An overnight mooring on the Huddersfield Canal

Well, it was our overnight mooring!

I mentioned a strange lock in yesterdays blog. It is one that really stuck in my mind and you will see why!

Just less than a mile north of Stalybridge is the area of an old power station - Heartshead Power Station at Heyrod. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal had been in filled along here.

pylons aheadThere is still lots of signs of "power"

The one-sided pylon in the distance is extraordinary. Lock 8W, Bywith Lock is just beyond it so John got off to prepare the lock.

pylon over narrowsOne-sided pylon straddles a narrow section

The canal narrows to one narrowboat's width immediately under the pylon. It was here that I had my first experience of a battle with the depth and rush of water from an emptying lock in a confined space!

I hung around in the narrow section taking photos! The metal lined canal sides gradually rise towards the lock and it looks pretty formidable!

entering narrowsEntering the narrow section

Lock 8W aheadThe lock ahead with room enough to enter (ha ha!)

looking upWhat I saw looking up - wow

John opened the paddles and emptied the lock and I began to move forward - on full throttle - as it was the only way to budge even an inch! It seemed to take an age to get out of the narrow section but I managed to do it and then found that it was shallow entering the lock so my aim was a little off and I bumped the bows a little! It is very difficult to steer a narrowboat that is sitting on the bottom of the canal!

looking backLooking back - what was all the fuss about?

In lock 8WIn Bywith Lock 8W, the sani-station ahead

We decided to take on a little water - not too much as it would make us sit on the bottom even more. Then we decided that it was time to finish for the day and as there were very few other narrowboats on the move we stayed!

moored upMoored at the sani-station before Grove Road Bridge (96)

We had a quiet night - despite what all the razor wire around the sani-station implied. The smell from the roses below it was lovely. Was this a deliberate planting to disguise any smells!

sani-stationSani-station coming up roses

Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Whitelands Basin to Grove Road Bridge

3 hours 6 minutes, 2.69 miles, 8 locks

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