Magical Mystery Tour

One thing about the waterways is ‘stoppages’. A stoppage is when the waterway is closed, for whatever reason. Sometimes they’re planned, to allow necessary and welcome maintenance of the locks or towpaths, and these usually happen in the winter when not many people are cruising anyway.

But sometimes they are announced by the Canal and River Trust without warning, in response to a random event, such as a lorry falling off the M62 into the Aire & Calder, or a lock suddenly getting incapacitated by someone shoving a supermarket trolley into it.

Years ago when we were members of a narrowboating syndicate, we teamed up with Bob and Shirley who also had shares in it. We arranged matters so that we would take the boat in one direction, and after our allotted two weeks, they would meet us and spend their two weeks bringing it back to the base. This meant that we were able to do longer linear journeys and see more of the waterways than if we’d been restricted to circular routes or there-and-back routes. It worked very well and we had some memorable trips, including taking the boat from Limehouse Basin up the River Thames to Oxford and on to Napton where we were based at the time.

So we were delighted when they said they’d like to do the same on Derwent Lass. We fixed on Skipton as the destination, as that part of the Leeds – Liverpool is reputed to be one of the best.

But a couple of weeks before we were due to go, a culvert collapsed near Keighley, and that stretch of the waterway was closed till further notice.

No worries! We’d go to Sheffield on the South Yorkshire Navigations instead.

Then, on the day we arrived back in Mirfield, Ian got a message from Bob to say that there was a new planned stoppage a few miles this side of Sheffield, at Tinsley Lock, neatly timed to coincide with our arrival and handover in Sheffield itself.

Plan C was Ripon, not ideal for us, because we’d just done most of the route to York. But we’d been disappointed to not get all the way to Ripon last time, so perhaps it was fate.

Friday 1st July 2022

Mirfield to Figure of Three Locks

The early start that Ian had previously decided on, didn’t happen.

There had been a packing malfunction which meant he had to make an extra trip to Tool Station to buy a set of waterproofs. But that was alright because the friendly ladies who staff Tool Station in Brighouse make going there a pleasure, I’m told.

Then there was the solar panel. He had already installed two on the boat, and they had made a significant impact on how well the batteries stayed charged up. But he had seen another one on eBay of the same make and model, and because they don’t make them like that anymore, it was a must-have purchase. We had to make a detour into Leeds to collect it, and then it had to be fitted.

We eventually left Mirfield at about 3 o’clock. Derwent Lass was pointing in the wrong direction, so the first thing we had to do was go through the floodlock at Ledgard Bridge and turn her around in the River Calder, watched with some apparent consternation by an elderly couple who were walking along the towpath.

The Canal & River Trust had clearly been doing some work since our last trip, as the lock at Greenwood had been repaired, re-painted and the machinery oiled which made it much easier to work in the past, and there were new signs by the bridges and moorings.

We braved a light rain shower and tied up just before Figure of 3 Locks.

Saturday 2nd July 2022

Figure of Three Locks to Wakefield

We had a leisurely start and didn’t get to Wakefield till 5 o’clock, so going to the Hepworth Gallery had to be deferred (again). But we enjoyed the scenery along the way.

Shortly after Broadcut Locks, you pass under the M1

And then there’s a lovely stretch of river, with open views, before you get to the outskirts of Wakefield.

Dinner proved to be a source of some irritation. Before leaving Mirfield, we had shopped at Lidl, and although nothing in the centre aisle had excited Ian’s attention, I had spotted some frozen ‘Salmon Wellington with cheese and dill Parcels’ which I thought sounded quite appetising.

The use of the plural ‘parcels’ and the claim that the packet served four people, led me to believe that the packet contained four parcels and would do us for two dinners.

The packet contained but one, large, parcel.

Should we try to slice it in two, in its frozen state? Or cook the whole thing, and the next day, contrary to the packet instructions, reheat the leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner?

We cooked the whole thing, and ate most of it. There was too much cheese sauce and the salmon had a strange gritty texture, but it sufficed.

Sunday 3rd July 2022

Wakefield to Castleford

We’re now feeling like old hands on the C&H. Unusually, we saw several other other boats, going both in the same direction as us, and in the opposite direction too. We even had to wait to get into Fall Ings Lock, the first after Wakefield. Some of them were on their first excursions on their boats, which caused us to feel some concern, as the C&H really isn’t for inexperienced boaters.

