Rochdale 2013 - Sowerby Bridge

Rochdale 2013

Cooper Bridge to Sowerby Bridge

1st September 2013

8 miles - 11 locks

We moored two locks above Cooper Bridge, near Kirklees Lock, which was probably a mistake. The mooring is fairly close to a busy road and the drone of the nearby motorway was incessant. On reflection we should have moored just below the Cooper Bridge Flood Lock but we were not to know how few moorings there are hereabouts.

Brighouse Basin

The day started with jam, Helen bottling 27 Jars of Rose Petal Jelly, otherwise known as Turkish Delight on toast, and me off blackberrying beside the  canal. An hour's effort was rewarded with another 3kg's pf glistening black berries.

Brighouse mills

We saw Mulled Wine for a final time at Brighouse and received rave reviews about the Chinese Berry Jam which we had sold them at Castleford - a lovely little used fruit which looks like and orange raspberry but grows on the ground like strawberry - much loved by urban landscapers but rarely eaten. Brighouse is a bit of a desolate place these days - Sagar closed down last year, the elsan point is closed and even the rubbish point is closed - its no fly tipping sign nearly submerged in abandoned waste! BUT - it does have a Sainsburys next to the basin which is a big plus and Helen took advantage of this facility whilst I refilled with water.

 Salterhebble bottom lock

It was wild and gusty as we progressed up the navigation, following a hire boat. I have to say that whilst I like the history associated with the handspikes, the sluices they operate can be a bit wild at times, throwing the boat around in the locks. They lack... how shall I put it.... finesse!

An empty upper basin

Things were more peaceful in the trees after Elland through to Salterhebble. But here we hit a snag.  The first lock with it arthritic guillotine was ok but then the middle pound was empty, as in no water whatsoever. I walked up  to the top and found a couple of widebeams tied up waiting for Canals and Rivers to come and solve the problem. No problem I say - happens all the time on the BCN and proceeded to open all the ground and gate paddles and had the basin brimming full in less than 20 mins. 

 Flooding the basin

Wand'ring Bark is moved into the lock and the gates shut. Well, that was the idea but neither would shut against the cills. We heaved, we flushed, we swung, we dragooned in every passer by we could muster and achieved - absolutely zilch! In the end we retreated to the services and awaited the arrival of the Trust staff almost resigned to a run over the Huddersfield narrow.  In the end the Canals and River guys arrives and pulled, flushed and basically repeated all our efforts to no avail. Something was clearly stuck on the cill so in the end we put WB over the lock gates and the Trust chap fished round with his long rake - and out popped a lorry tyre.

Up - and away!

We got back into the lock and nearly shut the gates. One was stuck two or three inches open but the Trust guys figured we could get it filled. Sluices were opened and the gates creaked, leaning in to meet maybe 6 feet up and with a huge amount of water pouring out of the bottom end we made a level. The price was 6 inches of water out of the long pound to Sowerby Bridge which made the final run on the twilight a bit of a challenge. The three hour delay meant a 7.30pm arrival and no time to look round the town - so much for an early finish!

Late arrival at Sowerby Bridge

Rochdale 2013 - Coopers Bridge

Rochdale 2013

Stanley Ferry to Coopers Bridge

30 August 2013

15 miles - 16 locks - 8 hours

Do you find that some days you seem to just lose your mojo? Well, today was a case in point for me. Maybe it was because we had suddenly hit manually operated locks, or maybe because I realised the huge number of locks which lie ahead, but one thing is certain - I wasn't at my happiest!

Stanley Ferry was a quiet spot and we set off at 10.00am, soon finding ourselves at Fall Ings Lock, the first on the Calder and Hebble. These locks are much smaller than those seen on the Aire and Calder, but they are still cavernous.

Wakefield Waterfront

In no time we were in Wakefield, its extensive basin twinkling in the sunshine. 

This section of the Aire and Calder flirts with the river, dipping in and out all the time with locks followed by bits of canal and flood locks. The area has also been heavily mined and you keep seeing the bankside copings dropping under the water and layer upon layer added to the top to keep the water in. In some places the bank must have been built up by 4ft or more.

