Tuesday 1 November 2011

Driffield Navigation by kayak - introduction

Driffield Navigation 
Introduction
August 2011


A visit to Humberside with Belle and Jeff presented an opportunity to go exploring on the Saturday, but where to go? I have had a look at the bottom half of the Market Weighton Canal, but looking at the map the upper end isn't too inspirational, certainly not for a whole day.

Riverhead - start of the Navigation

Then I remembered the Driffield Navigation, the extension to the River Hull which allowed 60 ton Keels to reach the mills at Riverhead, Driffield. Its not too far from Hull and perfect for a trip in our underused kayaks. They were duly loaded into the roof rack and off we went. 

The Driffield Navigation is perfect for Kayaks and Canoes, a waterway on which the right of navigation has never been repealed, punctuated by a series of locks (restored and unrestored) leading down the the navigable reaches at Brigham. Perfect, but not always easy!

Map of the Driffield Navigation
Our trip took us from 1 to 11 (and back).

In total the navigation is 11 miles long with five locks stretching to the tidal River Hull but this expedition covered the top half, which is mostly above the low Wansford Bridge (8) which is the single remaining obstacle obstructing this canal.

This will be a series of pictorial posts with limited commentary, mostly relating to the waterway from a canoeist's perspective.

Posts in this series:

1. Introduction - this post

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