LITTLE AND LARGE

FRIDAY 16TH JULY 2010

It was a funny start to the day, one moment rain and the next sunshine resulting in a lovely rainbow, but the town was quite attractive. The morning was taken up with Sainsbury and then Sagar Marine, based in an old warehouse alongside the basin. Andrew Sagar was happy to show us around one of their beautiful, replica Dutch barges, all that space and so much more than just a wheelhouse, dining for six in comfort, maybe that could be the answer when we have had enough travelling about on the canals.

The moment we exited Brighouse Basin we were on the big River Calder, wow how it had grown from the little stream that had trickled alongside us on The Pennines. The various flood locks were open both ends as we entered narrow canal sections, but had it not been for the signs indicating which way to go, it would have been easy to have missed the entrance to some of these locks and carried on and over weirs.

We quickly passed the junction with the Huddersfield Broad Canal at Cooper Bridge and a couple of miles later after a wide section of the River Calder we moored up just after bridge 20 near Shepley Bridge Lock, there is a small marina here and a Sanitary Station and water point, which would be useful in the morning. Of the coal mining and associated industry that surrounded the river canal, there is now no sign, except for some excellent information boards.

SPIKED

THURSDAY 15TH JULY 2010

Sowerby Bridge didn’t detain us; maybe it was wet was the reason that it lacked appeal compared to Hebdon Bridge, but we said bye bye to the Rochdale Canal, as we started onto the Calder and Hebble Canal. What an experience the Rochdale had been, stunning countryside, no hire boats, good company and great fish and chips. Do not be put off by the negative comments that can be heard. There are some water shortages and plenty of locks but after the nineteen or so coming out of Manchester and providing you are not in a hurry, it breaks down to about ten a day, that’s not a hardship, the wonderful scenery more than compensates and the BW guys were all extremely helpful.

Within two miles of leaving Sowerby the Salterhebble arm was straight ahead under a bridge and we had to execute a 90deg. turn to the right to enter the first of three locks. The wind took control and I ended up facing the way I had come, Jacquie pushed the bow into the entrance to the lock and applying full rudder and plenty of power I pivoted SKYY into the lock.

The surrounding area was now very attractive and the last of the three locks was exited via a guillotine gate. The top gate paddles of many of the locks from now on can only be operated with the special wooden handspike, although some of these old mechanisms are being replaced with a hydraulic arrangement. We bought our handspike for £12 in the small chandlery at Sowerby, but it could be made easily from a 3ft. length of hardwood 3in x 2in with the edges rounded off and one end shaped to make it comfortable to hold. It must be a substantial piece of wood as you will have to put all of your weight and strength onto it to get some of the paddles to lift. There doesn’t appear any way of letting the paddles down gently, you just pull the spike out and the paddle drops with a thud.

These locks only just accepted our 57ft length. The sill is V shaped and after we lifted the front button fender and took the bike off the back of the boat and reversed SKYY right into the V with the rudder at 90 degs., could we get the bow passed the opening bottom gates. You certainly couldn’t do this with two same size boats in the lock, it might be possible with a 60ft foot boat, but you would definitely need somebody in the bow with a pole to keep it centred whilst the gates are being opened.

Another six locks through rural countryside and we arrived at Brighouse, a large warehouse converted to apartments on our right and an extremely convenient Sainsbury store on our left funnelled the wind down this stretch, but otherwise it felt safe and secure. And we decided to leave exploring the town until tomorrow.

ALL PUMPED UP

WEDNESDAY 14TH JULY 2010

Rob, the lock keeper at Tuel Lock called on the mobile, at 11 o’clock to confirm that lock 7 would be unlocked within the next few minutes and we could proceed slowly down the four locks to Sowerby Bridge where he would be awaiting to escort us through Tuel Lock. We had been confidently expecting this news and in preparation had made arrangements with Bronte Boats to supply 100 lt’s of diesel and a bottle of gas.

Freshly pumped out and watered we got under way at 11.30 am., along with Tony on N.B. Y-Not and arrived at the deepest lock in the country, at 3.30pm. Tuel Lock knocked Bath Deep Lock into 2nd place when locks three and four where combined during the restoration of the Rochdale Canal, creating one lock of nearly 20ft in depth. On the way we passed a mill chimney surrounded in scaffolding, apparently being restored as it is a listed building. ‘Health and Safety’ again, Fred Dibner would have just lashed a few ladders together and shinned up.

We could clearly see the pumps that had been brought in to back fill the upper pounds, ironic as we were about to experience a proper soaking, by the time we exited the lock and tunnel it was raining hard, bless em, Rob and his colleague Duncan went ahead and worked us through the remaining two locks, they were soaked by the time we were through.

