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Description:
The longest single canal in Britain is a trans-Pennine waterway winding its way through some of the most beautiful countryside in England. It is endowed with interesting canal structures and passes through the industrial centers of Burnley, Blackburn and Wigan. With a limited number of hire operators it is one of the least travelled waterways and the solitude adds to its pleasure; however it is a canal that was designed for broad beamed traffic and has a few heavy duty locks and stubborn swing bridges that, at times, require some muscle power.
If you are interested in the historical background of this waterway, please click here
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Leeds to Apperley Bridge - (9 miles and 15 locks):
Our overnight stay in Leeds was somewhat noisy because we had to moor underneath the railway bridge just above Office Lock. I understand that Peter, the lock keeper, can play quite a tune on his "didgeridoo"; unfortunately we did not hear the soothing sounds of this aboriginal instrument above the clatter of the trains. In the morning Peter came by and explained the L & L paddle gear to us and then went ahead to help us through the next three locks.
We had heard horror stories about vandalism in the Leeds area and this was confirmed when the lock keeper at Newly told us that the local morons had tried to saw through his balance beams and, finding that too much like work, had tried to burn them. Apparently this was an act of reprisal because they had been told they could not use the lock as a swimming pool. Later that day we came across a nice looking car that had been taken for a joy ride and then parked in the canal.
The other side of the story is, we ran into a hefty young lad named Stefan who was very proud of "his" canal and loved to help boaters. He walked alongside us awhile, helping with the locks and swing bridges and in the afternoon became a willing hard working passenger. It was a gorgeous sunny day as we poodled up the Aire Valley past the bluebell covered Calverley Woods to an overnight mooring at Applerley Bridge. Stefan left us here for his 8 mile walk back to Leeds.
The next day was one of those icky damp drizzly days so we stayed put for most of it and extended our stern-to-kitchen intercom through to the bow. Peter and Judith, from Holmfirth, rejoined us for the evening and we moved up above the Dobson Staircase; in doing so, Peter was a little premature opening the gate paddles and tried to fill CLAIRE JUSTINE's for'ard deck with water. Just a few days before we had heard about an accident in this area; the force of the water coming through gate hatches had smashed the front window of a boat and sunk it. Now we could see how easily it could happen and learnt another "interesting" rule of the canal.... DON'T OPEN THOSE GATES TO SOON.
Another day of rain, thunder and lightening so we stayed at the top of Dobson Locks by the old horse stables; it is hard to imagine that two major cities, Bradford and Leeds, are only a few miles away from this pleasant rural setting. I felt particularly proud that evening as a fellow boater knocked on the door and asked if I would help him through the locks because he was inexperienced..... I'm sure he appreciated the assistance of a "seasoned boatman" who could explain the dangers of opening gate paddles too soon!
