A day of not venturing far, well Tilly might have but who knows where she ends up!
A couple of days ago a C&RT stoppage had come through saying that Kilnhurst Flood Lock was out of order due to a hydraulic pipe. This almost certainly meant that Exol Pride was stuck on the far side of the lock, so yesterday when we moved we knew we’d not be bumping into a big blue boat.
Here she comes
This morning a bit before 10am another notice came through saying the lock was now operational again. Exol Pride would be on it’s way. For a narrowboat it would take 3.5 hours to do the journey, Exol most probably a bit less. So it wasn’t a surprise when about an hour later Oleanna started to move, stretching her ropes to their full extent. Around 15 minutes later we could hear the engine and sure enough the big blue bow came round the bend behind us.
Before the lock is Sprotbrough Road Bridge and a pipe bridge, for these the wheelhouse of Exol Pride is too high, so as they approached the wheelhouse sank into the depths of the boat, leaving just enough head height for the helm to be able to stay standing up.
A trip up here wouldn’t be complete without seeing Dolly Earle
About an hour later a dutch barge came past, followed by another. This one we’d been expecting to see at some point. We’ve spotted Dolly Earle every time we’ve been up this way, quite often mooring up beside them as they dry their washing, they always seem to have washing on the go.
Getting ready
Just after lunch I prepared a batch of cheese scones, Mick put chairs and our plank table up on the bank ready for our visitor.
Lovely to see Fran
Fran, Mick’s niece who lives in Sheffield came for a visit. She is an NHS physiotherapist who works with children, this morning she’d been into two schools seeing to peoples needs. We all kept our distance sat on the bank, enjoying cuppas and freshly made scones as we caught up on news of her new washing machine and family and much more.
With little sun it was a touch chilly sat outside, we’ll be getting our padded down coats out soon to have meetings like this. It was lovely to see Fran, the first of our family in the flesh this year.
Today
Once we’d tidied everything away we decided to have a short walk along the river bank, heading down stream. It takes a little while to cross the bridge as there is only one pavement and that is on the other side of the road from both the moorings and the direction we were wanting to go once we’d crossed.
On street view September 2016
A coffee van had been serving cyclists and walkers all day from the little car park opposite our mooring, but had now packed up for the day. I stopped to take a photo of Oleanna across the way. Four years ago we’d been moored in exactly the same spot when the Google car came past, both of us were stood on the bank at the time. Street view has been updated since.
The old pumping house for the Hall
We turned and walked under the bridge we’d just crossed, walked up to the lock. Alongside the huge chamber is a kind of layby where a couple of boats are, what was this used for? Was it part of the feed to the water wheel that used to power Sprotbrough Hall pumping water up to the village?
We soon came across what had been the pumping house, some wheels and cogs still visible. A sign explaining about it is really quite annoying. Full of information but highly polished silver it is next to impossible to read, taking a photo for later proved impossible and I was so occupied in just trying to read it very little of the information stuck. It did how ever make for a slightly arty photo!
Ballustrade above
One thing I do remember is that the ruin is a grade 2 listed building and the mechanism was put into storage in Barnsley for safe keeping, which now has been lost!
A rather grand affair
Sprotbrough Hall was built for the Copley family in 1670 and remained in the family by hook or by cousins for many a generation. It was a Jacobean house with some influence from Versaille. The Hall and estate were sold off in 161 lots in 1925, FS Gowland from Ripon bought the hall with 115 acres of land for £9100.
1892, the hall and gardens
By 1926 the hall was being demolished, the rubble used to fill the cellar and excess stone was used as foundations for houses in Brompton Road. Much of the village is now built on the Halls estate. Little remains of the original house, the stable yard remains now apartments and looking up from the river bank we could see the ballustraded viewing area which was directly infront of the hall. A very interesting article with photos can be found here.
1966 there is now another estate above Lover’s Leap
We continued our walk to the A1 bridge, traffic hurtling across above us at speed, I wonder what it was like back in April stood on the river bank when there was so much less traffic.
A footpath took us up into the village where we weaved our way around the roads where once the hall had stood. At the methodist church the railings were festooned with blue ribbons, each one marking a life lost in a Doncaster hospital from Covid-19.
I so hope no more will be added
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 niece, 2 lovely hours, 12 scones, 3 consumed, 9 left oh dear! 1 walk, 1 hour setting up, 8 hours shore leave, 1 problem solved, 1 big quiche, 3 big boats, 9.
This house looks like it’s straight out of a period drama
Bramwith Junction to Sprotbrough Visitor Moorings, Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation
Blue skies and blue canal
A slow sunny start to the day, we pushed off a little after 11 and headed for Barnby Dun. The canal rippled silver as we made our way. Only one boat moored here, it’s always been busy. We pulled in to deal with rubbish, empty the yellow water tank and fill with water. Our chosen mooring today would hopefully have a recycling bin so we kept hold of such things for later.
