Monday 15 August 2016

It was a peaceful night until 4.00am when four guys who were obviously still in party mode decided that it would be good fun to shout, laugh and strip off and jump in the river…..right next to our boat! 

We went in search of a shop but it was only a small convenience store so we just grabbed some bread and milk.  Unfortunately there wasn’t anybody in the workshop at the boatyard so we found a timber mill where we bought a bit of 4 x 2 in case we couldn’t get hold of a spike.  We spoke to the people on the boat behind us and they said that they don’t use the paddles that require a spike they just open the gate paddles slowly!  Oh well we have one now.

We set off and the first lock was open, it must be a flood lock then onto the next one.  They are really big and have heavy gates.  Through Wakefield Flood Lock and we join the Calder and Hebble Navigation.  The woman in the widebeam told us yesterday that the locks here were tough – she wasn’t kidding!

The first lock we came across that needed a spike we managed to do with the windlass – the ground paddles were broken so we did need a spike.  We decided that we didn’t want to break the windlass so at the next lock we stopped and Steve got the saw out and cut the bit of 4 x 2 down to make a spike!

We stopped at Horbury Bridge in the hope that there would be a supermarket but it was only another convenience store so we bought a few more bits and will make do again tonight!

There are a set of two locks called Figure of Three Locks where a mum, son and daughter asked if they could help.  The paddles were so tough I only just managed to get them open swinging on the windlass but they were able to open and close the gates for us.

There are a series of flood lights running parallel to the river here but everybody we asked didn’t know what they were for…

Just before the next lock there were two ladies on a small narrowboat who shouted out can we come through the next lock with you – it turned out getting through the Figure of Three locks had nearly finished them so they stopped for some bread and cheese but didn’t want to pass up the opportunity of going through the next lock with another boat.  Again it was tough – these locks are taking quite a bit longer than 20 minutes each.  I hope that when we get onto the Huddersfield the paddles are easier, even though there are plenty of locks!

We stopped at the Dewsbury Arm junction – shattered but at least it felt like summer today!

Goodbye Stanley Ferry.

Great name!

You can tell we are on a river by the size of some of the boats moored here!

Through the open flood lock.

reflecting on this morning's catch!

Through Fall Ing lock joining the Calder and Hebble Navigation

 

Turning left at Wakefield Flood Lock - it's so wide it's like being back at the Docks in Liverpool!

 

I've seen a May Rose but this is the first April Rose!

We didn't find a supermarket but this place is where the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" was written and first sun by the Reverend S Baring-Gould as a marching song for children!

Now that's what you call a gaggle!

Off home go our helpers!

These are the lights we want to know what they are for.

We thought it was a football pitch at first but they were in a long line and there were at least 11 of them!

Stopping at Dewsbury - you can just about see the next lock but we'll save that one for the morning!