We moored just around from the basin which was full of boats including an old ships life boat. When the rain eased we found the local Tesco and did a bit of stocking up and found the great bronze of 'Boatman and Boy' at the entrance to the basin. We just managed to get back onto SKYY before thunder and lightening and more rain set in for the night.

DOUBLEY ADANDONED

THURSDAY 8TH TO TUESDAY 13TH JULY 2010

We said a sad goodbye to Kim & John, as they abandoned us high and dry in Hebdon,
but as they are such good company we forgave them.

Jacquie was also going to abandon me, to attend a wedding in Bedford and then travel onwards to visit her son and his girlfriend for a day or so. With the closing of the locks our original plan to leave the boat in a marina at Dewsbury and hire a car to attend the wedding had to be cancelled and as we are not happy about leaving the boat unattended whilst moored on line. I and Duggie were to be left behind to guard SKYY
I waved Jacquie off at the railway station on Friday afternoon and settled down to catch up with blog and discover all the paths and tracks that Hedben has to offer.

I also took the opportunity to remove the loo and separate it from the Vetus macerator, my intention was to run a cable and switch from the inlet control solenoid so that I can control the amount of water that is flushed each time the flush button is pushed. Success, it works perfectly, instead of the litre and a quarter of fresh water that is automatically used, I can determine when in the flushing cycle, water is added and how much.

As is so often our good fortune, if we had to be delayed in our travels, this was the perfect place for it to happen. A large park right beside SKYY and lots of visiting dogs to keep Duggie amused and plenty of passers by to keep me chatting.

That’s it the blog is right up to date!!! and the good news is, that we should be able to move on tomorrow and get down to Sowerby Bridge and Jacquie is on the train on her way back hooray.

NOT SO CHILLI

WEDNESDAY 7TH JULY 2010

The train line follows the canal and road through the same gap in the Pennines and the train station was only a few minutes walk away from SKYY so John and I caught the train back to Littleborough to collect their car. It had been safely left in the compound of the Visitors Café, which was along side the canal and the purchase of a couple of cups of tea and donuts was all the payment that was required.

On our return we again backed up for another fill of water, the pump was running all the time indicating that the tank was empty, where does it all go?



In the evening, Geoff and Annie arrived, this time with daughter Emily, who had cut short their last visit last. The weather was a bit chilly so after a drink to celebrate Geoff’s birthday of the previous day we descended into the salon for warming bowls of chilli and rice. Full tummies again!!

APE STEAKS

TUESDAY 6TH JULY 2010

First thing in the morning I spoke to the BW Regional Manager who said that the twenty foot deep Tuel Lock would not be reopened until the following week, they were intending to bring their own pumps in, but this would take some time to organise and install. As there were no services before the Tuel lock, he strongly recommended that we back up to the nearby winding hole, turn around and head back to all the facilities of Hebdon.

Before we took his advice I took this picture of the strange wood carving that was just the other side of the wall from our overnight mooring and then we did as recommended and returned to Hebdon Bridge.

It was a beautiful afternoon and the BBQ was lit for a late lunch, John started to cook the massive steaks that he had contributed, but sadly it started to rain, undeterred we squeezed up under the sun umbrella and enjoyed the meal so much so that we all had to have a lie down to help digestion.

LOCKED UP LOCKS

MONDAY 5TH JULY 2010

We woke feeling energetic and decided to walk up to Heptonstall. This is just a mile out of Hebdon Bridge, but seriously uphill, the way up starts on The Buttress which is a cobbled almost vertical path, must have been fun in the wet, wearing clogs. John strode up with Kim not far behind and Duggie was running to and fro between them, but Jacquie and I had to keep stopping.

We all eventually reached this village which time has forgotten, the main road could have been were the old Hovis advert might have been made. A Victorian church stands in the grounds of the ruined 15th-C church and a dungeon and stocks are still to be seen. Sadly the little museum in the school was closed, but one of the oldest Methodist Churches in the world was open; octagonal in shape unchanged inside with its boxed pews upstairs in the gallery as well as downstairs.

Coffee in the local pub and back down we went. It was much easier on the heart and lungs but the downhill slope found different leg muscles and by the time we reached the bottom our legs were quivering.

SKYY was reversed the short distance to the Sanitary Station and we did a manual pump out and filled with water before waving goodbye to Hebdon Bridge. We only got a mile before we were stopped by padlocked lock 7. A notice pinned to the lock said that the locks at Sowerby Bridge were closed because of low water levels. A phone call to Debbie at BW confirmed the situation. The Environment Agency had stopped the pumps that pumps water back into the canal from the River Calder as the flow was below acceptable level.

Duggie and I walked a mile and a half to below lock 5 and were surprised to find the three and a half mile pound to Sowerby appeared to contained more water than many a pound that we had successfully negotiated on the way to the Summit. However we settled down for the evening and were promised an update of the situation in the morning.