The wind blew strongly from the north, one of those days when you are shivering in the shade but sweltering in the sun - very hard to dress for. Not that the weather had much to do with the number of boats on the move. At most we saw six or seven, and that is a lot for the area. There are next to no hire bases and few boat clubs - all a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the Midlands canals.

What few boats you see you tend to remember and at Battysford lock we saw Mulled Wine for the third time, this time broken down with a failed throttle cable. We had come down the Trent on the same day and swapped yarns most days since at one point or another. The skipper was a handy sort of a chap and figured he could jury rig something to get him back to his mooring at Brighouse. He did achieve his aim, sort of, as we saw him the next day doing some kangaroo boating. His throttle worked but offered two options - tick over or full revs. He therefore crept along till the time came to maneuver - when the tranquility was shattered by a cloud of smoke and a seething mass of foam at his stern. But hey, it worked and he made it home...

Shepley Bridge Lock

This is a section of contrasts. One moment you are sweeping along a broad deep river section and the next you are creeping along in the intimacy of a canal. All along the line the navigation passes beneath the abandoned remains of railway bridges - reminders of a much busier past when the valley was a hive of industry. Interesting from and industrial heritage perspective, but a little sad as well.

We have been having niggling problems with the engine all season, a position which is gradually deteriorating. The engine shake at low revs is trying and the prop shaft drip is up to about seven mop loads a day - and a needing turn on the stern gland once a week. All that shaking is making the leak worse - time for some professional help if we can just limp home. I am sure there is a snag with the injectors coupled with a failed engine mount.

Jam sales on the move

On the plus side, we sold three pots of tam today, having been hailed by a passing cyclist. This steady demand for jam on the move bodes well for the future. Helen has been busy processing yesterday's pickings - Chinese Bramble Jam, Bramble Jelly and Bramble Chutney.

Huddersfield Ring 2011 - Wakefield to Huddersfield

Huddersfield Ring
Wakefield to Huddersfield
7th August 2011


16 miles - 18 locks - 7 hours

A slow start to the day with a mid season engine service, Jeff developing his mechanics skills and squeezing into the spaces I find hard to contort my 6ft 3in frame into. We were off at 11.30am following the Calder Valley which is pretty in spite of its old mine workings and sunken ground. All this subsidence is clearly evident along the canal edges with the original copings dipping below the water line like rock strata in the cliffs. This subsidence has been going on for a long time, evidenced by the multiple layers of build up, three feet thick in places.

Dewsbury Arm

This first reach end with the Dewsbury Arm, an opportunity we couldn't overlook. At it turned out the arm was not representative of the Calder and Hebble. It was weedy, shallow and rubbish strewn for its half mile length, with shallow margins making landing difficult. 

Mural on the Dewsbury Arm

There terminus didn't offer much reward either, just some moorings well away from the town centre. All in all it reminded me of the northern BCN but without the character!

Dewsbury Arm Basin

The junction lies at the foot of the Thornhill Double locks, a combination separated by a pretty circular pound which echoes a similar configuration at Salterhebble to the north. 

Thornhill Double Locks

Do you want a canal or a river? Well, the Calder and Hebble offers a bit of both , switching to and fro, one minute on a canal section and then back onto the broad and winding river. All in all its a schizophrenic mix. 

From Canal....

... to river

Most of these canal sections end with a big pair of flood gates standing open in these times of low water, all except Greenwood which were firmly shut. With no obvious way onto the bank we prized the gates open with our bows - slipping through and seeing them slam shut behind us. 

Mills on the Huddersfield Broad Canal

With the valley steepening the locks came thick and fast till finally we emerged through Cooper Bridge and out onto known water which we travelled at Easter two years ago. Strangely, the depth gauge going onto the Huddersfield showed the river way into the amber but the sluggish water was clearly as low as it gets. I suspect that the new Cooper Bridge Weir is a bit higher then the old one.

Huddersfield incinerator - echoes of the Wolverhampton 21

 Our switch from river to canal was marked by a change of pace. The deep water was replaced with a shallow and weed filled channel and our speed dropped dramatically. The water level was low and we soon started to pick up  a selection of poly bags. All the weed wasn't just a problem for the prop. The gate paddles have louvre slats which pick up all the weed to the point that the water flow is reduced to a trickle.