Looking back at Barnby Dun Lift Bridge
Chores done we untied and I headed to work the lift bridge. This is a busy bridge with traffic coming from two roads on the panel side and the road bending round on the other. I waited for there to be no one in sight or within hearing distance before I turned the key and pressed the button. A second after the button was pressed (and held) a black car sped up towards the bridge, was it going to screech to a halt? The thought passed through the drivers mind, but even though the wigwag lights were flashing the car sped up. I released the button straight away. The barriers here are made up of two parts one for each carriageway, the enter barrier drops first followed by the exit. Maybe the car would have cleared the barrier in time, but I didn’t want to risk it.
A calm round of golf for this chap
Once the car was clear, along with one following! I applied pressure again to the button and the bridge did it’s thing. Around 16 patient car and van drivers were held up. This is the nearest I’ve been to someone zooming through barriers.
At Kirk Sandall the housing estate that has been planned for years is going up. The rubble across the way from St Oswald’s Church is now housing. The once lonely church seems to be being surrounded. The church is only open a few days a year but is well worth a look round as we did back in 2016, the next open days are the 19th and 20th September.
I suppose you don’t have to wait for plastic to grow!
Several of the new houses over look the canal an original stone wall being the limit to their gardens and big wooden fences give privacy to one another. The end house seems to wanted the view but then planted plastic ivy up their railings for modesty purposes!
Lock ahead
Another mile on and we could just see the lights at Long Sandall Lock. Red. Then red and green. A volunteer Lockie had spotted us and was setting the lock for us. With the centre line round a bollard we rose up gradually to the Doncaster level.
This was where we were wanting to moor for the next couple of nights, but unless we got the two boats to really nudge up tight and then overhang the moorings a touch there wasn’t space for us. A change of plan was needed and we’d be hanging onto our recycling for a few days longer.
Doncaster was our next option, not so good for Tilly, but she’d have to cope. Approaching Strawberry Island there were big earth works going on opposite. A large pontoon floated a welfare hut and diggers trundled back and forth. Up by the next bridge a very large full skip boat was being pushed past an empty one. We slowed our pace to below tickover as they winded and returned.
Dark photo of the skip being winded
The Environment Agency are bolstering up the river bank here as it very nearly got washed away in the November floods last year. £1.6 million is being spent here to repair a 40 meter slip of the flood defence embankment. Over 100 individual repairs were identified on the flood defences in South Yorkshire and £12.8 million is being spent to help protect around 6000 properties.
The visitor moorings came into view. They were full too! How come everyone wants to be in Doncaster all of a sudden?! Removing git gaps here would have only created about 35 to 40 foot, so nowhere near enough for Oleanna. Stocking up from the wonderful Doncaster deli would have to wait and we’d have to carry on upstream to find a mooring.
Big locks now, all key operated and no gongoozlers standing watching over your shoulder as access to these big locks is restricted. These all automatically refill, which is great coming down stream, but it takes time to empty them. No real hardship as all it takes is a two second push on a button and then time. Mick pulled Oleanna away from the lock and waited mid stream as the East Coast Main Line trains rumbled over my head.
Don’t go that way
Now out onto the River Don. More flood defence works could be seen and several groups of high-vis clad men stood pointing at the timbers at the entrance to the weir.
Doncaster railway bridge
Trees and high bridges brought us up to Sprotbrough Lock. A fisherman was just packing up on the pontoon, just as well as there would have been no avoiding him. An old chap stood and watched and then chatted to Mick as I walked up opened the gate to the lock and proceeded to empty it. This old fella walks ten miles a day with the aid of his walking stick, a stretch of the river from one bridge to the next and back again. Winter months he doesn’t venture quite so far.
Setting off for the lock
Up the lock we hoped for a space, it was way past lunchtime now and both of us were feeling peckish. Only two boats to be seen, plenty of space for us and a much nicer place to be than Doncaster, phew!
Tilly set off to explore the island whilst we had our lunch. Then we tuned in to listen to see what Mr Johnson had to say. Covid-19 cases have been rising so the ‘rule of 6’ is going to be enforced by law. Local restrictions may now include curfews should they be needed. They want to ramp up testing (haven’t they always!) and hope to have a test which will give results in 20 minutes, which would allow those with a negative result to lead a more normal life, which might just include visits to theatres! Well we’ll see if this world beating ‘moonshot’ will come off or end up failing.
Little boat in big lock
Trials at sport events will be cancelled for the time being. Today one such event was at Doncaster races, tomorrow there will be no spectators. Maybe that’s why all the visitor moorings were full?!
3 locks, 1 lift bridge, 16 held up, 1 boy racer, 9.04 miles, 2 moorings full, 3rd time lucky, 1 batch garlic mustard and cheese crackers, 10, 1 quinoa quiche base, 1 macaroni cheese with extras, 0 visit to Scicluna, 0 tapioca starch, 0 treat cheese, 7 flies still, 1 spider.
Once breakfast was over it was time to make a move upstream. We have done the route into York on Lillian twice, however I know the river better from the banks on this side of the city. This is where I grew up, over looking the river which I was taught to respect from a very early age. Things change, but along this stretch only the trees seem to grow bigger and higher than in my childhood. The advantage of living beside a flood plain is no new chimneyless houses have popped up.
