Category Archives: Cats on the Cut

Sad Estate. 15th October

Stanley Ferry to Castleford Cut

No need to rush today, we are on schedule and having pushed on a touch yesterday to get somewhere suitable for Tilly, we were a touch ahead of ourselves.

As we had breakfast a tug came past pushing a skip piled high with brand new lock gates. Stanley Ferry is one of two places in the UK where lock gates are manufactured and refurbished. In an average year around 100 gates are made here, that is a lot of oak! Between November and the end of March sections of the network will close for maintenance, an extensive stoppage list is put together every year with chance to make comments before it is finally published in August. Cruising in winter can take some planning.

Soon followed a crane boat, most probably heading to the same site to off load the gates. We pondered where they were heading and if the skip boat was short enough with the tug to go up the Calder Hebble Locks together, we suspected not, there’ll be some bow hauling out of locks.

The sun was out, clear blue skies and plenty of them now that we are out of the hills. We pushed off pausing for me to work Ramsdens Swing Bridge, I only managed to hold up one cyclist! A chimney sweep sat having a fag break on a roof sunning himself.

Then on over Stanley Ferry Aqueduct and past the workshop.

The big doors were open so we could see inside. Hoists were about to move more gates about inside. Out side piles of gates lay on the concrete, one pile had a constant stream of water running over it, the oak all dark. Presumably this is to keep gates from shrinking as during their working life they will hold back tonnes of water on a daily basis. New baulks of oak sat close by.

No squeezing into locks today, no need for handcuff keys or windlasses. The Aire and Calder requires the Key of Power. Birkwood Lock however never looks like it should be key operated as it’s gate beams of oak have relaxed through the years, it looks like they’d need a good old shove, but no the Key works wonders.

On the lock landing below there were pots of flowers that were past their best, then hand scrawled signs that could have been painted in blood were a big contrast.

Sky sky sky. 180 degrees of it. Chilly but so very sunny.

A short distance above Kings Road Lock is where the proposed route of HS2 crosses on our map, I’m no longer sure if the northern sections of HS2 will happen. Thankfully today there were no huge mounds of earth to spoil the views.

We pulled into the lock landing to empty the yellow water into a container for disposal later. This meant the lock was emptied by a wide beam heading up. We were ready before the lady moved to the top gates to start filling the lock, so I offered to use my key at that end, the console traps your key until the gates are closed. She was quite happy for me to press the button for two seconds to commence the filling, so was I!

Down we dropped in the huge lock, it’s as if those short locks were a figment of our imagination now!

Pink Panther keeps an eye on where Foxholes Lock used to drop down onto the River Calder. Ahead we could see that traffic on the M62 was stationary on the eastbound carriage way, we however were cruising along quite happily in the deep wide water.

A top up of water above Woodnook Lock before we pulled in to descend. This was to be my last lock for a while, the last before I head off to Panto land.

Now back on the river we passed familiar sights Woodnook Viaduct, Fairies Hill Lock, no yellow wide beam moored below it today. At Methley Bridge Boat Yard the boats were still three deep. Welding going on and a great named tug, Chugger-lugs-the-tug.

Towards Castleford Junction, where the Aire and Calder Wakefield Branch meets the Aire and Calder from Leeds and Goole, there is a housing estate going up. I’m fairly sure we’ve been past and seen the Marvin the paranoid android houses before, but now there are even more going up.

Each and everyone of them has the sad furrowed brow, what a sad estate. Did the architect never see how sad they looked?

Left to Leeds, Right to a weir, or straight on to Castleford and Goole.

Straight on for us and through the flood lock. Now where to moor? We need to be here for three days, so longer than the 48hr moorings. We carried on towards Bulholme Lock and pulled in on the south bank just before the edge becomes high.

Was that a ‘Red’ light at the lock? A cruiser pottered about in front of the light. Yes it looked red. Normally the lights on the Aire and Calder are on Amber, self operation. Maybe a gravel barge was on it’s way up? Once we’d moored up the reason arrived in our Inbox.

One of the lower sluices has an object jammed in the gate preventing the sluice paddle from fully closing. This impacts lower lock operation. The upper lock is operational but only operates via the desk in the lock tower and not via the lock side customer operated pedestals which only operate the lower lock.

Actions to investigate and make repairs are in hand but the lock will not be operational via the customer operated lock side pedestals until these are undertaken and completed. To facilitate lockage’s and until repairs have been completed the lock will be operated by a lock keeper on the following dates and during the time periods indicated below. Outside these times the lock will be closed:

Saturday 16^th, Sunday 17^th and Monday 18^th October 2021: lock open from 10am, last lockage 3pm

The lock will be closed on Tuesday 19^th October to allow access for divers to investigate and undertake repairs.

Bulholme Lock is big, but it also has, like many others around here, an extra section to make it even longer. These stem back to when Tom Puddings transported coal around the area. So even though the bottom gates of the lock cannot be made water tight, the middle gates (in normal operation the top gates) are, so they can be used as the bottom gates instead. The extra gates which are rarely used can only be operated by a lock keeper in the tower, hence reduced working hours.

Tilly was given four hours! There was a bit of coming and going at first, but then she vanished out of sight for a couple of hours. That’s more like it!

As the sunset, planes flew over and boats lit their stoves, sending up plumes of smoke. Just a shame someone had got their genny going. Even more so when it didn’t stop until around midnight!

3 locks, 1 flood lock, 6.21 miles, 1 straight on, 1 swing bridge, 1 cyclist, 1 boat helped up, M62 stationary, 14 day mooring, 0.5 half broken lock, 2 many sad houses, 1 happy cat, 1 annoying boater somewhere over the other side who needs new batteries!

https://goo.gl/maps/auWZtgb7zUWRd2qb8

Bridge Bingo. 14th October

Wheatley Bridge to Stanley Ferry Water Point, Aire and Calder, Wakefield Section

Today we needed to be moored up in time for me to join a zoom Production Meeting for panto, Tilly’s hope was that we’d be somewhere she could go out for the rest of the afternoon. We already knew that wouldn’t be possible. The travel time on our maps didn’t really give us a suitably cat friendly mooring for 2, 2:30pm, we’d see how we did.

So no time to sit around in bed, we’d got more short locks to descend and some miles to cover. This must be the first time on passing through Mirfield that there have been no visiting boats moored up, we could have carried on just that bit further yesterday, but Tilly wouldn’t have had any bracken or friendly cover to seek out friends in as the link fencing is right on the towpath here.

The boat that is being worked on is still covered in a tarpaulin by the water point and it looked like the charity boats were gearing up for a day of visitors. Just by the lock, no I’ll rephrase that, on the lock landing was a cruiser! Big signs say that it is the lock landing but the owner must be blind. Any single hander would have had to reverse past the permanent moorings to be able to tie up to use Shepley Bridge Lock. I however went through Oleanna to the bow (I don’t walk the gunnels due to my bad grip) and hopped off the front, luckily the lock was just about full.

No need to get the Calder Hebble spike out and risk dropping it into the hole below the ground paddle gear. The hard wood that the spikes are made from does not float! I’ve seen one disappear here before and on the same day met a second crew who’d lost theirs at a lower lock.

The paddle gear seems to be getting stiffer with every lock we work, at least it means you can’t whip up a paddle in the short locks too quickly. Once down the lock Mick turned left and pulled into the lock landing we were now on the River Calder, deep, wide, so different from the bottom end of the Huddersfield Narrow. With water under Oleanna she smiled a broader smile than she’s smiled before, nothing to do with a slight reposition of her twin horns after the tunnel. She also sounds more confident too!

