Up onto the summit level.

A day off near Reedley Marina left us refreshed for the last flight of locks up onto the summit level, those at Barrowford. First though we had to pass between Nelson and Barrowford, on opposite sides of the Colne Valley. The river, canal and M65 separate the two towns, although both spread fringes down into the valley.

Mills in Nelson, restored…


…and not restored, awaiting the architect’s pencil and developer’s money.


Someone’s been busy with a grappling hook…
This is the second heap of rusty, bent bicycles we’d seen, dragged out from under the bridges.

We stopped briefly to do some shopping at Morrisons near Bridge 141a, then again at the handy canal-side recycling centre a little further on.
I got rid of recycling and 2½ litres of old oil from the last couple of services here.

Used to be someones’s pride and joy, now it’s just another wreck that CRT will have to recover.


Passing over Swinden Aqueduct, carrying the canal over the River Colne below the locks.
The Colne changes it’s name to Pendle Water below Barrowford, then runs into The Calder at Burnley.

Pendle Hill rises to the west, it was in this area, in the early 17th century, that the infamous Pendle Witches were arrested and tried for the murder of ten people by witchcraft.

Of the twelve arrested, one died in prison, one was found not guilty and ten hanged. The popular image of witches been burnt at the stake is mistaken, at least in England. In the 300 years from the early 15th to the early 18th centuries, around 500 people, men and women, were executed for witchcraft. In this case most of the accused were from two families, the Demdikes and the Chattoxes, who were in competition for customers for their healing and influencing potions. It’s possible that the accusations stemmed from nothing more than trying to get rid of the opposition…

We had to turn the bottom lock as a boat was moving up ahead of us, which resulted in the pound above being quite low.

Waiting for the lock…


…and in we go.


Shallow water at the edges of the pound caused us to run aground as we left the lock, but I managed to work us clear.






The very dry spring has left the reservoir water levels in a precarious position. This flight, as well as Wigan, Greenberfield, Bank Newton and the single Holme Lock at Gargrave all have restricted passage hours in an attempt to conserve water.





Lock 49 (Barrowford Lock 5) sits almost underneath the M65
After flirting with the motorway over the last few days, under it 5 times and over it twice, we finally leave it behind here.

Coming up the locks…






Ode To A Tramp at Lock 49

“Over hills to wander

And through the fields to roam

I while away the hours

As on I walk alone

Along the river path I stroll

Across the lock I stride

As onward walked alone my soul

When I lay down and died.”

That’s it, Barrowford Top Lock and onto the summit level at 487 feet above sea level.

It’s nowhere near the highest, mind you. That distinction goes to the Huddersfield Narrow, 645 feet up.

Barrowford Reservoir, looking a bit low…

We pulled in above the locks, and Rob and Jane joined us to celebrate getting up here, with a bottle or three of course. This morning we decided to stay put, but the Whippets decided to move on to Barnoldswick.

I think Rob’s halfway through a wave. Or else he thinks he’s the Pope!

We’re not likely to see them for a while now. We’ll be hanging around till August, while they steadily work their way down to Leeds. It’s been good traveling with this lovely couple. Good company and fine locking companions.

Tomorrow we’ll follow them to “Barlick”, but they’ll have moved on by the time we get there.

Locks 7, miles 4½