Lemonroyd Marina to Thorne

Tue 30th Aug  Lemonroyd Marina to Castleford

Morning breaks over Lemonroyd Marina

We took the hire car and went once more to the Toby Carvery for a large breakfast to set us up for the day.  We visited Aldi (most of the shopping), followed by Morrison’s (most of the rest), followed by Asda (just two items).  We had wanted some stilton and couldn’t find it in Aldi. When we couldn’t find it in Morrison’s either, we asked and were told they only get it in for Christmas! Asda had none also, so we got some French blue cheese in the end from them. Not the same at all. How come we can get French blue cheese, but not Stilton???

We got the car back to Enterprise and were driven back to the marina. We said our farewells to Marie, who had her boss visiting. He was interested in Canal Ministries and BCF so he was given the relevant literature.

We filled up with water, using our new very long curly hose, bought in Milton Keynes. We unhooked the power and stowed the cable, and we set off. 

Lemonroyd Lock is immediately downstream from the marina entrance, and there was a widebeam boat coming up. Another boat appeared from behind, and we shared the lock together.  There was plenty of room for a few more – the lock is huge. Hero had started the day in Rodley and was heading down to Allerton Bywater, but we planned to go further, to Castleford.

Sharing the lock with Hero

Going down

Hero heads off downriver

The River Aire

We were on a river section for more than three miles. The moorings at Allerton Bywater looked very high and difficult to use, although there were some rings set into the wall.

We paused at the pontoon just before the lock at Castleford, and Hazel went ashore to operate the lock. We then found that both sets of lock gates were open, so we could go straight through. We found a space on the visitor moorings, next to an old coal chute.

The lock at Castleford

Moored at Castleford near the chute

We had a view across to an old pale coloured building like a castle. Research showed it to be Ledston Hall, dating from 17^th century, and originally a priory.

James had a chat with guy on Millie Molly Mandy, moored behind us. Hugo made friends with a white cat with a black tail, who appeared out of the bushes.  It was a very warm evening, and we sat in the shade.

Patiently waiting

Warm evening at Castleford

1 lock, 4 miles

Wed 31st Aug  Castleford to Whitley Lock

2 locks, 11 miles

Millie Molly Mandy left before we had finished breakfast.  We left about half an hour later. Almost immediately we came to Bulholme Lock which was operated with a key. It was quite quick to empty.  Moored just before the lock we found Marjorie R, a large boat that had been moored close to us in Leeds, owned by one of the water taxi skippers.

Marjorie R

Bulholme Lock

There followed almost 5 miles of river section, winding between old collieries, and passing Fairburn Ings, the RSPB reserve where we had been just over a week ago. We spotted two egrets.  

Fairburn Ings from the river

Passing an egret

After two miles we were surprised to see Millie Molly Mandy going very slowly. We passed them as we went under the modern A1(M) Bridge.

Passing Millie Molly Mandy

Another mile and a half brought us to the Great North Road Bridge, opened in 1804, followed by the newer A1 Road Bridge (now the A162). The first bridge here was built in 1198, replaced in 14^th century by another. Both have long since disappeared.

Great North Road Bridge and the newer replacement

At Knottingley the river section ends, with the navigation passing through a flood lock, where C&RT staff were getting rid of weeds. Other notable sights on this stretch were the large flour mill, the town hall, with seemingly ancient walls nearby, and Harker’s boat yard, with assorted craft moored up, opposite the turning to Bank Dole Lock and the Selby Canal.

Flour mill

 Town Hall with old walls

Harker’s boat yard

This is an area of power stations and coal mines. The huge Ferrybridge cooling towers dominate the scene at Knottingley. Then comes Kellingley Colliery, recently closed, although today there were still some men on machines moving coal around. Beyond that is Eggborough power station followed by Drax power station visible in the distance.

Ferrybridge Power Station

Old coal wharf at Kellingley Colliery

At Whitley Lock we disposed of rubbish and emptied a cassette, before moving on a little further to try to escape the noise from the M62.  We were only partly successful as the noise carried a long way on the breeze.

Whitley Lock

Water art

Our mooring near Whitley

There was a huge flock of rooks that took off and flew very high in the clouds. A moment later a large number of seagulls also took to the air. For a brief moment the two flocks mingled, black and white together. A spectacular sight.

Hugo was very happy to have a wide towpath with very few dog walkers.

