What fun - Bingley here we come!

Tuesday, 18 August 2009 09:10

Moving into living history - a long day

After an excellent weekend at East Riddlesden, it was time to move off - showers and sunshine was the order of the day. Granby Swing Bridge was just ahead of us, so I set off to open it as it is all electric!

The canal wends its way through a wooded section above the houses, factories and river valley. The next bridge had a topical name, or at least the joker on board suggested that he hoped we would not catch 'flu from it. I was more interested in what looked like old canal buildings after it!

Looking back at Swine Lane Bridge (198)

There was a golf course on the off side among the hills, but the factories and houses continued on the towpath side. Rounding a corner we came upon our second swing bridge of the day, Morton SB (198A); again it was all electric and "mine"! A waiting lorry driver became a bit impatient - tooting me when the barriers did not raise immediately. I ignored him.

Micklethwaite, the third SB (199) caused me a bit of trouble. It was electric opening but manual barriers. I was OK opening and shutting it but could not then get my watermate key out of the key hole. I tried again and again by re-opening the cover and pressing "close", but to no avail. Sir Galahad left the boat on the mid rope and came to my rescue. He closed the barriers and started to reopen the bridge a crack, then closed it again - waiting for a while before he took his finger from the close button. Yes - of course that was the answer, I had been in too much of a hurry as the traffic had built up! ( I was remembering the impatient lorry driver)

Moral of the story - don't get hassled by the traffic and hold the button for an extra 30 seconds or so even if the bridge looks closed! Blow the traffic; we have as much right to open the bridge as they have to go over it!

The long term moorings after this bridge have their own small swing bridge, but it is left open. They haul it closed with a chain when they need to cross the canal. The next SB is immediately before the Bingley Five Rise Locks and controlled by the Lock Keeper, so no need to worry about it!

We stopped at the sani-station just before this SB and Barry the Lock Keeper was working a boat up the staircase. We watered up and waited with a Snaygill Hire Boat for the "nod" from Barry that he was ready for us.

Waiting at the top of Bingley Locks

Barry (Whitelock) has been at Bingley Locks for many years. He was awarded an MBE in 2006 in recognition of his work on the Northern waterways. He has worked for BW since 1978 and most of that time at Bingley. We remembered him from 2001, as he was very helpful then and so we had every confidence in his massive experience. Many boaters know him: mention Bingley, and Barry's name usually crops up in the conversation very quickly!

Bingley Top Lock

John helped through the locks with a member of the hire boat crew - American Germans or German Americans, I am not sure which!

John and Barry working the ground paddles

John was still working hard but Barry soon finished!

JohnBarry

Due to Barry's quiet efficiency and his two helpers we were soon down the five locks. Each lock opens into the next one (known as a staircase), so both boats moved together and the helmsman on the hire boat was good, despite this being his first locks and being doubled up.

The bottom lock exits into a sharp left hand bend and a new channel, lined by brick walls. The 400 yards of canal was moved sideways to allow the construction of a new road in 1994. The Five Rise was opened in 1774 and took us down 60 foot, the steepest staircase in the country. The first boat through in 1774 took just 20 minutes and the whole construction was and is a marvel of the waterways. The experience in 1774 is described here.

Bingley Locks are a major tourist attraction and can be very busy with gongoozlers - we had a few watching and filming us as we travelled down! At weekends and Bank Holidays it can be extremely busy with boats and tourists.

Just a few hundred yards further on are the Bingley Three, another staircase of three locks, opened at around the same time as the Five. Again they are watched over and operated by a Lock Keeper (in the Summer months). He saw us safely down after opening the swing bridge above the top lock, as before at the Five Locks.

More to come!