Lines of cruisers
From Naburn the riverside moorings are full of white shiny cruisers all their pointy noses facing upsteam. Acaster Malbis has houses to match with big gardens stretching down to the river.
York Marina busy
There were tents and gazebos at York Marina and they seemed to be doing a roaring trade, most probably in teas and coffees overlooking the river.
The wire sculpture of a fisherman and his dog on Naburn Railway Bridge
We tried checking the price for diesel on their pump, but as it serves both petrol and diesel I couldn’t tell which cost £1.65 a litre! We’ll hang on till Boroughbridge.
The west bank of the river now becomes more interesting, lots of different sorts of boats, all the moorings individual clinging onto the high bank. In some places it’s like a shanty town, it must take years, decades to collect the stuff some have piled high. Others have new swiss style sheds that have sprung up during lockdown, their fresh yellow wood waiting for the winter to be toned down by nature.
Archbishops Palace. We used to walk down the east bank with the dogs and stand and look at the Palace. At 7 or 8 I never thought about who lived there, but today neither of us knew who the new Archbishop of York was, I had to look it up! We knew John Sentamu had retired after 15 years, now Stephen Cottrell is the 98th Archbishop, I believe he took on the position early in the summer. Four years ago scarecrows stood in the riverside garden, today it just looked neat.
Not the nicest bridge to cross the river
The A64 then crosses the river, I remember the days before this was built and then the gradual increase in traffic across it which could be heard from our house, it also supposedly blocked out the tiny view of the palace from my parents bedroom. A brave runner ran against the traffic high above us, then she popped up again on the east bank keeping pace with us as we headed upstream.
Fulford Hall
Fulford Hall, now apartments sits on the bend where the trip boats used to wind. Then I could just make out Landing Lane (Lovers Lane when I was a kid) between the trees. My Dad in his latter years felt he’d achieved a good walk if he reached the benches here for a rest, I think Bramble his dog was glad of the rest too, accompanied by a restorative square of liver cake Dad made especially for her. He was also very popular with all the other local woofers.
Wonder if they were looking for the penny Harald dropped in 1066
Today two chaps were magnet fishing off the little beach here. This is where the Battle of Fulford took place in 1066. King Harald III of Norway and Tostig Godwinson, his English ally, fought and defeated the Northern Earls Edwin and Morcar in September that year. It is estimated that 1650 died in the battle, so there may be interesting things to find on the river bed. Recently Fulford Parish Council had a crowdfunding attempt to buy some of the land for the community. But sadly even though they reached their target their funds were out bid at auction. I hope the new owner realises what they have.
There it is
Just a short distance on it was time to very gently coast upstream. We kept our eyes peeled for a house set back, peeking above the friendly cover on the banks. To either side of my family home are big houses, my Dad’s house much smaller, but somehow, my Dad’s is the only one you can get a clear view of from the river. The window visible is my parents bedroom, the room where I was born.
Fenwicks Lane in 2013
In the last year or so the current owner has added a bedroom to the back and altered the conservatory, as part of the building works new larch cladding has replaced the old original wood which had darkened with age. The house my Dad designed and built is still there.
Millennium Bridge
Onwards to the Millenium Bridge a possible mooring that needed checking out. We’ll need to be a touch creative with our mooring as other than a chain there is nothing to tie to. We checked the depth and that was good too, the fact that we’d be moored close to a chilled medication boat has nothing what-so-ever to do with it!
Now we were joined on the river by trip boats and day hires doing circles. We managed to avoid them.
The blue of Blue Bridge just visible
The Blue Bridge over the end of the River Foss has recently been away for restoration and it looks like a temporary bridge had been installed. The Foss Barrier behind is sadly closed due to work being carried out on it, we’d been toying with a little trip up as far as you can get, but that will have to wait for another time.
A classy car
We spotted a weather vein on top of my best friend Emma’s house, sure this wasn’t there when the Snowdons were residence.
If anyone fancies buying us a big present one day
A rather lovely looking Dutch Barge sits on the Clementhorpe bank. If we were ever to win the Lottery we would love to own one of these for the large waterways. Their lines are just so lovely, of course we would keep Oleanna meaning we could still climb over the Pennines.
Skeldergate Bridge, which recently we found out that the northern most arch used to have a lifting section to it to allow taller boats access to the busy quaysides upstream, this last opened in 1975. Originally a toll bridge which replaced a busy ferry it opened in 1881 and was designed by Thomas Page, it was the third modern bridge in the city. The bridge became toll free in 1914, the citizens of York were so happy they held a regatta to celebrate.
Kings Staith was busy as always, well apart from when it’s flooded! All the trip boats and hire boats were out and plenty of people were sat out enjoying the sunshine. Here is another possible mooring, but with ladders to climb to get on and off Oleanna we are unlikely to use it.
Ouse Bridge, image from the internet
Under Ouse Bridge the oldest of the bridges in York. This is where the first bridge across the Ouse stood in the ninth century. Several versions have followed including one that in 1367 had the first public toilets in the country installed. The current Ouse Bridge was built in 1821.
