Leeds

Our plan is to reach Leeds today - as there is limited mooring in the city centre we wanted to make sure we arrived in good time. As a result we were off soon after 8:30. the forecast was for another warm day but cloud cover most of the time. That forecast turned out to be accurate!

The first section was canal - some of the houses alongside have made efforts to improve the outlook. Elsewhere, nature is rapidly taking over and we began to feel that Himalayan Balsam, hardly heard about five years ago, is an important factor in giving some colour to the banks.

Elsewhere we also saw some splendid patches of wild flowers.

Another relic of the times when all along the canal there were wharves for loading or unloading barges.

Housing still dominates the current generation of re-development on former industrial sites. Not sure which wharf was here before!

Although the huge cooling towers of Ferrybridge C power station are a major landmark for miles around (as with all of the power stations in this area) on the canal it suddenly makes an appearance and looms over the flood lock.

This is the third power on the site - according to the map, the brick building was the first. A little later we passed the site of Ferrybridge B but it appears to have been replaced by other buildings.

As we started to leave the power station behind us the last part was the former unloading station for coal delivered by water - it featured in our Canal 40 blog and seems to have changed little since then.

Old Fryston Colliery Loading Basin

In the past, two collieries - Fryston and Wheldale - loomed over the river (which we had now re-joined), but now all that remains are the two loading basins, just visible through the new undergrowth along the river banks.

Fusedale Barge

Above Bulholme Lock we caught up with Fusedale one of the sand and gravel boats we first met at Goole. Shortly afterwards we also saw Fossdale.

We stopped at Castleford Flood Lock to empty the elsan - we would have taken on water but the fittings on the tap were a different size. However, there was time for Christine to forage some raspberries growing wild beside the lock - perhaps left over from when there was a resident lock keeper.

Lemonroyd Lock

Lemonroyd Lock - which replaced two former locks - is huge and we shared it with Shark (a former mud hopper) which had seen some days ago (but cannot quite remember where!) The automated controls only allow water in very slowly so it takes much longer to fill than most.

Woodlesford Lock

At Woodlesford Lock we shared with another narrow boat also heading to Leeds - we would not only share all the remaining locks today but also a berth in Clarence Dock as we arrived at the same time with only one space left!

Thwaites Mill Industrial Museum

Not far from Leeds we passed Thwaites Mill Industrial Museum - perhaps we will have time to explore on a future visit.

Last time we noticed that the architecture in Leeds is sometimes quite imaginative - we think these have been built in the meanwhile.

After the final lock today we turned sharply into Clarence Dock, close on the tail of our companion boat and moored. The lack of visitor moorings (only room for about three or four narrow boats) meant that we had to share the same space but at least it is safe, secure and reasonably quiet.

16.6 miles - 9 locks (including flood locks)