Swans and geese blocked our way into Greenwood Cut, but luckily they all moved out of the way leaving just one cygnet to our port side. It didn’t complain too much at it’s enforced separation.

Greenwood Lock gave us plenty of room to breath in, the stern doors needed closing to avoid the torrent of water coming from under the top gates. Then Thornhill Flood Lock took us back onto a cut, a long cut. This is where we started to play Bridge Bingo.

Some bridges just have names, others numbers as well. However the numbers seem to be mixed up as if two waterways have been melded into one. 31, 8, 33, 34, 35, 22, 39, a few with names and then 26!

A moving boat came towards us, NB Little One, an Aintree Beetle, below the high up Railway Bridge 35. Great the Double Locks should be with us.

This is where Lillian had an incident the pound between the two locks which knocked her tiller out of it’s cut, meaning we had no steering. Since then we do our best to be very careful at these two locks. The top one was full, but the bottom empty, I went down to lift a paddle as Mick brought Oleanna in to the top.

With no means of crossing the bottom gates of these locks I started to walk back up to the top lock on the off side, but Mick had stepped off Oleanna on that side as the gate had opened. This meant running back down and around to get to the towpath side to close that gate, oh well my steps for the day had a boost!

These two locks are the last of the shortest locks, so we took care and nudged our way past the closed bottom gate. The intermediate pound was still at a good level, I’d opened the off side gate on the lower lock for Mick to be able to go straight in. However the two locks are on a bend and Oleanna really wanted to go through the other gate. Mick did his best to manoeuvre her round, but she clipped the port side bow on the walkway, smudging off some paint I’d touched up from a previous moment!

One day we will go down the Dewsbury Arm just to have a look, ‘Next Time’.

Approaching Millbank Lock I could see movements, another boat just leaving below. I filled the lock only using the gate paddles, getting the spike into use wasn’t necessary. As I went to lift the first bottom paddle another boat was pulling up below. The first paddle was just about impossible to lift so I moved over to the other side where I hoped that one would be easier. Have to say I’d rather be stood over the bow of the boat in a short lock to keep an eye on it catching on stonework.

A lady came up to help, I asked her to wait until we knew we were past the cill as we were over long. She understood and waited until Mick was happy with our position. We nudged past the closed gate and were set free onto the river again.

Next the Figure of Three Locks. Two locks very close together, the lower one was seriously damaged by flood water, the bywash being more or less totally washed away. I posted about it earlier this year as it was being rebuilt.

Today the locks are reopen, reconnecting the Rochdale and Huddersfield Canals to the eastern side of the network. Both Locks look pretty much as they would have before the flood damage. A new area of stonework on the towpath connects the two where the flood water pushed through from the river. Now sunflowers fill where the gap had been. Here’s a link to what it looked like after the flood and during the work to put it back together.

The lower of the two locks has a new bywash. The sides of it very high and built of sturdy stone, this had all but been washed away. The off side bank looks to have been replanted and today a farmer was out in his tractor. A very fine job done.

I wonder if the one new solitary stone below the lock will have something carved on it, it’s shouting out for it.

On past Horbury where we visited St Peter’s and St Leonard’s Church a couple of years ago. This is a John Carr Church and is where the architect is buried.

More moving boats and then moored boats below Broad Cut Top Lock, the locks were getting quite roomy now. Time was ticking on. We knew we wouldn’t make it to Stanley Ferry in time for my meeting so decided to pull in after the next river stretch through Thornes Flood Lock. Just as well we’d given ourselves a bit of leeway as Broad Cut Low lock took forever to fill and then with only one paddle working at the bottom end it took forever to empty!

We pulled up into the lock cut with half an hour before my meeting and had a late lunch listening to Tilly demanding to be let out. Too close to the railway for comfort she could protest all she liked, but we’d be moving on for her after my meeting anyway.

It might look good to you Tilly, but not to me!

A couple of new faces at the meeting today. Late last week a site was found for me to do a weeks painting near Chippy and set pieces will arrive for me next Monday. I have a clean bare space to take over for a week, I just need a chair, a table and a ladder and I’ll be painting away for hours. Every department was checked on, lists drawn up and the first day of rehearsals discussed, along with the obvious Covid protocol. I’m hoping my panto face masks are waiting for me when I get to Chippy as I think I’ll be wearing them a lot.

With the meeting over we’d pushed off within five minutes to reach a Tilly friendly mooring. Thornes Lock was our last short lock of the Calder and Hebble.

This required a hand spike to empty it as the other paddles were out of order. We squeezed in and dropped down. A chap walked up saying they couldn’t get through the lock without a Hebble Spike. I thought he was about to ask me to lock them through. But now the lock was empty they’d be able to fill it just using a windlass as I had. They took their time to move off the lock landing, the reason soon becoming obvious as they’d lost steering and were wanting to tie up above the lock to fix things.

On we pootled back on the river now, passing Double Two where I used to paint sets for the John Godber Theatre Company before I started living on a boat. Straight ahead the dangling sculptural man above the moorings near the Hepworth Museum still dangles. We turned right through Wakefield Flood Lock.

No visitors to Wakefield on the moorings today, but we did spot a very very tall telephone pole.

At Fall Ing Lock we could now breath out, we were leaving the Calder and Hebble, all the short locks behind us now and big Yorkshire locks ahead. It takes quite a bit of filling, longer when it’s a touch breezy and Mick had decided to hover and wait.

Eventually the lock was full and we could descend onto the Aire and Calder, each hydraulic paddle taking over thirty turns to lift. My arms were tired before I started!

Not long now Tilly! We sped down the river and through Broadreach Flood Lock and on towards Stanley Ferry. We’d made it with an hour before cat curfew!

11 locks, 4 flood locks all open, 11.94 miles, 0 short locks left, 0 manual locks left, 1 windlass back in the locker, 4000 engine hours, 1 hour, 11 panto zoomers, 1 painter starting on Monday, 5 chum zoomers, 24th October Tankards Bridge on the Selby Canal open to all craft after 13 months.

https://goo.gl/maps/hxQK6iE8fpJPvhJ5A

Breathing In. 13th October

Aspley Basin to Wheatley Bridge 20, Calder and Hebble Navigation

Up early for us, breakfasted whilst the final load of washing was making the most of the electric hookup, then we pushed over to the service block. Someone already had a hose linked up to the tap, but that didn’t matter we could wait. Our main reason for being there was to make it easier to pick up our Click and Collect from Sainsburys. Mick headed off with the bike to collect it across the car park and was back very quickly.

The tap was now free so we topped up with water, disposed of any rubbish as the shopping was stowed away. Time to push off and say Goodbye to Huddersfield the largest Town in the country. I’ll be back in February, but sadly not by boat.

The Turnbridge Loco Lift Bridge was opened in 1865 replacing a swing bridge. A combination of chains, wheels and counter weights lifts the bridge deck vertically. Originally it was operated with a windlass, but since 2002 it has been electrically powered. I got my Key of Power out and waited for a gap in the traffic before turning it to release the barriers. Once they had been moved I pressed the button to lift the bridge. What look like big counter weights actually house all the chain required for the bridge to rise and fall. Today I managed to stop 8 vehicles.

The pootle out of Huddersfield isn’t the most picturesque, light and not so light industry sit alongside the canal. Gas Street Bridge always has a strong aroma around it. Then we passed my second choice hotel in Huddersfield the Travelodge. From here you get good views of the railway viaduct before the recycling plant, I prefer the view of boats from the Premier Inn at Aspley.