York Press used to be printed here
The back of Coney Street, the main shopping street from my youth follows along. The old printworks for the York Press and the Mansion House all back onto the river before Lendal Bridge, another crossing designed by Thomas Page.
This was the second bridge to cross the river, its original foundation stone was laid in 1860, during it’s construction disaster struck and it collapsed killing five men. The bridge was rebuilt to Thomas Page’s design and opened in 1863. The new bridge put the Lendal ferryman out of business, he was paid compensation of £15 and a horse and cart.
How did that picture get in there?!
The moorings along the bottom of Museum Gardens is the most popular place to tie up in York, nothing to do with the other chilled medication boat being moored here. Today we’d have managed to squeeze in, but here was not our chosen mooring for the day, we still had quite a few miles to go.
Scarborough Railway Bridge
A trip boat had pulled out ahead of us and now took it’s time to give it’s commentary on the Scarborough Railway Bridge, with it’s new footbridge that leads into the station platforms. Past the bridge the trip boat sped up and we followed until it reached Clifton Bridge where it winded, giving it’s horn signal mid manoeuvre!
Winding at Clifton Bridge
The river is now surrounded by willow trees, many having shed large branches into the water, luckily most still attached to the bank so not a hazard to us today. Under Skelton Railway Bridge which takes the East Coast Main Line up towards Newcastle and Edinburgh, no trains obliged for a photo.
Kingfishers were about again today, darting across the rivers surface keeping us amused whilst nothing much else could be seen. Then a few trees other than willows showed on the banks of the river, a house and then a tight turn to the right where the River Nidd joins the Ouse and sandy banks encourage dogs and children to swim. Here is the boundary to Beningborough Park in which sits Beningborough Hall a National Trust property we visited in 2014 .
We were surprised to see the pontoon for The Dawnay Arms empty on a Friday afternoon, but then again they are closed during the afternoon. Here’s hoping it is empty on our return as we’ll be stopping to treat ourselves to a meal here.
Fishing waist deep
Below Linton Lock the river widens out and is very shallow. Buoys mark the shallow water and fishermen were taking advantage to wade their way out to tempt the fish to their lines. I hopped off at the pontoon and walked up to set the lock.
Wheels, paddles raised
The mechanism for the bottom gate paddles is an unusual one. Horizontal wheels on the gates need to be turned to raise the paddle below the water. This takes quite some time to do, then the lock takes quite a while to empty. Once I was certain it had levelled out it was time to open the gate. This is windlass operated so if your arms weren’t tired enough from turning the wheels they would be by the time you’d got the gate shifted. I’ve made a mental note to try the other gate when we come back as it may not rest on the ground quite as much, hopefully it will be easier.
Oleanna all the way over there
Then there is everything to close up before you start filling the lock, those wheels to spin closed and the gate to wind shut. I looked longingly at the large cool glasses of beer sat in front of people by the lock, they looked so good!
The position of the ground paddles is quite a distance away from the lock, this makes it impossible to see what is happening as you raise the paddle. With no sight of Mick or Oleanna I wound the paddle several times then checked over the gate, a bit more, check again, a bit more and so on. I think it increased my steps for the day. Slowly Oleanna rose, still quite a distance down in the lock when the levels equalised.
Rising in Linton Lock
We’d been hoping for a space on the visitor pontoon here. Two cruisers seemed to be taking up most of the space, but was there more room further on. Mick headed off whilst I closed up the lock. Just after the cruisers was a space big enough for us, even if the pontoon ran out and we’d be overhanging the slipway, it would do for us tonight.
1 lock, 15.71 miles, 1 palace, 9 bridges, 1 birth place, 1 Daddy Fatso house still there, 1 day reminiscing, 2 moorings checked out, 2 chilled medication boats, 1 sunny day, 1 home city, 1 table booked, 2 wheels, 0 view, 1 boat squeezed in, 1 very late lunch, 0 shore leave, 5 Kingfishers, 300+ photos today.
Oleanna had a touch of a list on this morning, but once the boat in front of us headed to the lock above and emptied it the surge of water levelled us out. Well that was until the next boat came up the lock below which then came past at quite a speed, however that didn’t really matter as we were on the bottom anyway.
Highlander Lock
Around about 11am we pushed off hoping that any showers had passed, but keeping our waterproofs near by. A widebeam had only shortly come up the lock but it needed a good top up before I could open the gates. A chilled medication stand stood next to the lock a chap busying himself inside, but he wasn’t open much to my disappointment. It would have been hard to open and close gates and paddles with one anyway.
Ahead at the next lock there was a boat coming up, meaning gates could be left. Here there was a right gathering of eager windlass operators, one lady winding up the top paddle as the gates closed! She soon realised her mistake and dashed to the bottom gates. I didn’t have to do a thing other than chat.
Bye bye Gargrave
Below a short boat and a couple of narrowboats were waiting so it was just as well I’d decided to walk on to our next and last lock for a while. NB Kindred Spirit was just setting up to sell chilled medication too and the weather vain was hoping it had hit a six.
