South Yorkshire Navigations

Having made it up the Trent I was pleased to be back on flat water above Keadby lock at the start of the South Yorkshire Navigations. My route over the next few days took a gentle zig zag along the Keadby canal then up the New junction canal to join the Aire and Calder navigation.  From there it is a fairly straight run through Ferry Bridge to Castleford.  The waterways split at Castleford with the Aire and Calder continuing Northwest to Leeds where it joins the Leeds Liverpool canal which forms the most northerly cross pennine route.  The Calder and Hebble heads navigation Southwest past Wakefield to join the Rochdale and Huddersfield Canals which offer the two alternative cross pennine routes to Manchester.

It is immediately apparent  that these waterways are designed not for narrow boats but much larger, masted vessels carrying cargo from the busy docks at Hull to and from the industrial centres.  Gone are the tiny hump back bridges that I often have to duck under and instead are sing bridges or large lift bridges like the one below.

Hydraulic Lift Bridge

The navigations are generally wider than the canals and are largely navigable rivers which have been "canalised" by the addition of locks and weirs to control water levels.

Ferry Bridge

This a typical Barge from Aire and Calder.  Much wider and longer than my narrow boat and the large cream area ahead of the small cabin would originally have been an open hold designed to carry bulk loads such as coal, gravel or grain. Now converted to a substantial home.

After all that wide open countryside the canal side warehouses reappear as we approach Leeds.  I'm pleased to see that rather than being knocked down many of these have been given a new lease of life as flats or offices.

On reaching Leeds I went through the first lock of the Leeds Liverpool canal to moor up in the basin at Granary Wharf behind the railway station which has been my wet and windy home for the past week.  Tomorrow I plan to move up the L&L to Apperley bridge on my way to Skipton.