Our approach to Huddersfield was accompanied to the strains of Bob Marley, the soundtrack to a party in the park to the north whilst a number of cricket matched were underway to the south. All this recreational activity didn't make navigation any better, the margins are shallow and the lock landings almost non existent. One really good thing about the Broad Canal is is silky smooth paddle gear - easy to operate with auto release ratchets which are triggered with a slight reverse twist of the lock key. Why cant they all be like this instead of the hydraulic monstrosities to be found further on.

Locomotive Bridge, Huddersfield

Its a  sharp step up into Aspley Basin through 9 locks. Those poly bags were a pain but as long as we were progressing we were not minded to dive into the weed hatch. This slow progress took us past the huge incinerator and under the curious Locomotive Bridge with electrically lifts the road deck vertically. 

We were into Aspley Basin at 7.30, time for a pump out (it works!) and some more water before we ate.


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Huddersfield Ring 2011 - Pollington to Wakefield

Huddersfield Ring
Pollington to Wakefield
6th August 2011

28 miles - 11 locks - 10 hours

The start of the day was a blast. Well actually the day started with a blast from the horn from a huge bulk carrier which was making its way down the New Junction Canal and on to Goole. It certainly made us jump and had me out of our bunk and scrabbling for my camera. Who says there and no large commercial craft left?

The 9 miles of the Aire and Calder to Knottingley are pretty uninteresting, broad, deep, with high steel piled banks which stretch on for mile after mile. A true motorway of canals, fast, efficient and dull.

What few locks you encounter are huge, long chambers stretching away into the distance. Fortunately, the locks are sub divided and leisure boats can use a short section at the bottom end with the gates and paddles controlled by hydraulics. You get a feeling of power pressing that button and seeing the giant indicators rise and the ground paddles wind up in their hidden recesses.

Pollington Lock

There is relief from all this lowland flatness after the M62 when you approach your first hill since Nottingham, but closer inspection reveals that this 300ft rise is not part of the Pennines . In fact its the reclaimed tailings from the local coal mines now forested over. Then its past Kellingley Colliery, one of the few remaining deep mines in the country. Not that the coat is being moved by water, that finished years ago. Now all the coal is moved on an endless chain of Heavy Haul railway waggons.

Kellingley Colliery

Knottingley brings some relief from all this industry with its corn mills its canal side ampitheatre, its gypsy camp at the junction and then, at the far end, there is the vast bulk of Ferrybridge Power Station with its huge cooling towers standing tall, sending clouds of steam high into the sky. 

Travellers at Castleford

This power station used to be supplied by 24 local pits, with at least 25% of its coal delivered by water.

Ferrybridge Power Station

There follows four miles of winding river, quite pretty but spoilt by the the very visible tailings which line its route. There are several old colliery loading basins along this section which are navigable and would make an interesting overnight mooring. I'm glad to say that the scars of mining are healing and within a few years the ravages left behind will have largely disappeared.

Battlestone

From Castleford the land starts to roll, the first indications of the Pennines up ahead. Beyond this lies Stanley Ferry with its pair of aqueducts, our planned destination. However, the stony cill would have made for a bumpy night so we pressed on through Fall Ing Lock, the start of the Calder and Hebble and an end to the electrically operated gates. But before we got there we hit a snag at old Fairies Lock where we ran ourselves hard aground on a shingle bank opposite Lefarge's winding hole. No sooner had we got stuck than nb Magrathea appeared and snatched us off - we barely had time to say thanks before they were off round a bend in the river. 

We passed Wakefield and found the place rather underwhelming. The town sits back away from canal and whilst there are some good warehouses there was little to make us stay. The Calder and Hebble comes as a refreshing change after the massive Aire and Calder - a navigation on a human scale. Its locks reduce to sub 60ft and are about 16ft wide, many replacing smaller earlier versions which still stand to one side, themselves lengthened at some point in the Navigation's history.

We re watered at Broad Cut Low Lock and moored in the cut above Broad Cut Top Lock, away from the roar of the motorway but still close to a branch railway which crossed the valley on a viaduct high above us. 

This is a very peaceful area with the once navigable River Calder winding away behind us, the intimacy of the canals is gathering us once more into is embrace.