Then the first lock of the Huddersfield Broad Canal. Opened in 1776 it linked the Calder Hebble to the centre of Huddersfield and later to the Narrow in 1811 creating a trans-pennine route. The long narrowboats that could climb over the Pennines could not use the shorter locks of the Broad canal. Goods were transhipped at Aspley Basin but the canal was overshadowed by the Rochdale Canal, which had broad locks that could hold two narrowboats.

Today the Broad canal is listed as being 57ft 6″ long by 14ft 2″ wide, but C&RT also say that narrowboats of 60ft can navigate it by going diagonally. Six years ago we managed the trip in Lillian (NB Lillyanne). Going downhill in an over long boat you have to take great care to position your boat in the right spot. Last time lock 8 proved to be a touch tight for Lillian and we had difficulty positioning her so as to be able to get her bow past the closed bottom gate and out. This is why we had Oleanna built a foot shorter and with the aid of a bow thruster to help her clear the bottom gate without use of a rope or pole. So today we knew we’d be alright, yet we still had to take care.

For each lock we did the same. Oleanna was brought in, her bow brought as far forward as the small walkway allows and she tucks into a corner. Then the stern is taken over to the other side, this works on Oleanna. With Lillian ( a foot longer) we had to have her stern more towards the centre of the lock this giving a few more inches as the cill is curved.

I then stand above the bow and gradually lift the paddle whilst Mick keeps an eye on the stern and the cill. With Lillian we took this very slowly as any chance of the stern sitting on the cill could mean she would sink. As the boat lowers you can move her forward under the walkway a touch. Then once Oleanna’s stern had safely passed the cill I walk round to the other side and lift the paddle there.

Once the water is level with below I then open this gate. Now Mick moves Oleanna’s bow past the still closed gate and can escape. Just to do it all over again at the next lock.

The paddle gear is different to most as there is no visible brake on them. You wind the paddle up and just stop where you want to. Then when you want to lower it you just need to give it a little bit of extra umph to get it moving and the brake comes off.

The gate paddles can be fierce and send a jet of water down the lock. But then several of the locks had quite a few leaky top gates, so much so Mick had to shelter behind the back doors to keep himself dry.

Two chaps from C&RT were getting ready to jet wash around some of the locks, they said they were slippy and with winter maintenance happening soon they were giving the stone work a good clean.

The next lock is currently closed to widebeams as the off side gate has been damaged. The face of it now covered with a sheet of timber and the gate is tied with a cable to prevent anyone from opening it.

Colne Bridge Lock dropped us down into the final pound of the Broad Canal. This is the pound that has been loosing water over the last few weeks. We’ve seen photographs of it just about empty, but thankfully today there was water, it was still low but enough for us to head to Lock 1.

The last of the Huddersfield locks, Cooper Bridge Lock 1

Here we would leave the Huddersfield Canals behind. Lock 1 and Bridge 1.Time to join the river, checking the level board first.

We came from the right through 180 degrees

After a hand brake turn onto the Calder Hebble we pulled in for lunch, then got ready for another short lock, a second Cooper Bridge Lock, this one number 16 not 1.

Time to use our Hebble Spike to help fill the lock. The spike is made from hard wood and is used to gradually wind up the paddles. There are windlass operated paddles too, but more water was needed to help level the lock to open it.

Now we had stretches of river followed by lock cuts. The next lock being Battye Ford Lock, here we knew we’d be able to breath and have a four course meal and still fit.

Through Ledgard Flood Lock it was time to find somewhere suitable to stop, hopefully where Tilly could go out. The first mooring by Lidl has a road running alongside. We carried on to just after an old railway bridge and pulled in, we almost go into the side.

Here there was bracken and some friendly cover before three layers of fencing designed to keep animals out. Well Tilly was soon seen on the other side, it was hardly taxing!

A few angles needed checking for the panto set builders then it was time to put the Wednesday roast in the oven, a medium chicken which turned out to a large in disguise. We’ll be eating a lot of chicken for the next few days.

11 locks, 3 flood locks, 6.32 miles, 1 click and collect, 1 lift bridge, 8 held up, 10 skimpy locks, 1 hand brake turn, 1 giant lock, 3 fences, 1.75kg chicken, 2 fat contended boaters.

https://goo.gl/maps/jGM7BY6PbXbR1Uiv7

Rangerless. 10th October

Lock 31E to Lock 8E

What a beautiful mooring, even if we were on a list and in a winding hole. We woke up this morning quite late considering we’d gone to bed early last night. After a cuppa in bed Mick pulled us forward onto the lock landing to take advantage of the morning sunshine hitting our solar panels.

This morning the battery bank was down to 34% so any solar we could gain today would help this evening, thank goodness for Lithium. We do have lots of night lights, but we’re too old for candle lit dinners!

After breakfast, sausage sarnies to help use up the defrosting freezer, Mick decided to have a go at removing more of the cable from the alternator pulley with the aid of a hacksaw. He allowed himself fifteen minutes and came back with a handful of copper wire. There is still more around the pulley!

Time to get moving, think it was about 10:30, hard to know exactly with no trip computer to refer to. We hoped to make up for yesterday and get a good distance in towards Huddersfield and a good number of locks lower. Richard yesterday said he’d send round a message to other volunteers to see if anyone could help, but sadly we’d not heard from anyone, we’d be on our own.

The sun made the day another stunner. Bright blue skies, views just about everywhere you looked. There were plenty of people out for a walk, some sauntering, others far more serious about it. I was out for a walk to get locks filled ahead and then back to let Oleanna free from the locks above. This of course means walking three times the distance. I kept this up going through the closer locks but stopped when they became a touch too far apart, I was going to walk far enough as it was!

The bywashes were flowing yet we still managed to have one low pound. Between 28E and 27E there is a line of moorings, the paddles on the lock above have stops on them so you can’t flood the pound below. Mick wound the off side paddle up as I walked back from below, then I lifted the other. When it came to lowering the paddles again this proved almost impossible on the off side, as there wasn’t enough space for me to be able to lift the mechanism to release it from the pawl. I tried everything including hitting it with my windlass, in the end I somehow managed to get it moved and lower the paddle.

We’d been warned of a vocal local moored above Lock 26E. I’d already set the lock for us in advance so hoped we wouldn’t get abuse. Anyhow I was hoping to cut him off with what a glorious day it was before he got started. His genny was running and washing hung around the trees. Mick brought Oleanna into the lock, lining her up meant being very close to shouty mans boat. But we did okay and didn’t hear a bean from him, I was slightly disappointed!

Shuttle Lock 24E is a guillotine lock, the top gates are operated as normal but the bottom one has a large metal rising door. Within this is a fairly standard paddle, wound by a windlass. The guillotine gate is also windlass operated, the spindle kept safe from nare do wells by a cover opened with a handcuff key. Six years ago the lock was operated by C&RT as there were safety issues with it. Today try as I might I just couldn’t get the handcuff key to open the cover, it had been over tightened. Mick and I swapped over, in the end the mallet was called for to get it shifted.

Mick worked the lock and I descended into the dark chilly lock with numerous gongoozlers peering down at me. The guillotine raised and below I could see a pipe across the top of the opening at an angle restricting the height somewhat. Our fresh bucket from the toilet only just fitted below it.

The pound below seemed slow going to me and sadly there was nowhere for us to pull in by The Handmade Bakery, a must if you visit Slawit. I got to walk back to lock the guillotine, but had no mask or money to buy Mick a lovely loaf of bread and wish I still could eat their wares, they used to do homemade baked beans on toast!

