We were off in good time but unfortunately the sun didn't get up with us it was dull and overcast all day. We left Uppermill and were soon at the second lock of the day that was almost underneath the railway viaduct that carries the trans Pennine route. The canal also crosses the River Tame on an aqueduct at this point.
A big and a much more little arch at Dobcross.
Just round the corner from the viaduct is the old terminus of the canal whilst the completion of the Standedge Tunnel was completed. The canal arrived here in 1799 but the tunnel wasn't completed until 1811. There is a small stone built canopied warehouse where cargoes were stored and is now the HQ of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal Society. You are soon in to the regular arrival of locks. The canal curves up to the tunnel portal and you can see the locks stretched ahead of you.
Our guest Chris getting into the locks
The trouble started at the next lock 26W were there wasn't enough water in the pound to get over the sill. I went up to the next lock to see that that pound was down too. The next three pounds are pretty short so you can't run too much down without making them short too. In the end we had to go up to 30W to get enough for us to clear all the lower pounds. I though that as we had the same trouble last year it must be that the pound itself is leaking rather than the locks but apparently it is the paddles that have no guides so that when the pound is low there is no pressure keeping the sluice tight and they just leak. They are going to be fixed during these winter stoppages.
Looking down the valley from Lock 25W.
In Lock 28W with little water in the next short pound.
Aground in the pound between Lock 29W and 30W.
There were lots of 'helpful' people saying thinks like there is a 'load more water than yesterday' and 'you will have to wait until it rains'. There was a pair of anglers in one of the pounds and they asked me not to run the water in too fast so as not to disturb the fish!
As we rose up we passed the Dobcross Iron Works where powered looms were made. The buildings are listed and seem to be partly in use. Further up is the Warth Mill that was built for the Cooperative Wholesale Society in 1911. It has been used for both wool and cotton and is also in use for various small companies and is even being re-roofed at the moment. I had been looking forward to Lock 31W all the way up as there is the ice cream shop right next to the lock. I was teased by the others as they wouldn't let me stop and had to continue up through the last lock and moor up before we could walk back down for a sample. The place does lunches and hot drinks but the highlight is their ice cream. Grandpa Green's Ice cream is some of the nicest I have tasted, and not expensive. It is so popular with walkers, boaters and cyclists that it going to stay open right through the winter. It was so good that after my vanilla cone I had a white chocolate flavour whilst I was waiting for the others to finish! We then went back to the boat for lunch!
To make room for tea Helen and I went to the Warth Mill to have a look at the wool shop. We then toured the village and the tunnel entrance and the spoil heaps from the tunnels that have been landscaped. After another rest in front of the stove we walked up to the Diggle Hotel that seemed to be very busy before coming back and settling for the night.
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