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Just in time

Just in time
25th April 2009

We seem to have sneaked round the South Pennine Ring just in time.

Plan A had been to come in to the Huddersfield Narrow from the Trent, but this was quashed by the weir collapse at Cooper Bridge.



Plan B was to approach from the south via the Peak Forest, but this was impossible due to an oil leak.



Plan C worked out OK by approaching from Manchester and we got round without any significant problem.



Now I see that the Ashton is blocked by a tangle of wire under a gate and, if that wasn't enough, the repair to the Salterhebble Guillotine lock (which was jury rigged for our passage) has hit snags and is now closed to traffic.



The area seems beset with problems at the moment - it looks like we were very lucky with our timing!

Photos courtesy of Pennine Waterways.

The Bark is Back

Wand'ring Bark returns from the first circuit of the South Pennine Ring of 2009

10th April 2009

Wand'ring Bark is back from its Pennine travels, and is the first craft to complete the arduous South Pennine Ring in 2009, including the inaugural day of self steer through Standedge Tunnel. When I say back, I mean that the Captian and his crew have returned - Wand'ring bark is still making her way back via the Peak Forest Canal with a relief crew aboard.

The closure of the Peak Forest canal forced us into a detour via Manchester and the 13 day trip involved 187 miles, 254 locks and 109 hours of cruising. The South Pennine Ring had a lock count of about three per mile for 9 days solid - and our backs ache!

I am too weary to do any more than down load my 300 photos and let you all know that we are safe and well. I have maintained a handwritten log of the journey and will post a record chronologically over the next few weeks.

There were many highlights, but special mention must go to:

1. The Huddersfield Canal Society and their passion for one of the most spectacular canals on the network. In particular, their work with BW to achieve the self steer experience through the Standedge Tunnel which was fantastic, and is a must for all enthusiasts.

2. The sheer helpfulness, enthusiasm and professionalism of the BW staff without whom the route wouldn't be possible.

3. The summit plummet experience from the breathtakingly beautiful pass at the Yorkshire / Lancashire border to the urban grot and deprivation of Rochdale and outer Manchester.

I will reveal all as we go along but for now here is a particularly lovely mooring on the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Woodend Mill Lock, which provided a ton of faced stone for a new water feature. What better way to carry stone from Yorkshire to the Midlands than in a narrowboat?

South Pennine Ring, Salterhebble to Hebden Bridge

South Pennine Ring, Salterhebble to Hebdon Bridge

6th April 2009

Calder & Hebble Navigation and Rochdale Canal

10 Miles

15 Locks

8 Hours

In spite of it's apparent beauty, last night's choice of mooring was unfortunate. A factory stood nearby on the valley floor and its owners hadn't heard that there is a recession on. It remained operational all night emitting a steady mechanical drone, which in itself was ok. However, the drone was accompanied by some sort of pressure relief valve which clanged open every few minutes with all the subtlety of someone taking a sledgehammer to a sheet of steel. It didn't seem too loud when we moored up, but in the stillness of the night the sound echoed off the wall behind us and left us with a rather disturbed nights sleep. We should have continued right into Salterhebble.

We were stopped in our tracks at the lower of the three Salterhebble Locks. A huge guillotine gate blocked our path and attached to the control panel was a note of apology from BW, stating that the mechanism was broken. Access could only be achieved with the assistance of a BW employee between the hours of 8.00am and 10.00 am, 12.00am and 2.00pm and 4.00pm to 6.00pm. A quick look at my watch revealed that it was 9.55 - but no one was around. Mobile phones are great things. One quick call and a relief lock keeper assured us that he would be down in 10 minutes. He arrived as promised, extracting my watermate key which I had unwisely inserted on the lock and hot wired the jury rigged hoist, which creaked and groaned lifting the heavy gate high enough for us to slide underneath. He then continued up the flight, setting the locks for us and refilling one the the picturesque circular intervening pounds to a navigable depth. The Calder and Hebble maintains its attachment to the hand spike right to the very end, and even the last lock can only be accessed using this crude instrument.

