Glad to say "goodbye"

Saturday, 19 September 2009 17:30

A welcome sight

We were glad to look back and see South Pennine Boat Club receding in the distance! We are on the move again - it seems ages ago that we first moored there! The sun was shining and we were both in shirt sleeves, so for a while we thought we were still in Summer!

Battyeford Flood Lock

After the Flood Lock there is a sharp turn left, onto the River Calder again, under the quaintly named "Battyeford Hauling Bridge". What was "hauled"? I think it must have been trains, as the next bridge is still in use as a railway bridge.

Three Bridges before the next lock

The third bridge is Cooper Bridge Lock Bridge, I am not sure if that is the ornate bridge in the photo below or the one over the lock! We had lost the sun by now and the promised clouds had appeared!

Cooper Bridge Lock; note the pontoon lock landing

This type of lock landing needs to be able to rise and fall with the river. The water was considerably down on what it was when we arrived at the boat club, as apparently there has been no rain. I wish all the lock landings were like this on the Calder and Hebble, as they are much easier to use!

Cooper Bridge rang a bell - ah yes - the junction with the Huddersfield Broad Canal! This is above Cooper Bridge Flood Gates and boats taking it have to do a sharp left.

Looking back at Cooper Bridge Junction

We were locking through with another boat, (just coming out of the lock) a single hander and he helpfully stayed with us most of our journey.

We are going on to try our luck at the Rochdale Canal! We have heard so many varying reports since we have been back. People at South Pennine Boat Club said "eeh, you don't want to do the Rochdale: its awful, very hard to do". Passing boaters have said - "its rather shallow, but we managed it, you are probably going the right way as you will be taking the water with you." "They are letting water down tomorrow as the section from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge is very shallow." "You'll be lucky to get across the summit."

As always, we will make up our own minds about the Rochdale Canal - whether we have problems or not, it will still be an "experience" that we want to savour!

Back to today! We locked through the two Kirklees Locks, meeting some hire boats coming down. Then at the end of Kirklees Cut, and after the M62, is another flood lock.

Anchor Pit Flood Lock

A straight cut lined with industry leads to the first Brighouse Lock. Above the lock is Brighouse Basin where there are some visitor moorings. Today this was a busy area with boats moored and others using the facilities above the second lock.

In Brighouse Bottom Lock

The Top Lock is quite tricky to enter as there is a fast running water inlet at the far side of the basin by the entrance to this lock. I had to hang around for John as he had trouble closing the paddles of the first lock. He had set the second, but I needed the gate open! With a bit of welly and reverse as necessary I entered the lock without a problem - watched by several gongoozlers (as I realised afterwards, I was concentrating so much!).

Moored at the beginning of the visitor moorings to use the facilities

We had some rather smelly rubbish that I was thankful to see the back of - the result of a defrosted freezer. Two cassette fulls also went the way of the elsan too. The adjacent Sainsburys provided a couple of things we had forgotten yesterday when we caught the bus to Dewsbury Asda from the boat club.

Sagar Marine Boatbuilders are here

John was disappointed to see they were shut (on holiday apparently), as a friend is having his rather fabulous barge built by Sagar Marine, so we have to "make do" with the photos!

We left Brighouse behind, knowing that it was probably worth exploring; perhaps another time!

Ganny Lock was attractive and set for us, apart from the gates!

As we approached one opened and it was our single-handing friend whom we had left behind at a Kirklees lock that was rather tight for the two of us!  Brookfoot Lock was next and we paired up again as another hire boat left it.

Brookfoot Lock

To the left are signs of a connection with the River Calder that is no longer used due to the canalisation of this section long ago. It was sad to see the lock building derelict, unloved and unwanted.

Lock building

Our final lock of the day - it was well past the usual time that we moor up, was Cromwell Lock. Again we shared the lock, rising to a long straight cut above.

In Cromwell Lock

The lock bridge was interesting, despite the ever present graffiti

The sign on it says "Leeds Steel Works Ld, Builders 1895". The photo also shows the bottom lock gate gear and the overhangs to stand on to operate them. It is important to remember these overhangs as the boat rises and place the tiller arm so that it does not get caught under them.

A couple of things about the locks on this section.

We had to be in the middle - or at least the stern did, so that the gate behind us could be shut. As there was another boat sharing the lock we then had to get right over against the lock side to allow the following boat in. Epiphany is the maximum length that makes this sharing possible - 57 feet - and the other boat was and has to be short enough to fit in and allow the other gate to shut!

As I said, in one of the Kirklees Locks we had to be on our own and the other boat could not get in because the lock was too narrow. It all adds to the "fun" of the experience and steering and boat manoeuvring skills come to the fore!

Calder and Hebble Navigation Battyeford Lock to Crowther Bridge 6 - 4 hours 44 minutes, 5.15 miles, 10 locks