Up out of Gargrave

We had a cracking day yesterday, wall to wall sunshine topped up the batteries from the solar panels, needing just a half-hour later in  the evening for hot water. And we had Mags’ son Howard and grand-daughter Melanie come over to see us as well. A fine afternoon.

Although it’s been cooler today I’ve stuck to the shorts as we moved up the three locks to leave Gargrave behind.

Mags is doing elf impressions…


It was only a mile before we pulled in, so not much to say today.

There’s a panel missing off one of the box paddles at Anchor Lock, exposing the worm drive mechanism to inspection


Scarland Lock, Stegneck just visible with a cream-coloured boat on the way down. (Just to the right of the tree)

I left one gate open for him, but he’d still have had to open the other…


We pulled in not far above Stegneck Lock, on the offside at the end of the aqueduct carrying the canal over the River Aire. 



Here, only seven miles from it’s source, it’s hard to imagine that the same river wreaked that much chaos in Leeds around Christmas.

Updates from CRT indicate that the route south out of Leeds should be open by next weekend, following dredging work at Knostrop Falls. But the closure on the Calder and Hebble at Elland will remain in place until June.

We’ve met boats at each of the three locks we ascended today, and there’s been several past since we tied up. We were tempted to press on up Bank Newton Locks as we were told there were volunteer lock keepers on the flight, but we decided to leave them till tomorrow as planned. You never know, we may be lucky…

Thanks for the comment, Ade. Yes, Spring is in the air, finally!

Locks 3, miles 1

Quick postscript - just took these pics of the sunset...