I can't resist taking a look down odd canal arms, and the Halifax Branch to Satlerhebble was too good to miss. It's only half a mile long but offers good moorings if you don't mind being beside the town sewage treatment works. There are more good visitor moorings on the mainline near the junction, but again they are blessed with yet more sewage works.

There then followed a three mile pound to Sowerby Bridge, the longest stretch of lock free water since the Standedge Tunnel. It is clearly popular with the locals as the local council were busy laying a tarmac surface. Everywhere we went we saw Yorkshire Terriers taking their owners for walks along the towpath. The canal narrows along this stretch, clinging ever closer to the hillside on one side and giving fine view of the rooftops of Copley on the other.

With our last pump out 10 days ago at Autherley Junction, WB was starting to list and in urgent need of relief. Apart from the DIY machine at Diggle there had been no services since Preston Brook, so a visit to Shire Cruisers of Sowerby Bridge was an absolute must. We met the Stevens family during our visit, who have owned the business for mny years; Nigel who kindly looked out a door catch from the stores; Susan, who accepted our cash; and their son who did the pump out and topped up the diesel tank. The amazing thing about this route is the amount of diesel you don't use. As you may have noticed, our typical daily mileage was between 6 and 10 miles, with the boat spending most of its time idling either before, in, or after a lock. As a result we used a mere £6 per day based on a 60:40 split.

If you want to hire a boat to cruise these waters Shire Cruisers are the only show in town. So it's just as well that their fleet of 15 narrowboats are maintained to such a high standard. Eight had been repainted during the winter months and were so shiny that they actually squeaked as I walked along the gunnels.

After an hour or so we were ready to move on and, as recommended by the Stevens, we moored Wand'ring Bark by the bottom lock and walked up to see the lock keeper at Tuel Lane, and find out what was what. The strange thing was that after climbing up to the high street, the canal disappeared. Where there should have been a canal there stood a very solid looking pub. With a backwards look over my shoulder I figured that the canal tunnel must follow the line of the road so I ducked round the back of the pub and came face to face with the chasm. I say chasm because at 25ft, this is the deepest single lock in Europe and was the restorers answer to the problem of connecting the final 50 metres of the Rochdale with the Calder and Hebble - which became severed during abandonment in 1952. The lock is, in fact, two locks (3 and 4) combined and dropped the canal to a sufficient depth to get it under the main road junction via a cut and cover tunnel.

The lock keepers hut was like the Marie Celeste. Music was playing from the radio but there was no one there, not even in the loo round the back. Then I noticed the sign: "Gone to lunch - back at 1.55pm". Hmm, you can't begrudge a chap his lunch, so I wandered back to WB and prepared some pizza and garlic bread whilst we waited.

By the time the hour had passed two more boats had arrived, nb Dorothy out on loan for the first time and rising with us, and nb Cygnet, a smaller craft making a descent. Rob took the downward boat first, which was great because it presentedan opportunity to watch from the top, before adopting my own worms eye view.

The massive depth of the lock makes BW assistance essential for the eight or ten craft which use it in a typical day. The record number stands at 20, but it's just as well there isn't much traffic. The chamber consumes 140,000 gallons of water and that is by using the "short gates". If a 70 footer passes through (less than 0.1% of the time) you can add a further 50,000 gallons making a whopping 190,000 gallons. That's nearly four times the consumption of a typical broad lock on say the Grand Union. Whilst BW has a three mile pound to draw on to fill this monster, the water supply is often inadequate and an arrangement exists with the EA to pump up from the river for 40 days per year free of charge, after which BW have to pay. That sounds a lot but when 10 days have been used by May its a real issue.

Rob was delighted to show off the lock and explain it's history, following the descending boat down and helping Wand'ring bark and Dorothy up the flight of three (or 4). Whilst the lock and its adjacent tunnel are impressive, the first intervening pound was terribly shallow and we both stuck fast on an evil smelling mud bank, only coming free when additional water was sluiced down.

And so we entered lock 2/3 and the "short" gates were closed behind us. On entering from the curved tunnel you are faced with a solid slab of shining concrete, the biggest upper sill you could ever imagine. Unsurprisingly, there are no gate paddles and the water enters without fuss through three apertures on each side of the lock, gently lifting you up 25 ft in just inder 15 mins. It is hard to provide an indication of scale of this lock, but the following view of Rob, peering down at us from the top gates may help.

