Crossflats near Bingley

Yesterday was car shuffle and launderette day. Mike and Andrew set off to catch the 9am train to Lancaster - the station was only five minutes walk away. Mike also collected the tickets for next week when he goes down to London to collect Alice and Jess who are joining us for a week from Huddersfield.

From Lancaster we caught a bus to Glasson Dock and collected both of our cars. Andrew headed off to Preston as his mobile phone needed a new glass front whilst Mike went directly to Marsden where we had located a suitable place to leave the car until the end of our trip. he expected Andrew to pick him up about an hour later so he popped down to the town to find some sandwiches for lunch. It was almost three hours before Andrew was able to text him to say that the repair was now complete - it had taken a lot longer than promised a he was not the first in the queue.

Lock 41E Huddersfield Canal at Marsden

In any event, Mike survived the wait in the strong sunshine - he reminded himself of the last couple of locks in the long run up from Huddersfield to the summit at Standedge Tunnel - and by 6pm we were all back at the boat.

Overnight there were extensive lightning storms but, although we could see the frequent flashes illuminating the clouds in silhouette, the kept a few miles away. (When we moored this evening we heard that they passed over Bingley) Andrew left about 5:30 (we just about heard him leave!) as he had to be in Worcester for a Fork Lift truck course - part of his involvement in the Beer, Cider and Perry festival that is held each year on the racecourse.

By the time we were ready to leave the skies had cleared and we had a wonderful warm - later even hot - day with plenty of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. At times it was breezy which kept us from melting but made steering in congested sections a bit more interesting.

We moved a short distance up to the water point and service station for the usual tasks and then across to the visitor moorings on the towpath side. This allowed us time to walk across the bridge into the centre of the town which was rather busy. As well as their usual street market it is Yorkshire Day tomorrow with various events over the weekend, including a sandy beach on the canalside. We could hear a steel drum band playing so no doubt it was meant to be a Caribbean beach rather than Blackpool!

Skipton Street Market

We found a number of excellent small shops including a butcher and a bakery - there were choices for both. The market provided for our needs in the fruit and veg section. We had part of a pork pie and a hedgehog granary loaf later at lunch time and at tea time a couple of eccles cakes. All very tasty.

Time then to set off properly on a day that promised no locks but many swing bridges. By the time we left Skipton we knew that we would be too late for the last entry into the Bingley locks which are closed at 5pm.

Scenically, this is one of the best stretches of the Leeds and Liverpool with hills all around and Airedale stretched out below us.

Kildwick

The canal passes from one town or village to another - in some places it has not grown beyond its origins as a mill village.

Some of the swing bridges are mechanised . . .

and some are not! Only one proved especially hard to move.

Bridge 183 also had beside it a war memorial to a group of Polish airmen whose place lost a wing during a training flight in 1943 and all on board lost their lives.

After a short break for lunch and time to enjoy our morning purchases from Skipton we continued with the line of industry below us in the valley.

A lucky break - two of the bridges are left open! Judging by the state of this one it is perhaps as well that we did not have to try to move it.

Many of the former mill buildings have found new uses, often converted into apartments. This one in Silsden still seems to have some industrial use.

The canal is much straighter here but occasionally a bend gives views across to the bridges ahead - this time one of the few non-swing types around here.

Another lovely view

Mooring bollards on the non-towpath side seem to suggest that this may once have been a loading point for a local quarry.

We had a brief stop at Riddleston to check out possibilities for church tomorrow morning. In the end we concluded that the one at Crossflats was the easiest to reach and it has a service at 9.30 in the morning. The best place to walk to it is from the ABC Swing footbridge and so we moored just before it, with help from members of the boat club moorings opposite who told of the best bit of bank to use!

12.8 miles - 0 locks