We left Brighouse with our local guide Jono on board and boated
up to Elland. As we cruised along the cut he pointed out all the old mills and
buildings that he used to remember working when he was a kid. We stopped at
Brookfoot lock in the entrance to a now disused connection with the river, and
Jono’s wife Nicole, who works nearby, came to join us for lunch. It was all
very lovely. At Elland we moored up in the basin behind the Barge & Barrel
after a very pleasant day. We were especially pleased when Jono complimented us
on our relaxed approach to it all. We in turn were honoured to have such a fine
guest aboard. When she’d finished work, Nicole came along in the car and took
him home. Jono and Nicole have nicknamed us “Water Zegeuners” which is Dutch.
We have got our own back by making jam from the rhubarb they gave us, putting
it in the jars they gave us and selling it.
That evening our social life continued as we were invited to
Dan & Hilly’s for dinner. They live in a beautifully converted stable near
Halifax and we had a marvellous evening round their dining table.
The following day, to complete our social hat-trick, Anne
came up from Chesterfield for a day on the boat. We didn’t go far, just four
locks before lunch into Salterhebble Bottom Basin,
then an afternoon of rainy
day games before walking back to the car. We don’t often get to see Anne
properly, we’re either just nipping in to collect our mail on our way to
somewhere else, or she’s got a house-full and we hardly have chance to say two
words to each other. Having just the three of us in the boat for the day was
lovely.
There are three locks and two basins at Salterhebble but the
middle lock leaks so badly there is never enough water in the top basin. When
we were there it was a good 4’ down in the mornings before the lock keeper turned
up.
They keep the top gates locked unless someone has booked to go through. Having
to moor in the bottom basin, although very pretty, is a bit annoying as the
sanitary station is in the top one; if you want to empty your Thetford you have
to carry it across the gates, (Dodgy!) or trundle it over the cobbles to the
bridge over the top. (Not ideal either.)
Above the top lock there is a lovely lock keepers cottage
and a T junction. Left takes you towards Sowerby Bridge, while to the right is
Halifax. Well that’s what the sign says, but it hasn’t gone to Halifax for many
a year. After about 300 yards, the branch that used to go up 14 locks into
Halifax terminates rather abruptly in the grounds of a
Premier Inn; or rather it would do if there were any water in it. At the moment
a temporary coffer dam has been erected, after which languishes an old tyre and
rusty bike strewn ditch.
What happened was this; there is a dry dock off to one
side of the branch. To empty the dry dock there is a sluice gate leading to a
culvert which goes under the canal and into the river. At some point the
culvert collapsed and all the canal water disappeared through the hole into the
river. It must have been quite a disaster when it happened as the 2½ mile pound
to the next lock – lock 1 on the Rochdale Canal - includes Sowerby Bridge Basin
which is home to Shire Cruisers hire fleet as well as several dozen private
boats. A footpath follows the line of the Halifax Branch, if you
look closely there are still some bridges and lock chambers to be found.
We
followed it into Halifax and had a walk around another grand northern town.
It’s got some truly amazing buildings, and its history tells the fascinating
story of a spa town, frequented by the aristocracy, which saw increased industry
deplete its spa waters and was then completely overrun by the industrial
revolution. Like Leeds, the covered
market is an architectural wonder which the local population never give a
second glance to, and which has a stall that does fantastic home-made lasagne
to go.
At 10 the next morning we arranged with the lock keeper to
go up through the top basin out onto the last stretch of the Calder &
Hebble. Two other boats were coming down so we did it all in one go, losing as
little water as possible. Getting three boats through the very low pound was
tricky, but it all went ok and we were out above the last handspike lock in no
time. We’re not sure whether to keep our stick for prosperity, or sell it, or
burn it. Just for the record; there are several locks on the Calder &
Hebble that you don’t need a handspike for, indeed most of them can be got
through with just an ordinary windlass and a goodly helping of grunt. However,
there are one or two (including the last one) which only have handspike
capstans, and having an extra length windlass makes the job an awful lot easier
on the rest.
By 11 we were in Sowerby Bridge and had luckily managed to
acquire the only 72 hour mooring available, which was good because we wanted to
leave Legend for a couple of days while went off to Keighley to see David &
Kate. Jono & Nicole came over to the boat for lunch - we knew we hadn’t
seen the last of them - then very kindly ran us back to our car.
We were planning to go to Saltaire festival with David and
Kate on the Sunday, but the weather forecast was dismal and correct so we
stayed in and did indoor things instead. It was good to spend some time with
them, especially as it won’t be long before we’re too far away for a quick
visit.
Leaving Sowerby Bridge was interesting to say the least. As
it was a bit windy we decided that rather than try to turn in a crowded basin
we ought to reverse out and turn into the Rochdale. It went ok to start with
but just when we got to the junction the wind caught the bow and pushed us over
to the other side. That wasn’t very helpful but we’d have been in a bigger mess
if we’d turned in the basin and come out the other way round; the wind would
have just pushed us past the junction. After we got ourselves sorted out we
were straight into the first three locks, the third one being the infamous Tuel
Lane. After the Rochdale canal became derelict locks 3 and 4 were filled in and
a big road junction was built over the top, effectively severing the canal from
the Calder & Hebble Navigation and, in the 1990s, becoming one of the major
problems for the restoration program. The solution they came up with was to
tunnel under the junction and build a double height lock on the other side.
At
19’8” Tuel Lane Lock is the deepest canal lock in the country. It certainly
feels deep when you’re in it.
It is very impressive - a triumph of engineering
– and people come especially to see it.
The lock keeper is justifiably proud of
it and told us quite a bit about its construction and history. Sadly, as he
pointed out, it’s let down by the very leaky lock 2 just below it, which can
quite happily lose a pound full of water overnight and makes his job a great
deal harder. It takes the shine of it somewhat, but there are plans to change
the gates this winter. Anyway, it is another tick on our list of things to do
on the waterways. We spent the rest of the morning dodging the rain on the way
up to Hebden Bridge. Just before we got there, between locks 7 and 8, we came
across another very low pound, in which we managed - through a lack of sensible
communication, coupled with there not being a tunnel on the map when there
clearly was one directly ahead of us - to ground our boat. With both the boat
hook and the big 13’ pole deployed we eventually succeeded in re-floating it,
but not without a lot of effort and a fair amount of profanity. After such a
hectic boating day it was nice to get to Hebdon Bridge. The coping stones on
the visitor moorings were all being replaced so we moored on the bend just
before them and scuttled inside for a very welcome hot chocolate and a film in
front of the fire.
The next day was taken up by car moving and recceing for
another weekend boat leaving. We reckon Walsden looks ok. It’s the other side
of Todmorden and the locks start coming thick and fast up there with quite
short pounds, but there’s plenty of water around at the moment, so we should be
fine. We’re going away for a weekend camping at Batemans Brewery in Wainfleet
where Frankie and Harry had their wedding reception. Paul and Steve are having
a joint 60th birthday do there, which is guaranteed to be a good
party, and the weather forecast is promising too.
Before we go up there we’re on a lovely mooring for the next
couple of days while a band of rain goes past. We’re at Old Royd Lock, just before
Todmorden, with a view up a beautiful valley. We had a stroll into Tod last
night - enough to whet our appetite; it looked very interesting – and we’ll be
back this afternoon.
So far we’re very impressed with the Rochdale, and we’d like
to share some of its loveliness.
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