A little further on the skewed Falling Royd Bridge is worth of note, a modern "armco" construction so long that it could be classed a short tunnel. It's length is accentuated by the black paint applied to its inside turning it into a drain hole to hell. Shortly after you enter the Mayroyd Moorings. These make a welcome change after the miles of boatless canal we have travelled, and the local boaters all vie for superiority in the the elegance and creativity of their adjacent sheds. Some are so idiosyncratic that one appeared to me modelled on the sentry box from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The lack of water on the Rochdale is nothing new. Most of the lock chambers were built with recesses for an additional set of lock gates, minimising water when used by a short Calder Flats. Whilst this may have been a good idea in theory, the recesses never contained lock gates and have now been redeployed to usefully house safety ladders.

We approached Hebden Bridge in a light Pennine drizzle, but this did nothing to dampen the charm of the place. The local residents we so pleased to see the canal restored that they took a unilateral decision to ban polythene bags, and what a difference it has made to the canal. Not a hint of rubbish anywhere. The town's commitment to the canal didn't stop at the bags they use. They have also reconstructed the central square to embrace it, and very pretty it is too - complete with new civic buildings and an expansive recreation area.

The houses are attractive too. Narrow streets sit end on to the canal giving boaters an intimate glimpse into the lives of the inhabitants. In some places the back doors open right onto the towpath, their sandblasted stone revealing a honey coloured hue which is in stark contrast to the soot blackened masonry of unrenovated buildings dotted about. A darker reminder of the areas industrial past

By the time we passed through Hebden Bridge dusk was falling and we were tired. So tired that I started to make stupid mistakes, like the paddle gear whose ratchet just wouldn't disengage. After 10 mins I despaired of my poking and prodding and was on the verge of calling BW, and then I realise that I had inadvertently applied the lock by depressing the button on the underside of the casing. Stupid or what!.

Acting of the recommendation of Rob, the lock keeper at Tuel lane, we moored outside The Stubbing Wharf and enjoyed an excellent steak, washed down with a couple of pints of Old Peculiar. An excellent gastro pub and an excellent mooring.

South Pennine Ring, Huddersfield to Salterhebble

South Pennine Ring, Huddersfield to Salterhebble
5th April 2009
Huddersfield Broad Canal, Calder & Hebble Navigation

10 Miles
9 Locks
6 Hours

We woke to the percussive sound of pneumatic drills hammering away in the neighbouring Sainsburys car park, interspersed with irritating beeps of vehicles reversing. This is clearly a temporary feature of the area and the moorings at Aspley basin would otherwise offer beautifully quiet overnight location.

The proximity of Sainsburys wasn't all bad though, as we were running low on essential supplies like bread and beer - things we overlooked during yesterday's hurried visit to the Co-Op in Slaithwaite. We therefore delayed our departure till they opened at 10.00am which, irritatingly, was then the car park demolishers packed up their machines and trundled off.

First up was the beguiling Turnbridge Loco Lift Bridge (17), an electronically operated lift bridge which raises the road deck horizontally on huge chains all dressed up as a fake antique, complete with winding drums hidden in old boilers. All very Disneyesque.

The Huddersfield Broad Canal is as deep as the Narrow is shallow. Five or six feet of crystal clear water flowed under our base plate, with fronds of weed arching backwards as we passed without a hint of the mud and filth we had become so used to.

For all their size, the nine 57’ 6” locks down to Cooper Bridge are well maintained and easy to use, with well oiled winding mechanisms. I particularly liked the on / off ratchet system which engaged and disengaged automatically as you turn the windlass. The canal continues down the Colne valley, broadening out with expansive flood plains, occupied by a succession of popular playing fields to the south and a long line of commercial properties to the north. This is in stark contrast to the HNC’s grovelling entrance from the west, slithering along like a snake in the mud.

