So back to the UK for a second time to drop off the engine bits in Manchester for expert correction and for us hopefully a relaxing and gentle cruise on the narrowboat.
The idea was to go up to Huddersfield, meet up with friends there for a few days, then carry on up the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, through the Standege Tunnel (this time under our own power) and finally drop down to the Ashton Canal returning by the Rochdale Canal.
All went well as far as Huddersfield, but when we walked up to investigate the first lock on the Huddersfield Narrow the pound beyond was empty! Where had we seen this before? – in 2000 when, as one of the first boats to use the newly opened canal, the water simply disappeared leaving us high and dry – literally!) Added to that, a couple of boaters who had just come down said “Never again”. So we thought “Well, we’re good at Plan B: we’ll give it a miss, and just go up the Rochdale instead.”
Huddersfield’s Aspley Basin has always had moored craft, but the area outside Sainsbury’s – a long quay of about 500 metres – was deserted when last we used it a few years ago. Now it has been turned into long-term moorings by British Waterways and there were boats nose to tail, or should we say bow to stern, all along – some narrowboats, some wide beam ‘narrowboats’, the occasional plastic cruiser. We managed to moor opposite the long-termers (in lovely weather) and stayed a couple of days while we had friends visit us for lunch and supper. As we left we eased slowly past the moored boats outside Sainsbury’s and were greeted with the inevitable response from one boater ‘Hey what do you think this is? The M1 or something? It’s not a race track you know!” or words to that effect. We were on tickover, we couldn’t go any slower if we tried: we must have been doing all of 2 mph, and of course wouldn’t you know it? The offensive boat was a ratty old plastic dustbin that hadn’t moved for years and would probably sink if he untied the ropes! Typical! “Get a life” we say.
So we were off back down the Huddersfield Broad to join the Calder and Hebble at Cooper Bridge and then up to the start of the Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge. We had a lovely trip up the canal, popping onto the river from time to time, still in super weather, then through the 6 metre Tuel Lock in Sowerby Bridge, the deepest in the United Kingdom, and onto the Rochdale proper.
This canal winds its way through the steep sided Calder valley with stone built dwellings clinging to the valley sides most of the way up. At last the houses peter out a bit and the valley sides draw back as you approach the summit.
Use of the summit pound itself is, of course, restricted due to lack of water and we were told it would be three days before we could go through.
Well, we had to go back the way we had come anyway, so stopping just before the summit pound was no great hardship and we could walk the summit just as well as boat it, especially as the weather had been lovely up to now. So we did that and later walked the old bridle path up the valley side to see where it took us, and eventually after it had degenerated into a post-marked footpath, we found the nearly empty reservoir on high ground near the top of the ridge. This explained the lack of water for the summit level.
The weather was deteriorating by this time, but we did manage to get back to the boat before the heavens opened.
Some more friends had arranged to have supper with us but they came by car. (We had hoped to make it to their lockside cottage at Slattocks Lock, but this is beyond Rochdale and down the other side of the summit but the delay for the summit passage made that impossible). However, they brought an Indian takeaway with them, so that was perfect!
The following day we set off back down the Rochdale with a torrent of water to help us. How come? Well, BW had decided to drain the pound we had been moored in, in order to repair a ground paddle on the lock. There was so much water following us now that it was cascading over the upper gates of the locks behind us and causing minor flooding of the canal paths below.
And the next day it rained! We contemplated staying put for a day in the hope of better weather, but that is not our style. “Carry on regardless” we say. So by the end of that day we were two drowned rats! Drenched through and through, despite the wet weather gear. And of course the fire decided to sulk when we lit it to dry out our clothes, but that’s boating, isn’t it?
A couple of days later, we were back on the Calder and Hebble, approaching one of our favoured moorings when we came across the aftermath of a fishing competition. The competition had finished and a couple of competitors still had their catch to be weighed, so we slowed down, of course, but that didn’t stop such a witty comment from the usual acerbic fisherman, “Where’s the water skier then?” I guess they wouldn’t have felt they had had a good day unless they had mouthed off at a few boaters.
We moored at these once commercial moorings and Alex tested the depth. (He’s always trying to see how far Riccall could get, it we really pushed it!) Yes, we could definitely moor Riccall here and the locks up to this point (but strangely no further) are inexplicably big enough to take a Sheffield sized barge, but nowhere to turn round to go back which seems a bit odd.
The next day we reached Wakefield in good time for lunch in the basin just off the river. We were sitting there quietly having our alfresco meal when a narrowboat came through the basin heading for the river, at top speed. We have seldom seen anything like it. He shot out into the river like a bullet from gun (well, not quite, a touch of fisherman exaggeration there I think!) but very, very fast for a boat, and with NO visibility onto the river. He then proceeded to turn the wrong way with a 270-degree turn to head off down the river towards the weir. He had been going so fast he had failed to notice the direction indicator telling him which way to go.
So we waited a few minutes and sure enough, past he went again, this time going up the river in the correct direction still at a ridiculous pace. Mad fools!
In the final few hours as we headed back to our boatyard at Methley Bridge, we saw more boats cruising about than we had seen in the previous two weeks! Good for them.
When we got back we decided the narrowboat needed a bit of TLC so between the showers of rain we managed to paint the whole of the topside (cream) and Alex constructed a new rear entry hatch made entirely from Perspex. He wanted steel; Louise favoured wood, which Alex wouldn’t have again (too much maintenance) so Perspex seemed a great compromise.
This might sound a bit unorthodox, naff even, compared to the original constructed of mahogany, but it does have some distinct advantages:
1. It never needs to be painted
2. It lets in the light like an extra roof light
3. It doesn’t shrink
4. It doesn’t expand
5. It doesn’t crack then leak
6. Its lightweight
It bonded together with quick acting chemical glue, and it took only 4 hours to make, but it has one disadvantage: because it is totally transparent, you can’t tell instinctively if it is open or closed, so it’s very easy to bump your head on it when going out of the door but we can overcome that minor inconvenience – use a tell-tale.
Alex’s daughter Emily’s wedding to Ric in Somerset was next on the agenda. The wedding with a difference! The ceremony took place in a glade in the wood, the reception in a lovely and very different marquee, later drinks and canapés were in a ‘secret garden’ complete with statuary and a small lake followed by a hog roast. The weather was exactly right – sunny most of the time, no rain and not too hot. The whole event, which was catered for by the guests, each being given responsibility for a part of the meal or drinks, proceeded perfectly. An amazing amount of preparation for Ric and Emily, with help from family and friends to make it a success. And it was: a resounding success! We’ve included some pictures to satisfy our lady readers.
We are now back in Toul, travelling by air and train this time, and with no hassle whatsoever. The engine is back together again and although still not perfect, it is liveable-with, so let’s hope that finally it’s the start of our 2010 cruising season!
No comments:
Post a Comment