Marooned on the Bends

Well the title is a bit of an exaggeration but the forecast today of gale force winds and heavy rain showers has convinced us that we should stay put today.  Added to the forecast is the fact that we are moored on one of the loveliest stretches of canal in the country. But more of that later. Let's pick up from the top of the Bingley Five Rise locks and enjoy the stunning views as we climbed the Aire Valley.

This is Micklethwaite Swing Bridge on the way out of Bingley and Crossflats. On this 18 mile pound with no locks the canal offers an alternative of many many swing bridges. These vary from fully electric ones to ones where the warning barriers are electric but the bridge has to be swung manually to those without any artificial aids. However unlike previous times we have been up here we've not had any serious difficulties getting bridges open or closing them after passing through.

The inhabitants of these bungalows on the approach to Silsden put on a splendid show with their gardens. Not a single one is neglected and one was even flying the Yorkshire Rose flag.

Having come up the Bingley Locks the canal is well up on the side of the Aire valley and this means that there are often fine panoramic views of the valley below. This view is looking down the valley from Silsden.

And this is the view of a bridge over the Aire from our mooring on Tuesday evening at Kildwick.  We had set our hearts on a steak and stilton pie for lunch at the White Lion but that was not to be. The pub has been taken over and was temporarily closed. So we had lunch on Leo and then walked up onto the moor above Kildwick.

This poor person seems to have raided the beer supplies in the roofbox on this boat moored at Kildwick and met a sad fate.

Here we are up on the edge of the moor looking at the view towards Skipton.

This curious pudding shaped lump with the cross on top is a Golden Jubilee Memorial for Queen Victoria in 1887. It has a seat with another good view.

This is the view from the porthole in our bedroom on Leo.

We set off through Kildwick on Wednesday (7th August). One of the roads through the village dives into a tunnel under the canal.

And round the corner is yet another swing bridge. This one is a footpath and wholly manual. Below the left hand side of the bridge you can see a chain hanging down. This is so that a pedestrian on that side can pull the bridge closed if some inconsiderate boater has not closed the bridge after them as we are supposed to.

Here we are passing the moorings at Snaygill where we used to moor Leo. We had a brief conversation with Mick and Christine who were our neighbours there and still moor their boat here. With boats coming the other way it was difficult to stop and speak to them properly.

It was only a short hop on Wednesday to moor in the centre of Skipton and, after lunch in a cafe in town, we visited the Castle.

This is Conduit Court in the centre of the castle which was well restored by Lady Anne Clifford in 1659 after major destruction in the Civil War. The castle remains pretty well intact from that restoration. The yew tree in the courtyard was planted by Lady Anne herself.

There was a Silver Propellor point for the taking by cruising up the Springs Branch in Skipton but we decided to duck this one. As there is no turning point it would have meant a half mile forward followed by a half mile in reverse past a lot of permanently moored boats and with a busy hire boat centre at the junction too.  A bit inconsiderate we thought to go up and back for the sake of it, so we didn't. This picture was taken on Thursday as we cruised out of Skipton towards Gargrave. This is Niffany Swing Bridge which again is wholly manual and provides vehicle access to the farm.

The stretch of canal up to Gargrave is another good one for views. By this point the canal is not far above the river and the valley is wide and fairly flat.

At Gargrave we met the six locks that take the canal round the back of the town and are the first locks since Bingley. Eagle eyed viewers of this picture will notice that this is also where we crossed the Pennine Way.

We found a lovely spot to moor for the night above Scarland Lock (the fifth of the six Gargrave Locks) and went for a walk partly along the Pennine Way back to the village for tea and shopping.

We walked first along the canal, over the aqueduct across the River Aire and up the first couple of Bank Newton Locks to reach a footpath. This view is looking north east over the bottom of the Bank Newton Locks.

Helen is crossing some stepping stones across the Aire at Gargrave. The little girl was busy playing on the stepping stones and so got her picture taken too.

Yesterday (Friday 9th) we set off on a dismal morning to climb the six Bank Newton Locks. This is the lock keeper's cottage at the bottom of the flight, now privately owned.

The plaque over the porch shows its canal origins.  LLCC stands for Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company. The date is interesting because this was when there was a brief burst of further building on the canal before the war with France delayed progress. The canal was started in 1770 and not finally opened in its entirety from Leeds through to Liverpool until 1816.

Above Bank Newton is a section of canal which we call the Bends. The lockie at Bank Newton called it the Curly Whirly but we think that is the familiar name for the Wyrley and Essington in Birmingham. Whatever the name, it is a remote few miles where the canal snakes backwards and forwards around some low dumpy hills before finally heading to the village of East Marton. We went for our customary walk in the afternoon and here we are further along the towpath looking back to our mooring. Leo is the furthest boat moored.

I think this photo is likely to feature in our photo calendar this year. It does give you an idea of how pretty this area is.

And here with a boat coming the other way. By the afternoon yesterday the weather had dramatically improved.

We walked into East Marton and had tea and a couple of scrumptious cakes at the Abbott's Harbour tea shop. The building dates from the 12th century when it was built by Cistercian Monks as a place of refreshment for those travelling between abbeys. A heavy shower came down while we were having tea but stopped to allow us to return the few miles to Leo.

We've managed a few jobs this morning  but it is now raining as well as blowing so our decision to stay put  and enjoy "the bends" was the right one. We will likely climb the last three locks tomorrow to the summit of the Leeds and Liverpool at 487 feet above sea level.