Holme Bridge Lock 30 has the busy A65 crossing it just below. This is the first lock most hire boats will encounter after they have picked their boat up. I remember on NB Rosie walking round and unlocking all the handcuffs with a key attached to a small buoy provided by Silsden Boats.
Green!
The bottom gate beams have writing carved into them. This is one of the four sites that were chosen in the inaugural year of Canal and River Trust to have lines of commissioned poems carved into them. Here Ian McMillan’s words were carved by Peter Coats. The other gates in this series are at Hillmorton Locks 4 and 5 on the Oxford Canal, Milnsbridge Lock 9E on the Huddersfield Narrow and Farmers Bridge Lock 8 on the BCN. More information can be found here.
Down we went the leaky top gates getting the stern of Oleanna a touch wet. Just as I’d opened the gates a voice shouted up from below asking to leave them open, no problem, I’d be happy to. Below were two boats, one a hire boat with it’s novice crew, nervous of what was to come, the chap from the other boat suggesting their front doors should be closed, very wise.
Illegal green
The valley now is wider, fields roll off in all directions. The recently cut grass glowing out from all around. When I was at college I once designed a set of costumes for a ballet and included this colour in four of my drawings. But my tutor, Sue told me off. These four dancers (part of the corps de ballet) would totally pull focus, up stage everyone else and everything on stage. She called this colour Illegal Green and I was never to use it unless it’s natural abilities were required! So far I’ve succeeded in avoiding it.
Canoes in the way
Now with the locks behind us for a while, swing bridges take over. There are many along this pound of the Leeds Liverpool. In the past they have never got the better of me, but sadly this was not going to be the case today.
Waiting for the canoes to clear
Highgate Swing Bridge just would not budge. A group on canoists were approaching from the other side, two had already ducked under the others waited for me to open the bridge. I explained they could wait ten minutes whilst Mick came to give a shove from the towpath or they could limbo underneath. They chose the latter, although one chap did give me quite a filthy look.
It took a while for Mick to tie up and come and assist. All it took was an extra push from the towpath side to get it moving, then I was okay. Under where the bridge sits when closed to boats there was loads of mud. As I shut it I could hear it sucking onto the structure and holding it firm again.
Letting other boats through
In contrast Thorlby Swing bridge was so easy, I could have moved it with just one hand. Two boats were coming towards us here so I waited to let them through.
Then Niffany Swing Bridge! This bridge sits alongside the A6069 on a bit of a bend. On the offside is a farm and caravan site so it gets used quite a bit.
Niffany B**tard Bridge
I unlocked the handcuff and started to swing it, except it stalled after about a foot. I tried pushing it back to take a run up, but it was stuck fast on what lay below it. Mick would have to come and assist again from the towpath. He didn’t need to do much before the bridge started to move again. Of course just as we’d got it moving a motorcaravan turned up wanting to turn off the road. I was not going to close the bridge and have to reopen it.
A lady jumped out and waited for the bridge to close again. She crossed over as I started to try to close the handcuff again. As she stood and watched me, just a little bit too close, I felt under even more pressure to get the lock back in place. The chain didn’t play ball, then the screw didn’t engage. I was about to give up, but tried again whilst I was watched and commented at. At last it was locked. As I walked across the bridge the lady had to double check my work which I’m afraid got my back up. ‘It’s as locked as ever it will be!’ The bridge wouldn’t move anyway without a lot of sideways movement.
A bit closer
Now the gardens of Skipton joined us, someone has added a sign post to their display.
A new development of apartments sits by the canal just recently finished by the looks. Bland photographs of the interiors, but the building has a nice modern feel outside whilst sitting well in it’s surroundings. £159,000 will get you two bedrooms and a parking space, First floor £180,000.
New apartments
As we approached Gawflat Swing Bridge, a busy pedestrian crossing, a chap stood up and pushed it open for us. It turns out that the bridge has become quite stiff and some people may have injured themselves so now C&RT are operating it, shame they weren’t doing this at the others we’d had problems with.
Gawflat Swing Bridge being swung for us
We pulled in to fill with water and I walked ahead to look for a space. We hoped the two Silsden Hire boats would maybe pull off before our tank was full. But both boats were padlocked shut and no signs of life, they’d stopped for more than just lunch. No other space available before Brewery Swing Bridge.
The towpath was very busy so in the end we decided to take the advice from the other boat that was filling up and to move back through the bridge behind us a little further out of town where there was plenty of space. So the chap at the bridge did his thing again. I stood at the front just incase we needed to push off from the bridge as the wind was pushing us about quite a bit.
Sadly for Tilly there is a road within 30 ft of us so no shore leave today. We’ll just have to cope with a sulky cat, or maybe go out and avoid her complaining.
3 locks, 4 swing bridges 1 twice, 1 motorcaravan held up, 1 annoying lady, 1 full water tank, 1 bucket on the roof, 1 illegally green world, 1 mardy cat.
The aim was to push off at 7:30, but we finally made it just before 8am, managing to avoid the majority of the rain. Our stop off here had been very useful and the people around the basin were very friendly, another place to add to our list of handy moorings.