At one point we saw three large deer running across a field. A few minutes later we saw the reason – a big brown lolloping dog, almost as big as a small deer, running in the field where the deer had been.

Evening light at Whitley

2 locks, 11 miles

Thu 1st September  Whitley Lock to Sykehouse Road Lift Bridge

Dawn at Whitley

Hugo had caught a mouse in the night.  We had a leisurely start this morning, after several boats had already passed. 

This canal section has been improved for commercial traffic at some stage, because four old swing bridges have been removed, being replaced by higher fixed bridges. The channel is wide and deep, allowing a good turn of speed without too much wash.

We soon came to a depot belonging to C&RT. A tug pulled out in front of us and went at extraordinary speed down the canal, creating huge waves which splashed over the edges on each side. Their wash rebounded off the steel piling at the sides, and met again in the middle of the canal, causing large undulations, so our boat was rocked from side to side and up and down.  They stopped under a railway bridge, where we caught them up. They didn’t seem to do anything there, but instead, turned round and went back. Was this just a joy ride?

C&RT depot

The fast tug

We noticed the farmers were burning the stubble here.  We had thought it was usually ploughed back in.

Stubble burning

Pollington Lock had several sets of gates to accommodate various lengths of boats. Perhaps they were designed for the long trains of “Tom Pudding” coal container boats that used to operate along here.

Pollington Lock

The wide and deep channel

 Turning into the New Cut

We turned off the route to Goole, into the New Cut, and crossed the Went Aqueduct, before mooring up on the visitor moorings near Sykehouse Road Bridge.  We were treated to a lovely sunset.

The Went Aqueduct

Moored by Sykehouse Road Bridge

Sunset at Sykehouse

The sunset develops

 Later still

As the sun went down, the owls started. We heard seven or eight of them, proclaiming their presence from trees in all directions. We didn’t see any of them. We have noticed a lot of owl nesting boxes placed strategically around, and the owl population seems to be thriving.

Owl box

1 lock, 6 miles, 1 mouse.

Fri 2nd September  Sykehouse Road Lift Bridge to Thorne

Hugo had caught another mouse.

Hazel had developed a small but very red area on her back, which gave us some concern.   She has also been having unusual pains across her back recently. We phoned a doctor’s surgery in Thorne, but they would not take out of area patients. They suggested another practice, who offered us an appointment at 2.30pm. When we revealed that our doctor was in Aylesbury they said they couldn’t make an appointment until we had filled in a form. We said it would take us four hours to get there, and they said that wouldn’t be a problem as they had plenty of appointments left.

So we set off as quickly as we could, but we had a lot of bridges to move as we went. Sykehouse Road Bridge is actually a lift bridge, although the Nicholson Guide doesn’t say so.  The next one is called Kirk Lane Lift Bridge, although it is actually a swing bridge. How confusing! Perhaps they have changed the bridge mechanism, but the name has stayed the same, a bit like Plank Lane Swing Bridge on the Leigh Branch of the L&L which is now actually a lift bridge.

Sykehouse Road Lift Bridge

Kirk Lane Swing Bridge

Sykehouse Lock was manned, and the swing bridge there (different to Sykehouse Road Lift Bridge) seemed to be kept open until needed. At Top Lane Lift Bridge, the bridge was opened for us by a cruiser coming the other way.

Top Lane Lift Bridge

Low Lane Swing Bridge

We crossed the River Don on the aqueduct, where excess canal water falls into the river below. There is a large guillotine stop gate at each end, to help with maintenance or to use in emergency if the aqueduct gets washed away.

Stop gates

 Don Aqueduct

There follows a sharp turn off the new Cut, and onto the Stainforth and Keadby Canal.  We had originally planned to continue here to Doncaster and Sheffield, but we will have to leave that for another occasion, as well as the Chesterfield Canal and Boston, as time is running away this year.

A sharp turn towards Keadby

 Rabbit on the bank

At Bramwith Lock we had to use a windlass for a change, and push the gates open manually. We just managed to fit in the short chamber. Longer boats would have to use the second set of gates.

Bramwith Lock

Tight fit

We paused at the facilities at Stainforth to do the necessary with water, cassettes and rubbish. A wide beam and a strange narrowboat with an extra pod both left as we arrived, and went ahead of us through the swing bridge.

