Yorkshire

Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote - I really must make an effort.  After leaving Lincoln I continued up the tidal Trent to Keadby where I left the river to join the South Yorkshire navigations.  Entry to Keadby lock was interesting as the tide was running at around 5 mph which made for an interesting turn across the flow to get into the lock.  Thankfully in this modern era I found some videos on YouTube which showed me the correct approach and I managed to slot Mr Bunbury into the lock on the first attempt.

Shortly after the lock I met the unique sliding rail bridge.  Not a great shot but the large metal item on the left carries the rail track and slides back to allow boats to pass.  Quite an impressive piece of engineering.

Keadby Sliding Rail Bridge

The Yorkshire navigations are a little different from the southern canals as they were designed with the wider and taller coal barges in mind.  These tended to carry around 600 tons are were around 20 ft wide and up to 200ft long carrying a stacked load several feet high.  These requires higher bridges which would be difficult to build and thus the majority of bridges either lift, or swing aside to allow the taller loads through as shown in the next two photos. The majority are now hydraulically operated but still interrupt your journey as you need to stop to open and close each one.

Typical Lift Bridge

Typical Swing Bridge

I spent a couple of days navigating the rivers and canals until I reached Selby where the canal meets the tidal river Ouse.  I needed to navigate this river to reach York but had to wait a few days for the right tide.  Basically I need to leave on a rising tide which will help me up the river to York.  There are of course two high tides daily but as they were around 5am and 5pm this would involve me either leaving or arriving in the dark - neither of which appealed to me as I did not know the river.  

So with a few days in Selby to fill I visited the abbey which is and impressive if slightly odd building. It is very impressive from the front but has some odd architectural quirks.

Selby Abbey

It is famed for one wobbly arch - the others are nicely curved arches but this one went a little pear shaped. 

Having explored all Selby had to offer I picked up a car for a couple of days to tour some of my old haunts in the dales.  I had a trip to How Stein Gorge which is a deep narrow gorge cut into the stone by the stream over many years.  I used to visit here with my father as a child and it's probably 40+ years since my last visit.  Amazingly after all that time it was still recognisable and I spend an enjoyable afternoon exploring and crossing on the many narrow bridges.

The next day I called in to see an old work mate Bob & his wife Bernadette who moved to farm in the North Yorkshire Moors and run a pair of holiday cottages and a small caravan site near Thorton-le-Dale.  Slightly scary selfie of Bob & I with one of the cottages in the background.  If anyone would like a break in the the Yorkshire moors I would recommend Summer Tree Farm.

After returning the hire car I was treated to a stunning rainbow over Selby lock before heading out onto the Ouse for the trip up to York which proved much less daunting that I had been led to expect.

The river passes the impressive home of the Archbishop of York and on reaching the city I headed for the moorings just above Lendal Bridge.

After a week in York I made my way up the rivers Ouse and Ure through Broroughbridge to Ripon where I met up with Mac and Helen Cook - two of my closest friends from my Scouting days in Harrogate.  

Annoyingly Mac hasn't aged in the 20 odd years since I left Harrogate - I hope I look that good at 73.  

Having reached Ripon, the northern most point of the Yorkshire network I spent the last few days retracing my route back through Selby to rejoin the river Aire and am now moored up in Castleford ready to make my way up to Leeds tomorrow to join the Leeds Liverpool canal.  

This year is the 200th anniversary of the Leeds Liverpool canal and I shall be attending a celebratory event hosted by the Canal and River Trust on Friday evening.