Apart from a brief, surprising shower at lunch time, the sun shone all day, culminating in a lovely sunset over Castleford.

Monday 4th July 2022

Castleford to Beal

After Bulholme Lock just outside Castleford, the navigation re-joins the River Aire and passes through the lovely Five Mile Pond.

We were then back in the industrial landscape of Ferrybridge and Knottingley.

We needed to stock up, and there was a new Lidl only a few yards from the waterway in Knottingley. I was enjoined to buy only necessities and avoid frivolous items, because we would only have to carry them back to the boat, and there wouldn’t be room in the fridge for them either, as if I wasn’t already aware of the capacity of the fridge.

Ian wandered round with the trolley, exploring the delights of the middle aisle, while I darted about collecting the necessities. At the checkout, I was surprised to note the presence in the trolley of a large box of Thornton’s Chocolates. He tried to pass off this extravagance as a romantic gesture, but this seemed a little improbable. But they made a nice mid-afternoon treat.

Tuesday 5th July 2022

Beal to Selby

The forecast for Wednesday was very strong winds – not ideal for cruising in a narrowboat. So we decided to go all the way to Selby in one day, and have a rest day on Wednesday.

The section from Beal to Selby is firstly along the River Aire, and then the Selby Canal. Both these waterways traverse flat, low-lying land and the banks are built up to reduce the flooding risk. So there isn’t much scenery to see and no views except of the Eggborough Power Station. So I got out my long lens and tried to photograph the flora and fauna instead.

Last time we came along the Selby Canal we’d been surprised to see a seal swimming about at Beal Bridge Lock. We thought it must be lost and unlikely to survive. So we were delighted to see a seal swimming about again, not far from the original place, but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera to capture it.

We had an unusual phone call from the lock keeper at Selby. After Ian booked us in to go through on Thursday, the lock keeper rang back to ask if a Canal & River Trust person could come on the boat with us from Selby to Naburn. It remained to be discovered what his purpose would be.

Wednesday 6th July 2022

It would be nice to record that we’d spent a fruitful, productive day in Selby. But we didn’t. It seemed too soon for a return visit to the Abbey, and we got up late, chilled out, and eventually wandered into the town to buy milk after lunch.

We did have a look at the river though, and the waves cresting on the murky brown waters vindicated our decision to wait till Thursday before tackling the river. And in the evening we had a very nice meal at the Olive Branch Bistro.

Thursday 7th July

Selby to Naburn

When we went boating in America, it was common to see other boat owners, usually men, lovingly washing, polishing and buffing their craft. It’s not a thing you often see narrowboat owners doing, if ever.

Nevertheless, although Derwent Lass was still presentable, I was aware that our boat was no longer in the pristine condition she had been in when we bought her. Although I’d kept the interior hygienically clean, no one had bothered about the outside of the boat. Ian thinks his duties end at keeping everything working, and fixing anything that isn’t, and I had assumed that my duties didn’t extend to the exterior.

One problem had been that we’d always done long days when we were cruising, setting off straight after breakfast and finishing very late in the afternoon, with time only for a shower before cooking dinner. There’d never been time to tie up and start cleaning in the early afternoon or in the morning before setting off.

But this trip was different. We had more than enough time to get to Ripon, and we had leisurely days when boating was finished by 3 o’clock.

I blinked first. At Selby I washed the roof and the port side, and at Naburn, with the starboard side accessible from the path, I washed that too. Derwent Lass gleamed.

But not as much as American boats do.

Martin, the man from the Canal & River Trust, joined us at Selby Lock. His brief was to observe the amount of debris in the river, following numerous complaints from boaters. The Trust’s working boat had been out of action for some time, which was why he had asked to join us.

He explained that the stretch of the River Ouse between Selby and York got a lot of debris because the River Wharfe and the River Nidd both deposited their debris into it, and also because debris washed up with the incoming tide from Goole, and it all just swirled about in the Ouse.

There was certainly plenty.

Ian and Martin occupied the back of the boat, and I sat at the front with my camera.

Martin later sent me some photos of the debris the CRT had removed from the river. This included a complete tree trunk.