We were soon entering the River Calder, just above Cooper Bridge Weir, which had recently staged a dramatic collapse barring navigation along the Calder and Hebble and access to the HBC. Thankfully, BW had completed a temporary repair just before we set off, allowing us to attempt the full ring. Whilst the Calder was in a benign mood at the time of our visit, the debris lodged among the arches of Cooper Bridge bore testimony to less pleasant boating conditions in the recent past. The Cooper Bridge Flood Lock stood wide open, inviting exploration to the east. However, with all our reserve time used up on the Huddersfield Narrow it’s a route which will have to wait for another time.

It was good to be on moving water once again, but this pleasure was short-lived as the river is heavily canalised and we were soon facing Kirklees Low Lock. With not other craft on the water we tied up to the landing stage and had some lunch, absorbing both food and the warming rays of a sparkling spring sun. Kirklees is the first C&H lock we had encountered and were immediately in need of the infamous Calder and Hebble handspike. I had read about this essential item in advance and was warned that it should be a baulk of timber 4” x 3” x 3’ with one end tapered to 2 ¼” x 1 ¾”. I had also read that an adapted pickaxe handle would do the trick so I had brought a new hickory sledgehammer handle. The handle was a little bit loose in the paddle gear but it did the job ok.



This ancient means of sluice operation is unique to the Calder and Hebble and should be retained if only to keep a bit of waterways history alive. However, it is as far removed from the technology of the HNC’s hydraulics as Henry Ford’s Model T is from my Mondeo. The handspike is inserted into a small capstan, and a very basic ratchet is thrown into the cogs. You then pull – sometimes you pull very hard and are suddenly rewarded with a solid block of water, which crashes into the bows of the boat and sends it rattling around the lock chamber. Historical it is but subtle it aint! Jeff departed all keen to work the first hand spiked paddle, but returned dejectedly five minutes later proving the adage that you shouldn’t send a boy to do a man's job! Not that winding the conventional paddles was any easier. In the end we wheeled out “Big Bertha” our long handled windlass and it still took every ounce of the Captian’s strength to get the water flowing.


The big question is: how are you supposed to close the paddles after use? I couldn’t see any way of achieving a gentle closure so opted for the direct approach of simply withdrawing the handspike and standing well back. Most times the paddle dropped down with a satisfying thunk, but some stuck and would only close if I either stood on it or gave it a good wack with the sledgehammer handle.

Yorkshire, and the Calder and Hebble in particular is the waterway for football collecting. Jeff has been an avid collector of canal footballs for years, ever since we started canoeing on the BCN. For the last eight days he had been eyeing every manky football wallowing in the reedy canal margins, reluctantly conceding that none were worth rescuing. Then suddenly, in the space of one afternoon, three absolute crackers, fully inflated and intact. Maybe their loss says something about the ball skills of the locals…

It felt odd to be boating in Yorkshire. Being both on the wrong side of the Pennines and the Tidal Trent gave a heightened feeling of distance from the main boating arena. It was almost like we were trespassing through someone else’s backyard. In reality it was great, miles and miles of deep water navigations all with no other boat traffic. Our original plan had been to spend the day travelling down to Dewsbury and back, mooring at Brighouse for the night. Given our shortage of time we decided to get a bit ahead of schedule, so we pressed on through Brighouse’s two basins and a lurch of local drunks (I dont know the collective for drunks!) and, of course, home to Sagar Marine - builders of award winning replica Dutch Barges.

With plenty of light left in the day we moved on towards Salterhebble, passing along a particularly attractive stretch with the canal hugging the valley side and the River Calder, playing a chaste version of kiss and run on the other - always close nut never quite touching. In the end we moored immediately after Woodside Mills Lock, prop dredging an offside spot alongside the wall of a ruined mill complete with arches, hanging foliage and rusty iron rings. The location was impossibly pretty with the last rays of the evening sun giving the stonework into a fiery orange hue. The picture illustrates this far better than my fumbling words ever can.

The local fishermen knew nothing of the mill's history, which appeared to have lain in ruins for over a century. It's remote location had preserved the finely faced stone so, after ten minutes of scrabbling in the rubble, we loaded about a ton into Wand’ring Bark’s bows destined to become a water feature in Birmingham. To move it back to the Midlands in a narrowboat seemed a fitting mode of transport.

The location offered poor fishing but some excellent photo opportunities, followed by an equally excellent chilli and a couple of episodes of 24 before an early night.