The working and the idle

Thursday, 29 July 2010 18:22

Leaving the fields for the towns again

When we woke Humber pride had crept away and we had not woken up - surprising as she was moored so near us.

Passing Cadeby Wharf there were no stone carrying barges to be seen and beyond the wharf is the very attractive, now disused, Conisbrough Rail Viaduct - helped by the sunny morning in this photo!

We passed the town of Conisbrough and the Norman Castle is just visible over the trees. The two Mexborough Locks and cut took us up into the outskirts of Swinton. The river curves around and the meeting of rail lines has created "Double Bridge".

Waddington Lock is a memorial to a by-gone era. It is sad to see the E.V. Waddington fleet of barges and butties laid up idle, yet in seemingly good condition and ready to be taken back into service carrying freight. It was these barges that took the South Yorkshire Navigation's cargo limit from 100 tonne boats to 700 tonne ones.

All the locks were altered accordingly. Vic Waddington of Mexborough inherited a modest family boatyard and expanded it into a multi-million pound canal fleet. In 70 years he had 80 barges carrying cargo to Hull. He was a waterways activist and, reading his obituary (he died in 1999), I think we could do with someone like him today to stir things up!

It is fitting that Waddington Lock bears his name; above the lock, the Deare and Dove Canal is filled with Waddington's barges and paraphernalia. This canal once ran to Barnsley and linked with the Barnsley Canal to Wakefield. This made up the southern loop of the Yorkshire Ring and there are plans to restore these two canals.

Kilnhurst Cut took us to Kilnhurst Flood Lock. There are two locks here but only one is still in use. It was open, so we passed straight through.

This area of the River Don was once very polluted. It has now been cleaned up but at Aldwarke Lock it stank. The sewage works nearby obviously did not care about what they put into the air, even if what they put into the water is now stringently controlled. This lock has a lock landing beyond the bottom gates so could be a little awkward if the River Don was in flood!

Beyond the lock is a very small bridge which has been replaced by a huge viaduct over the top of the lock. Wash Bridge was built in 1834 and bears the marks of  abuse from barges and road traffic.

Not long afterwards was our last lock of the day - Eastwood Lock. This is a "new" lock which replaced two locks in 1983, when the waterway was upgraded to the 700 tonne Eurobarge standard. It was initially named after Sir Frank Price (Chairman of British Waterways Board in 1983) who opened the lock that year.

We moored above the lock, on the visitor moorings. There are permanent moorings in the old locks cut alongside the new lock and a sani station between, on the "island".

River Don, Sprotbrough to above Eastwood Lock, Rotherham

3 hours 40 minutes, 9.89 miles, 5 locks