Friday 8th July 2022

Naburn to York

Although we’d only recently done this stretch of the River Ouse, the conditions couldn’t have been more different. In April, it had been cool, cloudy and overcast. The trees had still been mainly bare of leaves. In July, it was warm and sunny, the trees were in full leaf and the river bank full of flowers.

We had to return to Newcastle to look after Ali while Liz and Nick had a night away camping, to celebrate their wedding anniversary. York was a good place to leave Derwent Lass because of the proximity of the moorings to the railway station. There were two worries though – firstly, would we actually find a space at the visitor moorings, and secondly, was it safe to leave the boat there.

As we passed under Lendal Bridge and came close to the moorings, they looked pretty full. But another boat, Stephanie Boo, hailed us and invited us to raft up alongside them, as they were staying there for a few nights. We gratefully accepted his offer, and not long after, another boat, Ocelot, which had moored near us at Selby and at Naburn, appeared. Ian asked the owner if they’d like to tie up alongside us, so Derwent Lass was sandwiched between two other boats, which felt pretty secure.

Our luck ran out at York Railway Station. Several trains to Newcastle had been cancelled, and the first one that came was so crowded we couldn’t get on. We waited half an hour for the next one, which was only slightly better. There were no seats, but a gentleman very kindly gave me his seat and Ian managed to perch on the seat tray.

We made it to North Shields and had a lovely time with our littlest granddaughter, who, it must be recorded, was as good as gold.

Saturday July 9 2022

York to Newton on Ouse

The journey back to Derwent Lass was a breeze. We started off with roast vegetable and halloumi wraps for lunch, from the Greek stall in Tynemouth Station Market, where we got the metro into Newcastle. The trains were running smoothly to York and we were back on the boat by 3 o’clock . There aren’t many mooring places between York and Ripon, but we had enough time on a beautiful day to get to Linton Locks, the first stop.

The weekend challenge on A Year With My Camera was ‘Looking down’. So the view over the back of Derwent Lass seemed to fit quite well.

I noticed in the Nicholson’s Guide that just before Linton Locks there was a landing stage at Newton-on-Ouse, for the Dawnay Arms. We fancied a drink after our long day, tied up and climbed up the garden to the lovely old pub. The landlady said if we had a meal as well as a drink, we were welcome to stay overnight on their jetty. So that was dinner sorted, and our overnight mooring too, in the most peaceful spot imaginable.

10th July 2022

Newton to Boroughbridge

This was simply the loveliest stretch of the British waterways that we’ve ever been on. We soon got to Linton Lock, which had its own hydroelectric plant.

11th July 2022

Boroughbridge to Ripon

Our last day was quite busy, with four locks to contend with, but these didn’t prove as challenging as those on the Calder & Hebble.

At Oxclose Lock, the navigation leaves the river and becomes the Ripon Canal. The canal was closed in 1906 but in 1961, the Ripon Motor Boat Club began restoration, which was completed by the Ripon Canal Society in 1996. We were met at Oxclose Lock by Rob, one of the volunteers, who helped me with the lock.

There was plenty of space in Ripon Canal Basin, which was very pleasant with restored old buildings and some sympathetically designed new ones.

Sadly, first impressions count and this was the view from my galley window. Later on, a couple came and sat and ate their fish and chips while sitting on the bench and added their boxes to the pile beside the bin.

We went into Ripon to get something to cook for dinner, and by a psychological quirk, all I could see were more overflowing bins and black bags of rubbish on the pavements.

Rubbish collection in Ripon is the responsibility of Harrogate Borough Council, and it’s hard to imagine that the bins in Harrogate itself are allowed to get into such a state.

I decided to bring this to the attention of Harrogate BC, by means of a concisely-worded email, but at the time of writing, my complaint has been awarded a reference number, but no action taken.

The next day Bob and Shirley arrived to take over Derwent Lass and deliver her back to Mirfield. We hadn’t seen them for ten years, but we picked up exactly where we’d left off. They took us out for a very nice lunch at the Water Rat Restaurant overlooking the River Skell, and then we carried out the logistical feat of transferring all our stuff off the boat, and all theirs on to it.

Then we handed over the keys. It felt a little bit like leaving your Little One at nursery for the first time, but we knew that Derwent Lass was in safe, experienced hands.