Thorlby (now facing the wrong way)

With Judith & Nigel joining us over the weekend to help in the search for a care home for Mum, we decided to cruise into Skipton on Saturday morning to get a pump out and fill up with water.

Moored for lunch at the top end of the Springs Branch in Skipton
On Friday night we had moored above the bottom lock in Gargrave with Amelia May and had agreed to go down to Skipton with them on Saturday morning, so we could share the lock and the five swing bridges on the 4 ½ mile journey.

We couldn’t leave until 10am as the lock was padlocked until then, so Buddy and I walked into Gargrave to do a couple of things at Mum’s house whilst we waited.

A very low River Aire in Gargrave but at least it’s keeping the undergrowth, that’s encroaching over the dry river bed, green
It was a pleasant cruise into Skipton and the cut was very wide most of the way so no worrying about meeting the large widebeams that seem to frequent this area. 

  
We did meet a widebeam hotel boat at Niffany moorings.  A couple of guys were trying to get back onto their mooring and were obviously having difficulty.  We stopped to avoid creating any water movement, but the hotel boat decided to carry on towards us thus dragging out the boat as it went past; the poor guys had to start all over again.

Old mill chimney (without a mill) on the outskirts of Skipton
We were soon in the middle of Skipton which always seems to be full of moored boats on both sides of the cut.  There are a lot of permanent moorings on the offside and the visitors’ moorings are always popular as it’s such a tourist destination.

Heading for the centre – it’s lovely to still see the hills when in a town
The boatyard we were heading for was at the junction of the Springs branch.  This ½ mile long branch was built to transport limestone blocks that were quarried from the hill above and brought down by tramways.  There is a turning point at the end but only wide enough for 35’ long boats so most boats venturing down the branch would have to reverse back.

The branch is cut into the rock as runs past Skipton castle and a huge rock fall in January 2016 blocked the branch.  It has still not been cleared so even 35’ boats cannot reach the winding hole to turn.  Next time we’re in Skipton we’ll wander down and have a look.

We reversed into the branch and moored the opposite side to the boatyard.  Amelia May were needing to get pump out and diesel too and, as they were carrying on cruising for the day, we let them go first.   

We’re moored on the right and Amelia May is getting services in front of the little trip boat on the left
After they went, we pulled across to get serviced and then pulled back over again to moor up for lunch.

Buddy dead to the world (and passing dogs)
Whilst we were having lunch two restored Leeds & Liverpool ‘short’ boats arrived for services too, making it very busy at the junction.  The canal was built with 60’ locks rather than the c75’ locks found in most of the rest of the country.  This was because the Leeds end of the canal was designed to carry the 60’ Yorkshire Keel barges that travelled on the Aire, Calder and Humber rivers.  The Liverpool end does accommodate the longer boats but transit across the entire canal is limited to 60 footers only.  This is why we have only just started travelling on this canal – our previous boat was 70’ long. 

Leaving the junction with short boat Kennet on the left and another short boat behind it
Most people are aware of the roses and castles paintwork that typifies canal boats but maybe not so many are aware that the Leeds & Liverpool boats were decorated quite differently in a style called brightwork.  The water barrel at the front of Kennet in the picture above sports brightwork.

We were heading back the way we came as we wanted to moor midway between Gargrave and Skipton for a while.  It will be ideal to get the bikes out, so we can cycle into either place.

As I said before there are several swing bridges that we had to pass through and I had a little trouble at the swing bridge at Victoria Mill.  I was hovering in the centre of the channel waiting for Karen to open the bridge and the breeze started moving me up against the side.  I corrected it and kept in the middle again and, just as I was going through, a boat appeared coming the other way.  He was going quite fast, so I waved him through; I would have waved him through anyway as Karen would be closing the bridge.  Unfortunately, I got hemmed onto the side again, so I had to reverse back quite a way before I could move forwards in the centre of the channel.

Hmmm… I didn’t mean to be here
After cruising for six hours we moored up by Thorlby swing bridge, coincidentally, next to Dave the guy we had been moored with above Gargrave for 10 days.  Judith and Nigel also arrived just as we finished mooring up.

The four of us spent Sunday visiting local care homes for Mum and found one that we were all happy with.  It was one that Mum and Dad both know well from visiting friends there and they were happy with our choice so didn’t have to visit.

This week will be spent moving Mum into the home and getting her set up there whilst she waits for a room to become free at Milton House where my dad is.

Our new mooring at Thorlby




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