Water Levels

We left Brighouse with another narrowboat and so were able to share the locks which are shorter than those on other canals.  Manoeuvring both boats in and shutting the gates was sometimes a bit tricky.  The canal follows a wooded route through the Calder Valley and has an excellent towpath which is also a cycleway.  When walking with Bess and Brin I had to watch out for speeding cyclists.   At Elland the towpath takes a detour through an alley and up on to the main road to cross over to the other side of the canal, a bit of a mystery tour until you spot where the towpath starts again.  

At Salterhebble the bottom lock has an electric guillotine gate which replaced the original lock gates in the 1930s when a new road bridge encroached on the available space.   The other two locks at Salterhebble were manned by volunteers who warned us the water levels were low between the locks.  Happily we sailed through without any problem. 

Salterhebble guillotine lock - the grey box on the right is the control panel.  

The Calder and Hebble connects with the Rochdale canal in the busy boating town of Sowerby Bridge.  The hire boat company, Shire Cruisers, occupies one of the many wharves whilst the others are used for private and visitor moorings.   Enormous stone warehouses and other buildings crowd around the wharves and apart from the use of the buildings this area has hardly changed since the canal's heyday.  

Warehouses and the busy canal basin at Sowerby Bridge

On canals the locks are numbered, heading out of Sowerby Bridge the Rochdale Canal has Lock 3/4.  This isn't a watery route to Hogwarts but at 19 feet 8 inches  it is the deepest lock in the country and replaced the original locks 3 and 4.   The lock enabled the Rochdale Canal to be reopened in 1996 but the waterway was only completely reopened to Manchester in 2002. 

Lock 3/4 also known as Tuel Lane Lock

The Rochdale Canal is notorious for it's low water levels so we decided, as did several other boaters, to catch the train to Hebden Bridge and Todmorden.  

The dry weather came to an end with a big thunderstorm, luckily Bess and Brin weren't upset by it.  On the journey back to Brighouse we noticed the water levels were up and as we rounded a corner a willow tree was down across the canal.  There was just enough room for us to squeeze through but I had to move everything which could get caught up off the roof.  

Back at Brighouse Kev recognised Chris and Bernie, boaters who we enjoyed travelling with in 2011 on a holiday to Newark so we enjoyed a good chat.  On Saturday night heavy rain put the River Calder in flood, preventing boaters travelling to or from Brighouse.  During Sunday a queue of boats developed and a constant procession of boaters walked to the lock to check the water level indicator board.  This remained on red,  "Do not proceed", until tea time when the water had subsided enough for amber, "proceed with caution", to show.   By mid-morning Monday the water level was back down to green and the queue of boats had long gone so we set off on our return journey. 

The River Calder flooding - the river jetty is underwater with just the tops of the mooring bollards showing.  

Our journey from Brighouse to Sowerby Bridge and back. 

Lazy Days

From Bramwith we sailed up the New Junction Canal and headed west on the Aire and Calder, taking our time in the heatwave.   At Ferrybridge the canal joins the River Aire which wends it's way past Ferrybridge power station and it's abandoned coal wharves.  Further on the woodlands of Fairburn Ings nature reserve line the river bank. 

At Castleford we were surprised to see Trev and Sandra, the couple we travelled with from Bingley and through Leeds.  Brinny and Bess were excited to see their dogs although it was a bit hot for chasing round.    

View from the footbridge over Castleford flood lock towards the visitor moorings.  The lock is an unusual shape and the  gates are open because the river levels are low. 

From Castleford we headed west on the River Calder.  At Whitwood an orange buoy marks the position of a large sandbar which juts out into the river.  I wish it'd been there a few years ago, it would've prevented me running us aground.  

We stopped at Stanley Ferry which has a Canal & River Trust workshop that specialises in replacement lock gates.  The finished gates are stacked in the yard and kept soaked with water pumps.  They won't be fitted until winter when the canal can be closed.  

Stanley Ferry yard, the finished gates are stacked on the left. 

The canal splits to be carried over the River Calder on two parallel aqueducts.  The first is reputed to be the largest cast iron aqueduct in the world.  The trough holding the canal is supported by iron bars connecting it to the two arches and it was opened in 1839, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built on the same principle.  The second aqueduct was built in 1981 as an alternative crossing to prevent damage to the historic structure. 

The Stanley Ferry cast iron aqueduct, taken as we sail over the modern structure.  

 Stanley Ferry has good visitor moorings and a pub selling real ale so we stayed awhile to enjoy the sunshine and the occasional cold beer. 
     
The Aire and Calder Navigation ends at Fall Ings Lock, Wakefield, and from here we're sailing on the Calder and Hebble Navigation.  Fall Ings Lock was a taste of things to come.  The lock gates were heavy and difficult to open but the lock gear was so stiff Kev had to take over.  When it became apparent most of the locks would follow suit Kev took over the lock duties.  To complicate matters the locks had a unique contraption on some of the gate paddles, a small iron wheel has to be turned with a wooden lever, known as a "handspike" to raise the sluices.   We have a handspike but it is cumbersome to use.   Luckily half the locks on this stretch are flood locks and are left open unless the rivers are flooding.   

On the outskirts of Huddersfield we turned onto the Kirklees Cut and then back on to the River Calder which took us to Brighouse, a small industrial town which is a good place to stop for the weekend.

Our journey from Bramwith to Brighouse

Past Times

From Viking Marina we  took a steady trip down memory lane.  Our first stop was at the top of the New Junction Canal.  The next morning our ropes started creaking, an indication of water movement often caused by a commercial barge.  A little later Humber Pride, an oil tanker, came over the Went Aqueduct.  Humber Pride and Humber Princess are the last commercial barges running regularly to Rotherham.    

Humber Pride fills the narrow Went Aqueduct as it returns to Goole

Our route alternates between canal and river with electric locks between them.  The Doncaster to Rotherham railway line runs alongside and crosses our path on a very dilapidated  bridge at Conisborough.  Braces and cables appear to be keeping up the bridge which I used to travel across daily on my commute to Sheffield.   In comparison Conisborough Viaduct, which is no longer used, has elegant arches which span the Don Valley.

Conisbrough Viaduct

At Swinton we moored near Waddingtons boatyard, once a thriving barge business but sadly no longer operating.  The fleet of 90 has been reduced to a dozen and the yard is now used, by Waddingtons which is still owned by the family,  to dismantle the boats for scrap.   A poignant end to this once famous fleet.

Some of Waddington's remaining barges.  Resilience, on the left, was used by Acasters to transport a transformer to Newark last year.  The yard is on the right hand side of the photo.  

On a happier note the window sill of an old wharfe building at Mexborough was the home for 3 owl chicks who looked out as we passed.

Our journey on the South Yorkshire Navigation was punctuated by shopping trips.  At Aldwarke we stopped to shop at ASDA which is conveniently next to the lock.  Wheeling the trolley down onto the jetty saved carrying the shopping.  We then moved on to Eastwood Visitor moorings at Rotherham, a short walk from the Retail World shopping centre.  We stopped here for a few days and took the opportunity to see friends and family.  Nic and Gaz took Kev shopping and he returned with 4500 teabags which should keep us going for a while!

On our return journey we stopped at Doncaster to shop at the excellent market.  All stocked up we sailed onto Bramwith for the weekend. 

 Our journey from Goole to Rotherham and back to Bramwith.  Our return stops are marked in purple.