Waiting for the sanitary station

When we had filled the water tank and completed the other tasks, we followed, but there were men in high viz jackets working on the swing bridge, doing their three monthly maintenance, and teaching a trainee at the same, so it was several minutes before we could proceed.

Bramwith Swing Bridge

It was a change to go under a fixed bridge at Stainforth, without having to lift it or swing it. Soon after this was Thorne Cruising Club where there were some old sea-going working vessels.

Stainforth Bridge

Old working boats

We saw a lot of starlings on some cables. Perhaps we are getting to murmuration season.

Starlings against a black cloud

When we arrived at Thorne lock and swing bridge we found there was a queue. The strange narrowboat and pod had gone down, and the widebeam was just about to enter the lock. If they had done it the other way round, we could have shared with the narrowboat. They were evidently travelling together as the narrowboat crew were helping the widebeam. Together they had six or seven people for the task. It was only their second time through the lock. When they had finished they asked James if he would be all right on his own.  The lock is hydraulically operated with a key.

The wide beam in the lock at Thorne

Arriving in Thorne, the linear moorings had all been taken, so we reversed onto one of the short pontoons by the sanitary station. 

Moored in Thorne

We walked up through the town to the Chestnut Surgery which is not far from Sainsbury’s.

“We are the people who live on a narrowboat. We rang earlier. Can we please fill in the form and make an appointment?”

“Oh, all our appointments for today are full” We said we had travelled for four hours to get here as quickly as we could, and we had been told there wouldn’t be a problem.  “I’ll see if I can fit you in. What is your name and date of birth?”

“We aren’t registered here. Our doctor is based in Aylesbury”

“Oh we can’t give you an appointment then. We don’t take out of area patients.”

GRRRRRRR!!

“It’s not what we were told this morning. How can we arrange to see a doctor?”

“You’ll have to go to Doncaster.” She gave us a card with a phone number on it.

We walked across the corridor to the other surgery in the same building, and had a similar but more understanding response. 

In our surgery in Aylesbury, out of area patients can make an appointment over the phone, and arrive 15 minutes earlier to complete a form. It is not difficult. We did it when we first arrived, when we were still registered in Weybridge.

We rang the number on the card and were given a 5.30pm appointment. We then went for a late lunch (huge) at the Canal Tavern, which was very good.

We caught a bus to Doncaster, which took about 45 minutes, and found the surgery, where we arrived nearly an hour early.  We were seen within 5 minutes, and the examination took about 15 seconds. Shingles!!  Hazel has shingles. He wrote a prescription, and we walked down the street to a chemist, and came away with a week’s supply of medication.

The diagnosis was a relief, as we had thought of worse things it might have been.

We went to a cafe for lattes and puddings before catching the bus back to Thorne.

3 locks, 9 miles, 4 swing bridges, 3 lift bridges

Sat 3rd September  Thorne

We had discovered that we had lost our watering can.  We think it is by the water tap in Lemonroyd Marina. It is not worth a lot but we have had the same one since 1997 when we started boating. So we bought another one today so that we can water our plants easily.

We phoned the lock keeper at Keadby and booked a time for locking down onto the tidal Trent: 0820 on Tuesday. We quite like early mornings on rivers. We can travel to the pontoon at Torksey where we will stay overnight before proceeding to Cromwell Lock on Wednesday.

We made time for a song practice in preparation for our concert in Yelvertoft in October

We had rain in the afternoon, as had been forecast.

No boating today. No photos either.

Sun 4th September  Thorne

We went to St Nicholas Church this morning.  Last time we came it was the 40s weekend and they had a brass band playing the hymns. This time it was CDs.  The vicar announced that we were going to learn a new song. That’s good, we thought. Perhaps he has just returned from New Wine.  Then he said it is called “Jesus is the name we honour” !! This familiar song was in the Songs of Fellowship books in the pews and was published in 1991. We have been singing this for years, and we don’t usually sing it out of choice as it is too old.

At least they are progressing from singing old hymns entirely.

The theme was “The way the truth the life”. The people were really friendly, and they had an unusual custom of shaking hands with everyone on the way to and from the communion table.  Sadly there was no opportunity for further fellowship over coffee afterwards.

St Nicholas Church

We had lunch at the cafe in the park, which was excellent. A full Sunday roast, and they were also delivering meals to local addresses. Very enterprising.

No boating this morning. Some later in the day – see next blog

Next – heading south up the Trent to Newark