At Darmouth Lock we missed the jolly waves from Pete’s (Mikron Producer) Mum and Dad who used to live there, earlier this year they moved away. So all we got today was the silhouette of someone sat at a computer screen.

Now in a new channel the canal is low and very narrow, thankfully our bucket fitted here too. Below Pickle Lock 22E there was the Hippie Boat, they were busy and we’d only stopped for a quick lunch, szechuan pork on toast another defrosting thing eaten up. Salmon came out for our evening meal, not much worth saving now.

At 21E Waterside Lock there is a local celebrity, Tinker. Tinker has taken a fancy to sitting around the lock, C&RT have put up signs saying he lives nearby so not to worry, he’s not lost. I thought Tilly could spare a couple of her Dreamies. Well blow me down, Tinker is the first cat I’ve ever met who turned his nose up at them! ‘Well I hadn’t come home had I, I was still out!

The narrow channel beyond reminded me of last time, Frank had joined us to help crew and he’d spotted the bank of Blackberries, he and Mick became mountain goats collecting that nights pudding whilst I stood at the next lock all wrong handed.

I gained two very keen crew a few locks on, they both demanded to help with the gates, then ran down to tell their Dad all about it. The next lock I then had six extra crew, their brothers and sisters and Dad now helping. I hardly had to lift a finger. A close eye was needed to keep everyone safe, Mum and the youngest stood and watched. I asked how it was at home with eight of them. She asked if she could run away with us and pleaded with me to take her with us.

The big Titanic Mill built in 1911 has been converted into 130 apartments and sits proudly at the bottom of the valley. What a lovely place it would be to moor with such a great view, but I seem to remember it being shallow, we still had quite a way to go

Narrow locks, both paddles up to fill locks, overhanging stones locks through Linthwaite.

The pumps have stopped pumping from the river to the canal, the levels are too low

Did you know that in 1931, Bank Bottom Mill in Marsden set a record of 2 hours 10 minutes for making a suit of clothes, direct from sheep to wearer? The cloth industry was big round here.

Back into the woods, my step counter clicking away. There is one pound longer than the others on the eastern side, I could have got a lift, but I’d walked all the way from Marsden so I might as well carry on. This did mean I got to walk over Golcar Aqueduct and see the horseshoe falls on the River Colne.

The final three locks of the day, I was pooped and found bottom paddles left up and gates open, not a welcome sight. But they were soon sorted and we were on our way down. Last time empty pounds had held us up here, today the levels were good.

Last lock of the day Isis Lock 9E, one of the locks on the network with poetry on it’s beams.

We pulled in onto the bollards below, almost into the side. This would do us for the day. The sun had boosted our batteries to 49%, so phones could be charged again. Laptop still off and showers on hold until things improved again.

Salmon pasta and wine tonight, Mick is now 3/4 of the way through the book on the Standedge Tunnels, the most of a book he’s read in years! I wanted to do some crochet, but with Tilly sat on my knee a large blanket would have been too warm for us both.

https://goo.gl/maps/K4WoHm3n8TGpZwAy7

22 locks, 229ft 10″ descended, 4.3 miles (?), 9+ miles walked, 1 more handful of freed wire, 0 rangers, 1 constant stream of walkers, 2nd blog handwritten, 1 more stunning day on the HNC, 1 guillotine, 1 Hippie Boat, 1 Tinker, 3 wasted Dreamies! 2 aching knees, 1 aching back, 1 big sense of achievement, only 8 more locks to go.

Going Down Hill! 9th October

Marsden to Lock 31 via Lock 40/39

The alarm was set to make sure we were up and about in time for the arrival of our CRT Ranger this morning. Richard arrived just before 9 with his wife, sorry we didn’t get your name, she’d come for the walk up and down the locks. Today we’d start our descent from the highest pound on the network.

Richard set the top lock, and we all had a brief chat about how to work the locks. Basically to save as much water as possible the lock below should be set to fill before the one above emptied. This is what we tend to do on a flight anyway.

Mick and I had both imagined that either Richard or I would walk ahead lifting paddles on the lower lock and opening them up. However it didn’t quite start off that way. After lifting paddles I was sent down to open the gates on the next lock. But at that lock both bottom paddles were up, the pound below looking like it needed a refill. I lifted a top paddle to aid the refill, quite a lot of water was already going round the bywash. But how long should I leave it for? I tried phoning back uphill, ‘Yep close it and fill it’.

The pound looked to be improved but was still shallow. As we dropped the next lock Kim arrived walking their dog, could I let her know of any problems down the flight when they come to it on Monday, the next pound was an obvious one!

Richard running back to let more water down

Mick brought Oleanna across the low pound, when he reached lock 40 the depth simply wasn’t enough to get Oleanna over the cill. Richard ran back to let water down and Mick put Oleanna into reverse to get her away from the cill and aid the level in the lock to rise.

As Oleanna reversed there was a sudden screaming coming from the engine bay. A fan belt had gone! Mick lifted the engine board, Yep a belt had gone and taken some cabling with it. The influx of water from above was pushing Oleanna now into the lock, Richards wife and I took the centrelines and pulled her into the lock.

We dropped the lock keeping an eye on her position. Mick checked below, he felt he could start the engine and run it for a short time. This next pound looked to be a better level and we managed to get Oleanna into the side, just putting spikes in was a problem but we got there in the end.

Mick inspected the engine bay further. The Domestic alternator belt had gone and as it did so it had taken out quite a lot of cables. We have spare belts and in fact at the next service Mick was going to change them. A call to RCR was made to see if they could help. It took a while before they rang back suggesting it might be 3 or 4 this afternoon before someone could get to us.

This wasn’t going to be a quick fix, so we thanked Richard and his wife for their help, he gave us his notes on the locks, so we’d know where we might have problems. Richard is normally a ranger for the Broad Canal, he very kindly offered to return should we get moving again, or maybe be able to help us tomorrow.

Our mooring was okay for Tilly to go out and we got to hear several of the stages placed around Marsden for the Jazz Festival taking place this weekend. I dropped in to say hello on the Geraghty zoom as I couldn’t be much help in the engine bay or hunting for friends.

Mick got down in the engine bay to clear the wires. Orange, Red and Green has been severed, but what did they all do? That didn’t matter really as one of the cables had managed to wrap itself around the alternator in such a way that he couldn’t get it off.

Time for lunch, well that’s what Tilly thought as she returned on board with a friend. She and her friend were very quickly lifted back outside where she and I discovered that her friend had been playing dead, it scurried off ending up in our well deck! I hunted round for it, Tilly did too with her head down between the boat and the bank, right in the crush zone. After she was put inside I found the mouse which ended up running back the way it had come. This could mean it was either back on the bank, in the canal or in the starboard side locker, possibly having gone down the vent pipe to get cosy around the water tank. Here’s hoping it wasn’t the latter.

Kim and Yan came to see if they could help, then the chap from RCR arrived, a local mechanic from the other side of the tunnel. Mick and he descended into the engine bay. Phone calls were made, discussions had, it wasn’t sounding good.

In the end the chap couldn’t help, the alternator would need to be removed then the pulley as the cable had got itself round and under it. This needed a puller to remove it which the chap didn’t have. The good news was that we could move just our domestic batteries wouldn’t charge without the belt. The engineer suggested getting to Aspley Basin where assistance should be easier to get. Because we were able to move we wouldn’t be covered by our RCR membership. If there was a mooring available in Huddersfield we’d at least be able to plug in and charge the batteries.