Droylsden Marina
As we reversed out of our space, Mick remembered one thing he hadn’t done yesterday, he’d forgotten to clear the prop, there was something down there but luckily not too much to inhibit steering Oleanna. So once we were out on the towpath at the top of the locks I went ahead to set the lock and Mick undid the weedhatch, a small collection of stuff was retrieved.
Fairfield Top Lock
I’ve been down these locks once and on that occasion we had the assistance of Anne, Mick’s sister. Having two crew made a big difference, no need to walk back to a lock after setting one below. Mick has also single handed the flight six years ago, texting me after every lock was successfully descended. On this occasion he met several boats coming up hill and also let one go past him. Back then the Cheshire Ring was in full swing, now it’s possibly just waking up from a long slumber!
Memorial
The top lock is covered in a memorial to a young chap who had tried to jump the lock, hoping to impress some young ladies. Sadly he hadn’t make it, hitting his head and ending up in the water face down. The lock beam is covered in messages to him, someone has even covered it in sticky backed plastic to help preserve it.
As we worked our way down the flight Mick made notes of what wasn’t working at each lock. A note taken at each lock to start with, but thankfully things improved as we worked our way downhill into Manchester.
Rainbow Monty
Snorkelling Monty
Monty’s sat by the canal. A rainbow Monty, is he celebrating Pride or the NHS? I suspect Pride. The other chap was actually about to dive in with a snorkel on his head (not visible in the picture) even though it looks like he’s about to do something else!
There is a canal isn’t there?
We ducked under trailing willows yet again. The first swing bridge now held by a C&RT padlock not just a handcuff key. Then on a touch further to where the second swing bridge should be.
What’s that?
On our Waterway Routes map it suggested that normally the bridge is left open, but something was definitely across the cut, but not a swing bridge. A zoom in on the camera showed that the footbridge just beyond it was having work done to it, so maybe this was a temporary bridge?
I hopped off, this was a scaff type bridge, nothing I was willing to move myself. I went in hunt of a banksman and found a chap sat in a welfare pod, just about to tuck into some food. I explained our problem, so he came out to see what he could do. The only words he said, ‘You only need it moving a little bit?’ Well sorry no, it needs to move right out of the way for us to get through.
Slide and swung
I could see the cogs going in his head as he tried to work out how to move the bridge. He slid it towards himself, the scaff hand rail not fixed in position, which didn’t help trying to pull it across the gap. Once it was off the far bank it sat at an alarming angle, just ready to fall into the canal and become more of a problem.
Left until
After he pulled and tugged, I helped swing it out of our way, one thing the chap hadn’t thought of, to me it was obvious. We were soon through and the chap could get back to his food. The bridge stayed well and truly on the bank.
Today’s catch
A while further on a football shirt required removing from our prop, so Oleanna sat in a lock whilst Mick cleared the prop with our prop mate, a very handy tool.
Opposite the Strawberry Duck
At Lock 13 The Strawberry Duck pub looked all boarded up, but out the back in their beer garden things looked very inviting. We refrained as it was only 9:50!
Football straight ahead
Locks lined up with the Etihad Stadium and as we worked our way down towards all the sports venues I could hear the rumbling of a Fountains team following us down the flight.
Fountains behind
All the winding of the hydraulic paddle gear was starting to take it’s tole, my arms ached.
Wind wind wind
These are meant to make it easier to lift the paddles, but the repetition of winding them round and round gets to your arms after a while, at least my arms should be slightly more toned when we reach Manchester.
Hope it has a cycle path on that bridge
Circular flats
The National Cycling Centre, the Velopark sprawl out on both sides of the canal, followed by circular blocks of flats.
A slot to get down from the lock
Beswick Top Lock has an interesting bridge configuration. There is a road bridge and canal bridge, but between the two is a curving metal bridge that carries the towpath from one side to the other, not a snake bridge as the tow rope from a boat would have to be disconnected from the horse.
Test centre
Across some waste land we could see the white structures, tents of a covid testing centre, more and more people on the towpath were now wearing masks. We carried on with the job in hand, locks, more of them.
How pretty
In one of the bridge holes Oleanna managed to pick me some buddleia, the off side very overgrown in places.
Mills
Between Beswick Bottom Lock 4 and Ancoats Top Lock 3, I caught a ride, this being the longest pound on the flight.
New Islington flats showing their age now
We now passed old warehouses and factories, and very soon we were surrounded by new tower blocks, more being built in every direction.
History standing its ground
Sitting between the last two locks is a rather lovely looking lock cottage, this sits with it’s new lawn tucked behind the wooden fence, one tree and tower blocks looking down on it’s history.
The last lock of the day
At Ancoats Bottom Lock Mick pointed out that this was likely to be our last narrow lock this year. Our travels will see us staying in the north for sometime. The Ashton Canal is the northern most narrow canal, so from now on we will now be in the land of wide locks.
