be a cold one. And that is before the Met Office casts its rune sticks and the Daily Mail creates a horror story from their long term prediction).

The fishermen were out a couple of mornings at around 7 am. A few big crayfish like small lobsters were caught and apparently this invasive species is a growing problem. Maybe the Cantonese restaurant not far away behind them could have made use of them; Skipton scampi maybe?

Some still hang out.

The standard local ‘privy’ roof is made from a couple of large flat slabs of good Yorkshire stone. The first one here looks a bit bigger so maybe it has a door the other side for the next house and so is two 'privies' or maybe has an adjoining coal place. Outside toilets, water closets or earth ones, will have been replaced by all mod cons inside now, but it is nice to see the little buildings and I wonder if there are many around that still have the original wooden seating arrangement.

Last year I took a photo of a chap, as I came back from buying a newspaper, fast asleep on this seat with his carrier bag of 'shopping' in the early morning, . It backs on to the wall of the toilet and the chemical toilet disposal facility for canal users. On this occasion I was filling the boat's water tank and looking through the gap in the wall to the car and bus park.

Not to be outdone by last year’s sleeper this one, also in the early morning, manages to sleep on a couple of benches with his head suspended in mid air, just by Gallows Bridge.

Over the wall by the towpath into someone’s garden

Reflections on the underside of a road bridge

It is good to see the magnificent old mill buildings reused as apartments and offices etc., and the surrounding area tastefully developed.

This old narrow tug has been a feature in Skipton basin for some time being converted to selling ice cream, tea and coffee as well as bags of stuff to feed the ducks and swans. The present owner bought it three years ago from a man in a pub

A trip out around the Yorkshire Dales took us by Malham Tarn.

Some boats go in for a bit of novel decoration on the cabin top. Makes a change from the collection of stuff some long term boaters carry there.

Around Kirkstall way there is a ‘dodgy ‘ section on the Leeds and Liverpool canal where there are two flights of three locks. Dodgy because of the wild bunch who live on a council estate above the high wooded slope. There is a keeper at each flight and at the first one descending is a security guard with his Rottweiler to keep order. I have never experienced anything untoward, but then a morning passage ensures the delinquents have yet to arise from their slumbers. So not long after this picture there is a boatyard and then the two sets of locks and all the canal section going down to Leeds is absolutely lovely and blissfully serene to travel through.

I told the lady that I only took the photo because of her, but actually I have never seen a horse on a towpath before except the odd ‘working’ horse pulling a trip boat or a historic one. So it was nice to see these ponies. In fact I seem to remember that I once saw a notice on a towpath saying ‘No horses’, despite the fact the towpath was originally made for horses. These days one might assume it had been made for manic cyclists. In fact the modern smooth towpath surfaces encourage aggressive riding and pedestrians do not have priority as the little notices say but are expected to leap aside, which is difficult with silent approaches from the rear. Near Leeds I was surprised by a bloke on a unicycle, with one rather big wheel, going Hell for leather weaving between people. I wished I could have seen a demonstration of an emergency stop. Maybe in real life they are normal people but something clicks when the Lycra goes on.

This is the boatyard and moorings I mentioned previously. I am probably repeating a pic. as I took a similar one last year of this boat as well and it is not quite as pristine now maybe. Did it go to Dunkirk?

Because it says so here. But I can’t find Abbey Pride, (or Abby Pride etc as there is a rope dangling where an 'e' would be) in the official list.

The historic broad beam ‘Fly boat’ Ribble leaving Leeds from Granary Wharf and Office Lock to run up the Leeds and Liverpool canal as part of the bi-centenary celebration of the canal’s opening. It had a few tonnes of bags of sand inside and three hardy old souls crewing it.

There is a fascinating window at a beauty salon called Illamasqua located in the County Arcade in Leeds. Apart from the usually interesting window display one can observe the immaculately presented beautician rendering her expertise on the current aspirant of enhanced glamour.

Nearby is this display which I thought quite nice considering it looks to be promoting something like shopping bags.

Actually this was on the original approach to Leeds of the Aire and Calder and is Thwaite Mills, a ‘working’ water mill and museum. Some years ago we went round and a chap who was the guide for just the two of us made it a very interesting visit. Never seems especially busy as we pass by and it is cheap to enter. It crushed flint and china stone for the potteries in its day and also provided chalk to reduce the flour content of bread in at least one local prison.

A slight delay at a farm swing bridge near Rodley on the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

I can’t resist taking heron photos. This one is resting and is unconcerned by the boat passing. They seem to be more prolific every year now and more tolerant. Usually herons flap up as you approach and descend a bit further on to flap up again and so on until, maybe at the end of their territory, they swing back up and away to where they started. On the section of the Aire and Calder from Castleford to Lemonroyd lock there is at least one Little Egret that does exactly the same thing.

Quite a few boats moor above Woodlesford Lock on the Aire and Calder between Castleford and Leeds. There are four big locks to go through from Castleford before the last smaller one by the Armouries. This old boat has been moored at Woodlesford for some time and it is such a gracious old boat yet I wonder it isn’t full of water as it is in dire need of attention. Sad to see it like that.

Freda Carless, a barge, was built in 1964 and now regarded as a historic boat. She was actually sold for scrap in 1970 but returned to service with an assortment of cargoes and sold for restoration to private ownership in 2009.


She is 132 feet long and 17.5 feet beam. Seen moored at Castleford.

Nice painting on Dream Catcher. It is maybe a bit distorted by the angle I took the photo. One doesn't see much of the traditional castles and roses these days, well not around our way. This was at Castleford, a very enjoyable place to stop over.

About all you can do while boating on canals.
Copyright image by David Swanbury

Very much a fine traditional bow on this narrowboat.

Cpyrigt image by David Swanbury Copyright image by David Swanbury


I guess this would be classed as a Josher bow due to the double curvature.

Pretty unconcerned by my approach with a dog.

Still unconcerned until a man clattered down from the path above me with his dog and scared it off before I could get any closer.

Evening at Mirfield moored by Lidl opposite Mirfield Marina moorings.

A Woodlesford evening sky on the Aire and Calder.

Taking off on my approach.

Cooper Bridge lock on the Calder and Hebble canal. Always a few 'gongoozlers' as they call lookers-on at canal locks. Sounds a bit of a goosyfied name for them too.

Boat dog in Cooper Bridge lock on the Calder and Hebble canal. She had fallen in twice due to mistiming, slipping, or the gap widening unexpectedly when doing overly ambitious jumping on or off. Wasn’t wearing the Chinese made life jacket then so I still don’t know if it floats. It is a terrible fit. I bought it off EBay and the Velcro fastening at the front was hopeless so I had to use gaffer tape to seal it up. You get what you pay for I suppose. She can’t slouch in it anyway.

If you like watching paint dry, here is a video of entering the Bingley Five Rise locks and rising up the first chamber. Link to video

And if you want to see three short videos taken of commercial traffic on the Aire and Calder in 2012 then see the links below. At the time I only had a little keyfob video camera so don't expect much even if they were taken in HD. The time and date stamp jiggle alarmingly but YouTube stabilised the videos which may or may not be the right thing to do when taken from a moving boat.

Oil barge on a wild windy day

Another oil barge

Sand boat at Stanley Ferry

Monday, 3 October 2016

CANAL TRIP ODDS AND ENDS

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