The boat was put into serious energy conservation. The freezer was turned off. Hopefully the contents, which I’d been depleting anyway, would last us a couple of days as they defrosted. All sockets were switched off, leaving just the one USB socket powered from the batteries so that we could charge our phones. Phones would only be used for essential use and the laptop would remain off unless needed for work.

We decided to move down 8 locks to get closer to Huddersfield today. There wouldn’t be enough daylight left to reach Slaithwaite but hopefully we’d be able to pull in above Lock 31.

We worked our way down the pretty flight, plenty of walkers making comments. The lock below was filling before we emptied the one above, well apart from at 33 where I wound a paddle up and was on my way back quickly, quite a long walk, to let Oleanna out of 34. When we returned 33 was still empty. Grrr! I’d found a none working hydraulic paddle and had walked tall that way three times for nothing!

Wild swimmers were getting ready for a dip in Sparth Reservoir above the canal, below the canal the other reservoir sat empty, the mud drying out well.

We tried pulling in near another boat but only got stuck on a submerged object almost mid channel. Onwards we continued ending up where we’d had lunch six years ago. Normally we’d not moor in a winding hole, but here the only downhill boat would be NB Idleness and they wouldn’t be coming for a couple of days, uphill boats were unlikely as there were no tunnel passages until Monday, we doubted we’d see another moving boat, if we were in anyone’s way we’d happily move.

Tilly was given an hour and a half which she took once there was a big enough gap between walkers and woofers to dash to the nearby trees and friendly cover. Inside the fridge was now turned off, we’d rather survive with the water pump working and light than have chilled milk and wine!

*Come on Woofers! Don’t you know the clock is ticking!*

Tonight we had sticky American Chicken cooked on the hob and stove top, followed by melting Soleros from the freezer, spoons were required. Some sausages were brought out to finish defrosting for a sarnie in the morning.

Couldn’t see chilled medication go to waste

I darned a hole in one of Mick’s jumpers, he read Trevor’s book on the tunnels and we were ready for bed by 10pm, no news for us tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny to get us as close to Huddersfield as we can. Sadly Richard can’t help, he sent out messages to other volunteers, but nobody has been back in touch. So it looks like we’ll be on our own, 22 locks shouldn’t be too much of a problem, should it?

Hopefully the solar will give us enough reserves for light and water for another day.

Have to say it’s a very beautiful spot to be moored in, which we’d have missed on our original schedule.

11 locks, 1 and a bit miles, 1 trip computer switched off, 1 very helpful Richard, -1 belt, 3 cables, 1 unknown green one, 44% to 42% before bedtime, 2 top outsides, 1 lost friend, 1 hand written blog post, 8 pages, 1 jazz festival, 1 early night, 2 Mrs Tilly stamps.

https://goo.gl/maps/tL8dgu4f6EAi4SCm9

No One Can Hear You Scream! 8th October

….. to Marsden Pipe Bridge

Straight away we had a request from Trevor at the helm to adjust our tunnel lamp, to point it straight ahead. Mick did so, then we didn’t hear another word from Trevor for almost two hours.

Last time we’d both been on the back, our volunteer/guide gave us a fascinating running commentary as well as guidance to Mick at the helm. So much history and interesting facts was passed onto us. Sitting at the stern meant there was a limited amount you could see though. My photos were pants!

Sooty brickwork from the days of steam trains

This time sat in the bow I had my camera on handheld intelligent night auto mode along with the camera on my phone, both fully charged. Our volunteer Trevor, had turned out to be the author of a book all about The Standedge Tunnels (available from here), he’d become a member of the Huddersfield Canal Society in 1976 so if anyone knew their stuff about the tunnels he did. Just a big big shame there was about 50ft between us all. We did however buy a copy off him which he signed for us before entering the tunnel.

There are four tunnels in all through the hill, the canal being the first to be built and it was then used to remove the spoil from the construction of the railway tunnels, two of which are now disused. Each tunnel is connected, walkways cross above the canal, and the support van drives through another alongside.

The railway tunnel crosses over the canal twice through the hill and when a train passes mist collects in front of you which then gets dragged away with the motion of the train, quite eerie!

At the western end the tunnel was extended when the last railway tunnel was built, so you start off in a brick arch, then a flat roofed section.

All the way through different surfaces surround you, it’s like being in a 1970’s DR Who set at times, except this isn’t made from polystyrene!

Brick arches.

Bare rock that was blasted away, the drill holes for the dynamite quite visible towards the eastern end.

A mixture of rock and brick, sometimes brick above, sometimes below.

Then the creepier sections where concrete has been sprayed onto the bare rock to help stabilise it. This is very Dr Who or Star Trek, Captain Kirk would have set his phaser to stun! The spraycrete was done during the restoration of the canal.

At times the tunnel twisted in front of us, dug out from the ends and from the bottom of shafts the tunnel went off course several times. There are now several S bends

Other places big bolts have been drilled into the rock face to hold it all back. The ends painted yellow so you can see them better, or know when one of them is going to scrape down your cabin side! There are numerous places where the sides of the tunnel look to jut out further then the gunnels of your boat!

I believe there are four wide sections, passing places. These tend to have wider brick arches helping to support the roof line. When boats were originally legged through the tunnel, it took four hours, this is where the boats going in different directions could pass. But the boatmen meeting elsewhere in the tunnels would refuse to go backwards to the next passing place, so two way traffic was abandoned. Official leggers were employed with traffic going in one direction for four hours before the direction changed. This then led to queues to get down locks at either end of the tunnel.

Numerous gaps go off to the sides, some marked as exits, others marked with no exit.

As you approach each of the four adits a security light can be seen on the tunnel roof. Motion activated, the lights come on, a ticking noise can be heard as we passed. Apparently Tunnel Control would be able to tell that we’d passed each adit because of this. However not calling in would mean we didn’t know if there was a problem up ahead.

Walkways from the old rail tunnel to the new

The tunnel was built with quite a few air shafts. None of these can be seen now, well some are around 500ft deep! But you certainly know when you pass under most of them as this is where the water tends to get in. The further east we got the more water cascaded in. Waterproof coats did a good job, but when a flood hits the locker you are sitting on you also need waterproof trousers or better still a swimming costume! I got soaked twice and stood up for the last one, but still I was soaked through to my knickers!

But how was Tilly faring? I was glad we’d kept her confined to our end of the boat. I could see her most of the time and she could see us too.

Well who stole the sun?!

I’m kind of used to bridges stealing it, although I do tend to duck when that happens. Tunnels are worse as they usually time their theft of the sun with me requiring to use shore based facilities, very inconsiderate! Yes I know I can see in the dark but I’d rather not have to when visiting my box.

Apparently Tom moved this tunnel once, before I came to be second mate. He bumped into it two times, She is quite proud of that. But today they were not where they should have been, I could see them, slacking at the front! They’d left it to Hard Head Tom to move the outside today.

BUMP, scrape, BANG!!! I sat on the floor not wanting to see what Hard Head Tom was doing to the outside, well lets face it I was really the only one who could see everything properly. BANG!!! How many more times!

I screamed at She and Tom to go and sort it all out, but they couldn’t hear me. Maybe I could do something? But black stuff was over the emergency bathroom gap, how was I meant to escape if I needed to!

BANG BIFF Scrrrrrrapppe!

In the end I decided that there was nothing I could do but to curl up on the bed and pretend everything was okay. Maybe this was going to be it for the rest of our lives! I certainly didn’t sleep. Who’d be able to sleep with no sun to warm your back and all that noise!