Well used PPE
Working through the lock I was reminded of when we came this way on Bergen Fjord in 2008 with Anne. As we’d just started to empty the lock Mick’s friend Mark was just crossing the road bridge in a car coming to meet us to help with the Rochdale 9 through the heart of Manchester. Back up crew were needed on that occasion, today we’d be stopping short of the 9. Five hours top to bottom, all but three needing to be filled, thankfully without much rain.
Goodbye narrow canals
A glance back as we passed under the road bridge, the bottom of the lock showing the worn steps down from the bottom gates and the water rushed round the bywash on the offside. I wonder what the area looked like when the lock was first built.
What did it used to look like here
A short distance on and we reached todays destination, Telford Basin. A small basin that we used last year, on that occasion we tucked three boats in amongst the flats. Access to the basin is through a keycoded gate, today we weren’t bothered about this, a late lunch and a rest were more on the cards than an explore.
A Downing Street briefing was held today, announcing the next stage of lockdown easing. Gyms and Leisure centres will be able to reopen in a couple of weeks and from this Saturday night outdoor performances will be allowed. This means that the season of outdoor concerts and operas that Glyndebourne have planned will be able to go ahead, just as well as the £100 tickets have already sold out! I suspect other theatre companies will be giving the idea some thought. Organising such events and selling tickets are likely to take that bit more time than just two days. It’s a start, as is the funding but neither mean the sector is safe. But then no sector is safe.
18 locks, 3.64 miles, 1 right, 1 swing, 1 slide, 3 weed hatch visits, 1 diver, 1 last narrow lock, 1 tight turn, 2 pooped boaters, 1 stove lit, 27 items of washing dry, 1 empty wee tank, 0 code required, 2 days to mount a show.
Despite not heading to York today the alarm had been set so that the hire car could be returned first thing. Mick set off to Macclesfield and I was soon out of the door myself.
Hope it wasn’t a time traveller who trod on this butterfly!
Our mooring was about a mile away from the bottom of the Bosely Flight so I walked up to take a look at the queue. The sun was doing it’s best to heat up the world very well. Yesterday Fountains had been along the towpath cutting the path and around the bridge holes but leaving everything else. Meadow Sweet, cow parsley and even more foxgloves lined my route.
2009 Google Street View
Today
The farm on the off side, Crossley Hall Farm, has changed somewhat since last we passed. It’s taken a look at Google street view and back through our old photos to see quite what.
2016
The most obvious thing is that the seated painted cow no longer sits on the mooring watching for boats up the canal. All the barns have been done up, new windows, ventilation holes blocked with dark bricks. It looks like they may now be holiday lets. Then the Hall has been restored. The timber is far more elaborate than it used to be. The huge stone chimneys now look like giant lego bricks, all just a bit too clean.
Out buildings looking like holiday lets
Trains thundered over the rail bridge, followed by the calm of the Cloud.
The Cloud
Possible shady moorings looked appealing as I walked along. The day was forecast to be very hot, my recky was to see if we’d rather move up to the bottom of the locks where there is no shade or rather sit under trees for the day.
Shady walk
The old overflows take you back in time. Cobbles and a walkway so that you don’t have to paddle if the water level rises. Today just a trickle wet the stones, it may be a different matter tomorrow depending on the number of boats using the locks.
Overflow
I soon reached the 48hr mooring. 2 boats facing away from the locks and 3 towards. A chap on the rear boat had his engine boards up, so I stopped for a chat. The lead boat has been here for a couple of days and the others had turned up yesterday. There was still plenty of room for at least three more boats before anyone would have to get a touch creative with their mooring.
Plenty of room for us
One of the boats that passed us the other day hadn’t realised that the Marple flight was also closed until July, they were needing to be in Wigan before then, so managed to get C&RT to open the bottom lock so that they could go up one chamber, wind and come back down again. They are now making their way down the Cheshire locks.
So pretty
Back at Oleanna Mick had returned and a short discussion followed. Stay cool and watch boats arrive that we’d be behind, or move up to the bottom of the locks and wait in full sunshine. We decided to move, closing all the curtains to keep the sun out.
Checking out the scenry
We pootled on up and joined the end of the queue. I thought we’d be fourth but one of the boats facing away from the locks had winded to face them now. Was the chap just painting his boat, or waiting for the locks too?
Well earned breakfast
Time for breakfast. Mushrooms and poached eggs, yummy. Tilly went off to check the area and seemed to keep herself busy for quite some time. We pottered away the afternoon not really doing much, Tilly was far busier.
A good view from here
Mid afternoon a boat pulled in behind us. He walked past and tapped on the next boats roof. We could hear the conversation, he was concerned that he might not make it through the locks in time tomorrow. Mick checked the email and went out to give advice. The bottom lock would be opened at 8:30am, last boat in would be at 1pm and the locks would be locked at 3:30pm. He still seemed concerned. He walked up to the front of the queue and asked the lead boat to move onto the lock landing to make more space, ‘three more boats would be arriving’ and there wasn’t enough room for them!
It’s
too
hot!
So the boat at the front moved up, the new arrival quickly moving his boat to second position, he thought he might be able to share the locks with another short boat up near the front.
Hang on!
