From suevbutler@compuserve.com Wed Jul 7 18:29:26 1999 Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 18:17:37 -0400 From: sue butler Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Subject: Trip Report - Jemima D goes from Bingley - Sowerby Bridge - Day 4 [ The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] Tuesday 22nd June 99 Stanley Ferry - Shepley Bridge 12 locks, 12 miles, 7 hours This morning we awake with a shopping list. We need a handspike to work the locks on the Calder and Hebble. We also need to have the engine bilge pumped out. During our 'unfortunate incident' engine oil spilt from the oil tray into the bilge. We need a new mooring pin and hammer, as ours have walked somewhere during the winter. And I want to buy a Pearson's Guide before we go much further. So I walk back to the Marina to find the buildings all deserted. Peering into the shop reveals mostly empty shelves. There is a notice saying that 'contrary to rumour' the marina is NOT closing down. Unfortunately, it appears otherwise. I do hope that they survive. There are certainly plenty of boats moored here, and when we have visited in the past it has seemed quite busy. I walk back via the handy timber yard, where a helpful woman sold me a piece of 3x2 for 1ukp. (She seemed a little surprised when I told her why I needed it). We move on to Wakefield, where we stop at Howarth Timber for some wood that Neil needs for a carpentry job later in the week. The mooring is handy here, right beside the yard. He only needs a small piece of baton, and ends up with an offcut which they decline to charge us for! We are soon out onto the river again. The Calder is wide and impressive here, and the warehouses that are left are impressive. We see the first (and only) heron of our holiday along here, as well as several families of swans. When we reach Broad Cut Low Lock we take it very gently, as this is a real sinker! The ground paddle outlets are above the water level. Once we a safely through we stop at one of our favourite pubs, the Navigation at Calder Grove. I also walk up to the shops on the main road - not far away but up a steep hill. There used to be a little snicket footpath to take as a short cut, but it was blocked off with rubble. I hope this is only temporary. This would be a good overnight mooring, a lovely spot, good pub and even a fish and chip shop up the hill. When I return I find Neil has been collared by a man on a bicycle, asking lots of questions about where you can get to on the canal. The fact that you can reach London seems beyond his comprehension, and he even seems surprised that we have come from Leeds. I head off with the windlass (the impressive long handled one that I find necessary to shift the paddles on these locks, and Neil extricates himself and comes on into the lock. Meanwhile the cyclist joins me at the lock, and helps me shut the gate. 'Bl**dy H*ll, that's hard work' says he, and promptly cycles off, afraid I may need help with the top gates! At Figure of 3 locks we meet another Jemima coming down, although she is a good deal newer and smarter than us. Ignoring the allure of the Dewsbury Arm, which we have travelled before, we rise through Thornhill Double Locks, a very lovely pair of locks. (But not the prettiest on the Calder and Hebble, as we will discover later in the week) Our 3x2 is proving effective as a handspike, although Neil does have to trim it down a bit at one lock to get it into the gear, however it is far from elegant, and we avoid using it unless absolutely necessary. We return to the river for a short while and then lock up to Shepley Bridge, where we plan to moor. This is the first place we have found it difficult to find visitor moorings, but there is room to tuck little Jemima in, and we are soon enjoying a meal in The Ship. This is a chain pub, Charlie Chalks etc, but the meal is very acceptable and it is not very busy. We wander back to Jemima and settle in for another peaceful night Day 5 to follow^Å Sue and Neil Relaxed were we on Jemima D --- The UK Waterways Network - http://www.ukwaterways.net/ * bringing the inland waterways community together * You are currently subscribed to canals as: george@adiva.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-canals-407N@ukwaterways.net