As we approached the last adit I could see the lights from the trip boat ahead, quite a distance off.

A torch light was flashed from the adit. John, the volunteer who’d driven through in a van was waiting for us. He informed us that the trip boat was in the tunnel, but we should just keep going.

After at least a year of my life Tom came through the bedroom, he had a hard head to put on too. Gradually the sun fought it’s way back into the cabin pushing away the tunnel. I could tell Tom was back moving everything, it got quieter and lighter.

Mick had walked through for the very last part of the tunnel. This was so that the boat could be stopped at the tunnel portal to hand all the safety equipment to shore with ease. A plastic crate of first aid, life jackets and a large fire extinguisher were handed ashore. Just a case of retrieving the light from the bow.

We pulled in to where the little shuttle boat moors, it had just headed to the top of the locks to drop people off near the station.

Time to thank Trevor who admitted he’d bumped Oleanna a couple of times! There was nothing to see on the port side, but then he did favour starboard side in the tunnel.

As we pushed off past the visitor centre a train sped past and into the rail tunnel, the sun shone brightly, as much as the tunnel is fascinating it was good to be back in the light.

We pulled in at the top of the locks, the first stretch a touch shallow for us so we hoped that further towards the lock would be better for NB Idleness. A quick check up and down the starboard cabin side of Oleanna, a couple of lines which when rubbed vanished. Our passage may have been a touch noisy at times, but other than a couple of new scrapes on the gunnels there was not one scratch. Thank you Trevor for looking after Oleanna, maybe I should have repainted the grab rails earlier in the year after all.

Time to check on Tilly, get changed and have lunch. All was fine with our little thug, who within half an hour of arriving used her on board facilities. Well I couldn’t hold on any longer and you weren’t letting me out!

What a great day. Thank you to all the volunteers who make the passage through the longest, highest, deepest tunnel on the network possible.

0 locks, 3.76 miles, 1 tunnel, 3 miles underground, 1hour 48 minutes, 1 more wonder of the waterways for Oleanna and Tilly, 3 boats, 3 volunteers, 2 crew in the front, 2 soaked boaters, 17 years, 1 screaming cat, 2 nav lights in tact, 2 more scrapes on the gunnels added to the 5678 which were already there.

https://goo.gl/maps/qbzszmzTKAy1D1p9A

Heading Into The Dark. 8th October

Diggle to …..

The alarm was set and we were up and about having breakfast ready to push off in plenty of time. It seemed like it was going to be a rather nice day, not that we’d notice it in the tunnel!

We moved up to the west or south portal of the tunnel at 9am, the gates already open and waiting. Time to fill the water tank to help Oleanna sit as low as possible in the water for her trip through. Once she was full we pulled her back from the water point (much better pressure than at the slow tap at Wool Road).

This morning there was one boat heading east to west, they most probably set off at 8:30, so there was still plenty of time to get Oleanna ready for her trip, the first boat at our end wouldn’t set off until 11:30.

Yesterday evening the boat that has been following us arrived, this morning they had called Tunnel Control and managed to change their passage booking for Monday morning. The rush to return to their mooring is due to a relative being very poorly, they were hoping that the chaps at the tunnel today would be able to add them to todays passages. However no body was here but us. The volunteers wouldn’t turn up until nearer 10:30, so they headed back for breakfast.

Yan and Kim soon joined us on NB Idleness pulling in behind.

The cratch cover was removed and stowed inside. Then the pram cover and frame came off and slotted in behind the dinette table. Tilly’s Escape Pod was zipped together ready should it be required. The gap at the bottom of the bathroom door into the main cabin was taped up with gaffa, meaning we’d be able to contain Tilly to one end of the boat. I hoped this would be enough as on the tunnel guidance it suggests all pets should be restrained inside your boat, if they won’t be able to handle the tunnel someone should take them over the top. Tilly’s Escape Pod is a favourite place for her, until the door gets closed! This would freak her out more, so I hoped we’d done enough.

Brushes and hooks were laid in the gutters on the roof. All but the strawberry plants from the well deck were moved inside into the shower to give us more space at the front. Mick decided to wait to see what the volunteers thought before removing our nav lights, not wanting to break the seal between them and the cabin side, helping to keep rust at bay.

At around 10:30 a C&RT van arrived, the chaps from NB Faggle Three went up to chat with them and explain their situation. They then headed off to get their boat to be measured. If it fitted then the volunteers would accommodate them.

Soon a tunnel light appeared at the portal the west bound boat with a well deck full of people, a volunteer and helms person at the stern. They all looked a tad wet!

Out came the official measuring stick, a large aluminium L shape. Oleanna had her vital statistics taken. To the top of the bags of coal she was 5ft 10″, across the cabin top 4ft 11″ and draught 2ft 4″. She passed! Mick asked about the nav lights. It was suggested that it was best he removed them rather than the tunnel! NB Idleness was measured, she passed. By now NB Fraggle Three had pulled up. Her vital statistics measured and passed too.

Yan, Kim, Mick and I had conferred, if the extra boat fitted then we would let them go first as they were hoping to make it as far as Slaithwaite today, this would give them at least another hour and a half, we would be stopping in Marsden for the night.

The chaps rushed to take the pram cover off their boat and pulled up to the water point where their volunteer loaded all the safety equipment on board, handed out high vis and hard hats and they were off, into the tunnel.

Next a discussion as to who would be at the helm of Oleanna for the trip. Last year the volunteers were not working and only one boat could go through the tunnel in each direction a day, helmed by a C&RT employee, all crew on board had to be sat at the bow. This year the volunteers are back, two boats in each direction, three times a week. It is up to the volunteer whether they can socially distance themselves on your boat. 2m distance had been reduced to 1m in September. If there wasn’t the space they drive. For NB Idleness with it’s trad stern there was no question, but Oleanna being a semi trad?

The volunteer said he would drive her through, but he also quite fancied Mick doing it too. Mick had been quite looking forward to being able to sit in the bow and actually see things rather than concentrating all the way and not getting chance to look round.

Decision was made Trevor would be at the helm. This however meant that we wouldn’t be able to do the usual stops at the safety adits to call through to tunnel control. John another volunteer would have shadowed NB Fraggle Three through by van in an old railway tunnel, he would wait for us at the last adit to check on us.

Here we go (thank you Yan for the photos)

Tunnel control were consulted and we were given a time to enter the tunnel. Kim and Yan had another cuppa and a bacon butty, they would have to wait for at least 3/4 of an hour after we’d gone in, maybe more as their volunteer had taken the first boat through and needed to returned by van for them.

Our gas was turned off at the bottles. Extra lights were put on the hatch and gas locker. Mick was given a hard hat and high vis just in case he needed to take over at the helm. We popped our life jackets over our waterproof coats, untied and at 12:20 we pushed off into the dark.

Summit Of Summits. 7th October

Wool Road Winding Hole to Diggle, the summit of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal

As we got ready to leave this morning the chap from the boat in front appeared with a billy can full of coal which he proceeded to give to me. He’d taken his stove out several months ago, so had no need of it.

He bought his boat in May as a project boat and was due to have a new stove fitted before now, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened. I suggested he might want to hold onto the coal to help keep warm, but he still wanted to give it to us. I suspect it was in his way. He grew up around Tunnel End in Marsden, before the tunnel was reopened he and his mates used to play in it, he says there is graffiti from the original navies who cut the tunnel. We wished him good luck with the work on his boat, his next aim is to get to Marsden, then who knows!