A while later another boat arrived. This boat was being moved from Nether Heyford on the Grand Union up to Braidbar Boats for a repaint and the chap on board, Paul, was a boat mover. We all conferred and agreed that we’d all easily be able to get up the locks with plenty of time. Another boat came past and headed to fill the gap left at third position, he was very quick to let everyone know he wasn’t pushing in, just using available space and knew who he’d be following.
He’s just pushed in!!!
The day had been hot and the evening still was. We decided to make the most of the view and set ourselves up for a barbecue over looking Congleton Viaduct. Some lamb marinated with garlic and rosemary, a potato salad (still using my Nantwich veg box up) and some hallumi and veg kebabs. We had a lovely evening sitting out but refrained from staying out to watch the sun go down as we wanted to go to the theatre.
Not a bad spot for a barbecue
Tonight we watched Act 1 of Small Island from the National Theatre. It tells the stories of a man and two women. Hortense who wishes to move away from Jamaica where she is a teacher. Gilbert wants to become a lawyer after being in the RAF in WW2. Queenie yearns to leave her Lincolnshire roots behind.
Not bad food either
Hortense and Gilbert marry just before he climbs on board HMT Empire Windrush and promises to send for her. Queenie meets Bernard and marries him, her route to a life in London. So many dreams that we know will not be fulfilled. We’ll watch Act 2 tomorrow after doing the locks.
0 locks, 1.06 miles, 2 mile walk, 1 car returned, 1 taxi, 0 cow, 4th in line, 5th in line, 6th, 7th, 8th? 30C plus in the pram cover, 1 Betty cat, 1 nosy dog, 1 very hot Tilly, 1 boat mover, 1 barbecue with a view, 1 more favourite mooring.
As we’re near a water point the washing machine was put to work whilst we had breakfast, another load would be needed before the drawer was empty again.
So pretty with the bluebells
Mick headed off to Sainsburys with a bike and lots of shopping bags leaving me to walk in on my own for a few bits. The Alms Houses on Welsh Row are even prettier than before, their gardens growing greener every day. Forget-me-nots and bluebells contrasting with the red paintwork. I think they are my favourite buildings in Nantwich. They just need a visit from Frank Matthews to replace the spikes on their roofs.
This one would be easy Frank no turning
In town I first visited Holland and Barrett being asked to wait outside until someone left. A chap on a bike joined the queue behind me saying he’d had short shrift from a lady in a different queue earlier today. She’d bitten his head off rather than give him a polite answer and a smile to his question. He preferred our queue.
Tulips and Wallflowers, they remind me of Rowntrees in York
Holland and Barrett was the first shop I came across to bring in measures to protect everyone, and with each visit they add more. Today I was invited to use some hand sanitiser as I walked in, both members of staff wearing masks. They had brown rice flour but no gluten free plain flour. Two bags bought and I was quickly out of the shop, I can now see if I can persuade my sourdough starter to come back to life with the aid of a cabbage leaf.
Fed and a cabbage leaf
Next the bakers. Mick is very partial to cheese twists from Sainsburys, sadly they hadn’t been available when our shopping was picked this morning. There also hadn’t been time to pre-order a pork pie from Clewlows, so a cheese and onion pasty and a medium pie would have to do instead.
Boots to stock up on eye drops, at the till they had some hand sanitizer so that was added to my basket. Then round the bend to Home Bargains where I joined the orderly queue down the side of the building. As I neared the front door Mick came past pushing our click and collect order. A quick once around the shop and I’d found hand wash and some new clothes pegs, we could now hang the washing out with confidence.
Ooo! Escape pod
Back at Oleanna, Tilly was closed in the bedroom whilst all Micks shopping came in, disinfected and stowed. Then she was locked out of the bedroom as I brought my shopping in, then back in the bedroom as the final items were disinfected.
Sadly for Tilly we’ve decided to stay in Nantwich another night so for some of the afternoon we had to cope with her protestations at the back doors. Once she’d visited her pooh box she calmed down a touch.
Where’s it’s roof?!
Tomorrow she will get a fresh box, she’s really done her best to use shore based facilities and this lot of litter still has life in it even after three weeks! As a treat her escape pod came out, I was told off for not getting the roof on it quick enough though! This can only mean one thing, a river cruise. Hooray!!!
Don’t forget the towel too!
The whirligig was put up with washing on it, but during the afternoon the wind got up, making sound effect noises at our windows. Despite having new clothes pegs Mick decided to put the washing on hangers in the pram cover, safer than having to fish it out from the cut!
Some more work on my illustrations this afternoon. One I was very pleased with, another not so. Faces either work really well for me or take several attempts. On the virtual poses I’ve been using, the head of one of the characters seems to be a touch too big for her body so I’m having to adjust it as I go. Still plenty more to do.
Breezy. I like this one
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 bike of shopping, 1 pleasant queue, 1 pasty, 1 pie, 1 lot of eye drops, 2 bags flour, 0 plain flour, 1 big pork joint, 1 red cabbage, 1 leaf, 2 loads washing, 1 escape pod, 1 happy cat, 3 illustrations, 2 episodes of The Nest.
