Riddlesden to Skipton

It started raining at 10pm last night and persisted for a good eight hours. I have to admit that it is much needed and what better time to rain than overnight. Caroline had joined me again so that we could progress through many of the remaining swing bridges. In fact we covered nine miles and fifteen bridges! We stopped at Kildwick for a quick lunch and walked up to the Jubilee Tower known locally as the bottle because it looks rather like a bottle.

I made it to Snaygill Boats about two minutes before closing time to get diesel. Looking ahead there do not seem to be many boatyards so this was a relief. After mooring up, we had a mooch around the town of Skipton and found a very nice Italian restaurant. My risotto was more than acceptable and the house red was "moreish" :-). I walked with Caroline to the station and then home to bed.

To Haworth

Just as I had decided that I was going to have to moor by the swing bridge for the night, not one but two boats turned up so I was able to get help through two more bridges and reach my planned stop at Riddlesden. Today I got the Keighley and Worth Valley railway to Haworth where I visited the Parsonage. Haworth has lots of unusual shops aimed at the visitor. In particular there are vintage shops and second hand book shops.

The KWVR platform at Keighley and the very comfortable seats in the train:

Slow progress, fun and games

Had a good day yesterday, stopping at Saltaire for a mooch around the Mill shops and gallery and then finding a nice mooring at Dowley gap. I had paired up with a very nice family for the locks and I began to feel that I might like the L&L after all. But today's another day and a very different one. Actually going through the two sets of staircase locks was okay but we had over an hour's wait between them. It was the swing bridges that are causing bother! They have been quite busy roads with barriers, etc. They are always difficult for a single hander but these are impossible. I asked my lock buddies whether I could nip through with them and they said Of course. They needed to take on water so we had another half hour break and then through the first bridge.Guess what? It got stuck open! I had already moved on but heard the news from a towpath walker. In the meantime I had got stuck on rocks and took half an hour to extricate Olivia. Now I'm moored by the bridge hoping that a boat might come my way but time is getting on so this might become tonight's mooring. This life always has something to offer. No two days are ever alike.

Are boaters wanted on the L&L?

The title of this post is a result of the last few days cruising. There have been few moorings over 48 hours so the visitor cannot visit all the places that they would like. Those that do exist are full because they only have space for two or three boats. The mooring I am on tonight appears to be a favourite place for the mature drinking fraternity! They are friendly enough but I do hope they have homes to go to.

I had lots of swing bridges to do today and was not looking forward to it but I paired up with a couple who were on their first day of cruising ever, so Michelle was able to work the bridges while I could be the (ahem) fountain of all knowledge. I will have another thirty or so bridges to do on this canal so I'd better find a strategy for dealing with them which doesn't involve commandeering passers by.

Mooching about today

In the end, last night, I was able to cancel the cab and catch the last bus because the performance finished earlier than stated. After all, cab fare versus bus pass is a no brainer.Today I caught the bus again to visit Kirkstall Abbey. Although it is a ruin there is enough of it left for you to get a feel of what it would have been like.

The other side of Leeds

I was going to moor close to the cinema that is screening Macbeth tonight but I partnered up with a local couple who advised me not to! We, therefore, did a six hour cruise to somewhere safer. However, although I could catch a bus to the cinema, there is not a late bus. Book a cab, I hear you say. Well I have booked one but the fact that they asked me about three times where I wanted to be picked up from has not filled me with confidence! You'll find out tomorrow how I got on. Lots of feral kids swimming in the locks today and the language, Timothy. Enjoy the Shakespeare those of you who are joining me in the virtual space known as NT live.

Last day in Leeds

I had another good day in Leeds today. I met up with Caroline and we went to the Stanley and Audrey Burton gallery at the university. A good variety of works some of which were very good. We also discovered that the School of Music had some Peter Blake album artwork so we went to view those . After all that culture we needed to eat and found the Brasserie Blanc where we had a tasty 3 course menu which was very good value. Friendly staff too. We then had to rush to the Carriageworks theatre for a play about Churchill and Hitler meeting in the afterlife.

Immersing myself in Leeds

Had a really nice cruise into Leeds this morning. I think these automated locks could catch on. Will spend a couple of days doing museums, etc. I've already done the gallery and it's really good. Full of nooks and crannies. I have a ticket for the Manchester version of the Scottish play with Kenneth Branagh. Alas I am not going to Manchester but the cinema via NT live.

Here is a photo of my mooring at Clarence Dock with the Royal Armouries museum as backdrop:

I took a week's break

I've been back down South to catch up with my overgrown lawn/hedge; to babysit my little grand daughter (while the parents went to the Stones' concert); to catch up with friends at the Lowry exhibition and the RA summer show; and to spend some time with my grandson, too. On the way home I stopped to visit the National Coalmining Museum which is very worthwhile. We were underground for about one and a half hours and there is plenty to do on the surface, too. Travelling down in the cage and seeing all the machinery brings home exactly what the miners had to do. Our guide was a fountain of knowledge and had a good sense of humour as well. I then managed to squeeze in a visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It was a beautiful day for it and I would have liked to spend longer there. I'll visit again if I'm ever that way on a nice warm day with time to spare. The car park is a bit pricey - £5 for two hours; £7.50 all day. Here are some of the exhibits:

Just a few miles shy of Leeds

I've got a nice mooring in a village with 2 pubs and a regular bus into Leeds. Today's trip went well as all the locks are automated because they are huge. Olivia looked lost in them. Into Leeds tomorrow to visit the galleries. Everyone is enjoying the sun.

Seems like a holiday resort today

A little bit of good weather makes a world of difference. Today I am at Stanley Ferry on the Aire and Calder navigation. It is wide and straight and packed with boats of all shapes and sizes. As we are more river than canal up here, there are more cruisers. As it is big there are more barges and widebeams, too.

Here is where I will be heading tomorrow:

I stopped last night on Wakefield waterfront so I was able to visit the Hepworth Gallery. It's in a lovely setting and only needs the townspeople to catch on to it - there is a need for a few more catering outlets and perhaps some more arty type activities in the vicinity. An extension is due to open shortly in one of the old heritage buildings. I didn't take a photo of the Hepworth but I did take this reflection of the waterfront.

This is Olivia when she was moored right outside the Business School at the University of Huddersfield:

This friendly little fella is hanging about near the Hepworth Gallery.

Calder and Hebble wobbles

If I thought the Via Ferrata was a little scary, it was nothing compared to the river sections of this navigation! Actually I think it was because it was a bit windy today, so I couldn't always easily pull in at the locks. The locks themselves were often heavy going with faulty paddles. Luckily there is no wind forecast for the next few days. I have loads of photos and hope to upload them in a day or two.

Adventure weekend

I'm back on board after a weekend in the Lake District. Did a trek up to the summit of Haystacks on Saturday and spent the next morning dangling hundreds of metres up on the Via Ferrata. Nerve racking but such an achievement! Having a rest day today but back to cruising tomorrow.