Time to climb the last few locks. The last nine locks to the summit are all relatively close together, infact today we only moved a mile horizontally but 94ft 6″ vertically.

The angled paddle gear wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, several of them having had hydraulic mechanisms added to them. Six years ago we had enlisted crew to assist due to me not being able to use my right hand at the time. Using a windlass wrong handed was a challenge as I tried to do my bit. Today my long reach windlass was only needed some of the time.

Our main problem today would be the low pound between locks 26W and 27W. As I arrived to open the gates into 26W above looked really rather low, would there be sufficient water left after filling the lock to get Oleanna over the cill? The bottom gates leaked, she rose, we pushed the gate open, it was touch and go from my reckoning that there’d be enough water.

I walked up to 27W, the level above much healthier, in fact the bywash was running. I lifted the paddles on the bottom gates and then the top gates and let water run down through the lock. I made note of where I thought I could drop the level above to for us still to be able to get over the cill of this lock.

Below Mick had closed the gate again, hoping to stop the pound from draining as much as I was filling it. He then refilled the lock, opened the gate and gradually inched his way out of the lock and over the cill. A big thumbs up was given and I could now drop the paddles at the top end of my lock.

There was now the pound to cross which took quite sometime! As Oleanna approached the bottom cill of the lock Mick gave her quite a few revs before cutting them and thankfully gliding into the lock at a slow pace. Now to see if I’d let too much water down to be able to get over the top cill of this lock. There was just enough! Phew!

Onwards and upwards we worked, the single bottom gates meaning less walking round, but heavier to move. The last pound between 31W and 32W was also a touch low, but thankfully passable, no need to draw on the 3 plus miles of the summit pound.

As the top gate opened of Lock 32W Oleanna had reached the highest point on the Canal Network, tomorrow she will bag her next wonder of the waterways, but getting this far is a wonder in itself.

We pulled up in front of NB Idleness a tug who will also be going through the tunnel tomorrow, Kim and I had been in touch through facebook over the last week. So there was plenty to chat about on our arrival. They are longer than us at around 60ft and had been asking how easy or hard it would be to go down the Huddersfield Broad Canal.

Tilly came out for an explore as we chatted, but after a lady walking by mentioned she’d just seen a couple of Mink I decided that maybe Tilly should return indoors. After seeing how quickly a mink grabbed and dragged a pigeon down a tree earlier this summer I thought it would be safer.

After lunch we walked down hill slightly to Grandpa Greens for some celebratory chilled medication. Signs all around the building suggest that they have had queues round the block, but today we only had to wait for one other person to be served. Sadly no gluten free cones so I had to make do with a tub instead.

Mick had Belgium chocolate and Salted Caramel whilst I had Raspberry Ripple and Nutella. Both very nice and a fitting celebration for reaching the summit of summits.

The Huddersfield Canal is the highest canal on the network at 645ft above sea level. Next is the Rochdale at 600ft, followed by the Macclesfield and Peak Forest at 518ft, Titford Canal BCN at 511ft, Leeds Liverpool at 487ft the last two surprising us not to be the other way round.

The afternoon was spent preparing ourselves for tomorrow. The highest point on Oleanna we know to be the horns at the front, the chimney used to be similar until we had some cut off. Mick undid the supports that the horns sit on and tucked them under the bracket that normally holds them off the cratch cover. This will have gained us at least another 3 inches clearance, which we might be glad of if someone else drives Oleanna through the tunnel.

Another job today was sussing out whether we’ve been charging enough for our house. We’ve already had an enquiry for a few weeks next year. Now that we have been paying the bills for a full year we know what it costs to run the house.

I made up a chicken and roast carrot risotto with the last of our Sunday roast and popped it in the oven before I got together with my Scarborough chums for our weekly catch up. It was good to see those who could make it and today was the first time we’ve had two people on boats, me and Sue who is currently on holiday in Greece sailing.

9 locks, 94ft 6″ climbed, 1 mile, 32 locks up, 645ft, 1 summit pound, 1 billy can of coal, 1 dodgy pound, 1 foot of water, 2 boats waiting for the tunnel, 3 by the end of the day, 2 scoops each, 2 horns lowered, 2 hours shore leave, 2 mink! 5 chums, 1 pot of oven risotto, yummy!

The yarn shop I’ve just spotted on the map at Warth Mill has been added to the ‘next time’ list!

https://goo.gl/maps/Vyq12X4mj5NKCTN36

Five Foot Three By Five Foot. 6th October

Roach Lock to Wool Road Winding Hole

The chaps on the other boat were out and about this morning as we pushed off. One chap was measuring their cabin, he wasn’t sure they’d fit through Standedge Tunnel. There are strict maximum dimensions that your boat must fit due to the dimensions of the tunnel, yes it does get tight in places. Maximum height above the water 6ft 2″, maximum draught 3ft 3″, width 6ft 10″, length 70ft.

Then there is the height of your cabin corners above the water compared with the width across the top. There is a handy chart here. When we were on the River Wey we measured Oleanna at a bridge where we knew the height. Oleanna measured 1.87m or there abouts to the top of her horns, so just under the maximum height for Standedge, we can always remove the horns if we need to.

The chap with the tape measure said they had discovered that their booking wasn’t until a week on Friday, not this Friday. They are heading back to their mooring and with the Rochdale and Leeds Liverpool both closed it was the Narrow or the Trent to get home and there is a matter of flying away on holiday in a couple of weeks time too.

We left them to it and turned to face the hills ahead.

What a stunning day!

I could just leave it at that, because it really was glorious. The sun shone, bright blue skies, views across the valley, trees on the cusp of autumn. Yesterdays dampness just evaporated away. Wonderful.

Bridge 85 is called Division Bridge. This used to mark the boundary between Yorkshire and Lancashire, the name suggesting the counties rivalry with each other in times gone by. Oleanna crossed the old boundary, the next lock in Old Yorkshire was the first to not have locks on the paddle gear! This of course didn’t last long as they were reintroduced at the next lock.

Views through the trees across the valley, the peaty water and the sunshine. I soon had to make a change to my leg attire and layers came off from walking and paddle winding.

Royal George Mills sits by Lock 19W which shares it’s name. Built in 1786, by 1870 it specialised in the production of felt and the manufacture of flags. During the 20th C they specialised in two forms of felt, Technical felt used in machinery and Taper Hammer Felt used on the hammers on pianos, the mill was renowned for it throughout the world.

A couple of community raised beds sit alongside the lock, it looks like strawberries, tomatoes and mint were the main crops. Only green tomatoes today, all the strawberries long gone.

The spire of Christchurch Friezland reminded Mick of a wedding he’d once attended there.

Next Frenches Wharf Marina. Here six years ago we’d wondered if the grey box was a pump out machine, it turned out not to be. We also wanted a Saturday newspaper so paused to head to Tescos behind, there being no rings handy Mick was left holding Lillian whilst the shopping was done.

Beside the marina there is a big new development, houses and flats all built/clad with stone that has been given a black tint presumably to meld in with other buildings in the area. I wonder whether this coating weathers in time and will be self cleaning returning to a natural stone look rather than the grimy mill look?

We now started to get gongoozlers, the area around Uppermill and Dobcross a magnet for tourists. Oleanna ducked under the new High Street Bridge and I walked up to open the lock, the off side gate windlass operated as there’s not enough space for a full length beam.

Only one boat on the visitor moorings here which was a bit of a surprise, but then the road is close by and there is a lot of tree coverage for solar to be any good. One day we will stop and have a bit more of an explore, the Saddleworth Museum going on the ‘next time’ list.

