Leave Goole for Whitley

The day started bright and sunny - not a cloud in the sky. However, the forecast was quite correct in that it predicted some showers in the early afternoon which duly arrived on schedule, but sunshine returned in the evening.

First of all, Mike walked into Old Goole - about 10 - 15 minutes each way - to buy a paper from the Co-Op, without having to trek all the way into the centre of Goole. Old Goole was just across the Dutch River, tidal but officially navigable ' for experienced skippers'. Mike also picked up some croissants and the blend of coffee that Christine likes at the moment.

The Dutch River

We had been planning to set off at that point but Christine found out that one of the museum's boat trips around the docks was leaving at 10:15. She went and booked, there were just two others also on the trip.

It was interesting to see around the main dock area - beyond the point at which small boats like ours are intended to venture. (The docks are separately controlled by the port authority, not CaRT and even the trip boat had to check in by VHF with the controller.

One of the uses of redundant barges to convert them into residences - one business alongside is doing just that.

What Mike had thought to be machinery being offloaded last night was, in fact, rolls of aluminium - the ship also carries cubes of pressed cans for recycling.

At present there is no longer any container traffic and most of the ships are loaded or unloaded the old fashioned hard way; item by item. On this occasion individual sheets of plate steel were being moved by fork lift truck and loaded by the huge container crane.

Coal Hoist

Another coal hoist but this time a different, older, design where trucks were pushed onto the rig and tipped over to deposit their load via a large chute.

Goole Parish Church from the Docks

The church is at its most impressive from the water - a bit sad to see dome of the dock area so desolate and unused.

Unused Dock Area

Back to our own boat and next came a trip of 25 metres backwards to the water point and sani station for a full service stop. After that it was time to leave Goole and re-trace our route back to Southfield Junction where we could then start to make our way up towards Leeds, although we plan a diversion at least as far as Selby.

The towpath handrail under Goole Railway Bridge is decorated with a series of insects cut from flat steel.

Southfield Junction

A swing bridge once operated here - at least we had none to open today.

Pollington Lock

Although not easy to see from a photo, Pollington Lock has been extended three times - as a result it is really two locks, with two sets of gates each, joined with a large gap in between. Self operate boaters only have the option to use the shorter operation.

We know that BW was, before it became CaRT, selling off much of its movable equipment - perhaps the bidder has not got around to collecting this one!

Humber Pride

The Humber Pride, sister to the oil tanker we saw on the trip down to Sheffield, came around a corner. Christine could see it some distance away and gave it a clear run - receiving a cheery wave from the skipper in return.

Gravel Barge above Whitley Lock

Above Whitley Lock another fully laden gravel barge was moored for the night. Christine stopped to chat to the skipper (Mike then tied off our boat and joined them) who proved very interesting to hear. he comes from generations of a barge family going back at least two centuries to before Goole was established. Before the recession he was carrying over 100,000 tons a year with his three barges but this slumped to a third of that at its worst. Demand is picking up a bit now but he still had to let many of his experienced staff go.

The gravel, from the Trent Valley is especially good quality and needed for making high quality concrete - the local materials are only suitable for the building trade.

A short distance after the lock, enough to get away from the worst of the M63 noise, we pulled in to one of the few moorings along this stretch. Actually all the space was occupied by a couple of boats that looked as if they were quite at home here, but immediately beyond was a good stretch of piling of the sort to which we could moor directly without needing pins. (It is advised to moor securely, not with pins, as the wash from passing barges can pull boats adrift)

12.6 miles - 2 locks