A couple sat with their two dogs and watched us come up Dungebooth Lock. As Oleanna started to appear from below the side of the lock one of the dogs was not happy! He barked and barked at this growing thing from the deep. When the chap decided to tap Oleanna’s gunnel I suggested he should watch out as Tilly might make an appearance!

Then Lime Kiln Lock, the sun being out gave me plenty of photo opportunities. Saddleworth Viaduct towers high above the canal. The arch that spans the cut adjusted to make everything work. The pillars are all square on until you get to the canal, here the down hill face is narrower and angles towards the lock, the curved arch above set on a skew.

This is where I took my favourite photo of our last trip up here with Kath (Mick’s sister) and Sean walking up to the lock. Mick says he’s glad we don’t have a 70ft boat as it was hard enough to line Oleanna up to get in the lock.

Think this is my favourite photo from today

Here I met my first angled paddle gear, there is most probably a better name for them but angled will do for me. Normally paddles are lifted straight up. The deeper the water the more pressure on them. These paddles lift at an angle. This increases the water pressure on them, making them that bit harder to lift (my theory). Repositioning the windlass was needed to get more purchase, but with patience you can avoid getting a hernia.

Will the tunnel be able to stop this tag?

Gongoozlers stood and watched, asked questions, but no-one had that glint in their eye wanting to open the gate for me. Ah well! A chap warned us that a boat was coming down the locks above. Time to claim a mooring.

There was one boat moored by the car park opposite Wool Road Service Block, we pulled in behind doing our best not to annoy a fisherman. This would do us for the day, the last nine locks reserved for tomorrow. Sadly being almost part of a car park Tilly had to just sit and look at the sideways trees.

As we had lunch the downhill boat came past, the only boat through the tunnel, east to west today and Shire Cruiser Hire boat, the first on coming boat we’ve seen since being on the narrow. After lunch we headed off for a walk, well we couldn’t waste the sunshine! We walked up Standedge Road then veered off onto Huddersfield Road taking the lower route through Diggle. Diggle Chippy looked inviting, but as there was no mention of gluten free fish we refrained.

Warth Mill was built in 1919 and in 1929 it started to produce tyre fabric for the growing automotive industry. In it’s heyday it was producing nearly 50 tons a week. Thankfully when production ceased the Mill was made available for a collection of small businesses which still use it today.

We walked up to the tunnel entrance where the railway thunders alongside. All calm on our side of the fence.

Mick peeked through the gate and said ‘Hello!’ Either nobody was at the other end to respond or we didn’t wait long enough for their greeting to come back to us.

Returning to the boat we followed the canal and locks downhill. Plenty of room for us to moor up away from the tunnel entrance. Then Grandpa Greens Chilled Medication Emporium, we’ll be visiting there tomorrow!

We took note of any low pounds, the same as they were six years ago between 27W and 26W. Maybe overnight the levels would improve, maybe they’d get worse, we’ll see. A quick measure of our cabin corners from the water level just incase. 5ft 3″ then 5ft across the cabin top, well within the limits. Phew!

9 locks, 97ft 3″ climbed, 2.66 miles, 1 downhill boat, 1 shadow boat, 0 shore leave, 1 glorious day boating, now you don’t get views like that on the Ashby

https://goo.gl/maps/vJDXUCxVU9oWJz8G8

Proper Pennine Precipitation. 5th October

Tesco’s Stalybridge to Roaches Winding Hole

It’s not often we push off in the rain, but with a tunnel booked we want to keep moving, anyway the forecast had been for rain in the afternoon not morning!

Up 7W already a little bit damp at the seams. This is surrounded by apartment’s that were built after the reopening of the canal in 2001, good views over the canal. Photos of the lock being built. The new stretch through town could really do with someone adopting it and giving it a good weed, maybe the council used to do this but it’s been cut back on financially.

The canal now follows the River Tame. Power lines head off in all directions from a substation. When the canal was being restored one pylon had been built over the cut. Instead of going round it the canal narrows to the width of a narrow lock and goes right underneath it.

Up 8W and we pulled in at the service block. Here there is water, toilets, elsan, shower and bins with what must be a C&RT yard behind it. Not the most romantic of locations with the razor wire along the top of the walls!

We topped up on water, put a load of washing on, Tilly got a fresh pooh box, the yellow water was disposed off and we got damper.

Constant rain turned into proper Pennine Autumn Half Term rain, the sort where your Mum says ‘It’s character building’! No it’s just WET. All we wished was that Tilly was busy inside relighting the stove that had gone out during the night, the heat ripple from the chimney would have given us something to look forward to. Oh well!

Not willing to jump to the bank from the stern, it was better to access the towpath from the bow as the canal wasn’t really built for stopping, so the sides can be rather shallow. Locks 9W and 10W are close together. In the past leaking gates and not enough water in the pound between have caused problems with boats getting stuck on the cill with water lowering in the lock. Today filling 9W certainly stopped the bywash and dropped the level in the pound, I dropped the water from 10W, that along with a flow of water from elsewhere kept Oleanna off the cill and safe.

I’m sure there used to be a levels board at one of the locks here that warned you if the levels were too low, but today it wasn’t to be found. The problems must have been solved.

Next Scout Tunnel, or Dave’s Tunnel to us. Remedial work was needed here, much of it similar to that done in Standedge. Parts of the tunnel are lined in brick others are bare rock where rock bolts were used to stabilize it. There is a towpath that runs through the 188m tunnel, if you walk you need to take care not to bump your head.

Ducks were hanging out enjoying the rain. We’d already spotted a drenched Mandarin Spring Roll Duck, but the one here looked all preened and ready to impress. They are such tarts of ducks!

At Lock 13 we could see up the hillsides a spire poking up into the sky. Not sure which church this is as I can’t find one on the map with a suitable spire.

Woodend Lock 14W sits round a slight bend, alongside Woodend Mill. The mill was built around 1830-40 and was an integrated cotton mill, meaning that weaving and spinning processes both took place here. Now it looks like the mill is used by different people for different things, workshops, upholstery, a dog stood gazing out across the valley. Up on the top floor someone has installed what looks like white French windows with railings across them.

Not far now. Below Roaches Lock is where we moored six years ago. We had a feeling it was hard to get into the side then and fairly soon we were reminded of it. There was one boat already moored up, the gap ahead of them had something big below the water. Then a stretch of stone bank has fallen in, but in the end we got close enough to the side to be happy. With plenty of friendly cover before the river Tilly was allowed shore leave, although she spent a lot of time coming and going making the most of ‘Thank you for coming home’ Dreamies!

The stove was lit and we dried out during the afternoon as wind and rain came down outside. A couple of hours after we’d settled another boat arrived, it was the same boat that had turned up yesterday afternoon in Stalybridge. Mick had chatted with them yesterday, they are also booked for the tunnel on Friday but had been hoping to get through tomorrow! We suspect they are not totally aware of Standedge Tunnel and how much it differs from Harecastle or Blisworth and that C&RT are quite unlikely to be able to add you to the list of boats who’d already booked. Their rush however towards the summit has slowed as they stayed put for the night.

8 locks, 83ft 9″ climbed, 3.28 miles, 1 moving boat behind us, 1 full water tank, 1 empty wee tank, 0 rubbish, 1 parsley plant sent to heaven, 1 thoroughly wet day, 1 frustrated designer, 0 pubs visited, 1 stove lit , 7 pancakes, 4 savoury, 3 sweet.

https://goo.gl/maps/HW8ySNT5U58HqBT49

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna