Not all beer and skittles.

I knew hen I slept through from 2230 to 0700 something would go wrong. It wasn't long until I was to find out what it was too! The heating came on as scheduled but later it went in to alarm that turned out to be 'flame out' again. After breakfast I had a look and checked everything I could. We are low on fuel so my first thought was that the the level had fallen below the take off from the tank. It didn't look too bad, but after breakfast I went up the road to get some diesel to top up the tank. Things  went from bad to worse when I started to put unleaded into the can before realising. There was one lucky motorist who got a couple of free litres. Of course it wasn't that easy so I went through the list of possible problems. In the end there was nothing that worked to get it going. I checked that the air pump was working, there was fuel getting to the pump, the air pump was working and the ignition coil was glowing. There was a light on the diode too (what ever that does!). To me that means that the fuel distributor (that is not what they call it) or the burner is at fault. I will have to take the burner out and clean up the nozzle to see if that is the difference. I'm not really happy about taking things to bits without knowing what I am doing but needs must I suppose.

After lunch I had had enough and Helen was chomping at the bit to get out and about in the lovely weather. We walked up to Fall Ings Lock and then followed the south bank of the River Calder. In the past Wakefield Power Station was in the area. There are clues in that the water in and out takes for cooling are there and in land there are concrete rests that obviously once carried pipes. There is also a substation there. The walk is called the Ashfields and this was actually where the ash from the furnaces were laid. I'm not sure whether any coal to the power station was brought by canal/river with all the pits and railway lines in the area.

Walking through the Ashfields.

We left the river bank just where the canal leaves the river at Broadreach Lock. The river continues through the floating barrier and the boat leaving the lock is the 'Jubilee Venture' run by the Wakefield Scouts.

The River Calder meanders off to the south to pass under the canal at Stanley Ferry before the two are once again reunited at Woodnook Lock.

We walked up the hill to the village of Heath. As we approached we could here much joviality that turned out to be a fun fair on the common there. There were three big house in Heath. There are now two. The Old Hall has been demolished. Heath Hall is quite impressive with out buildings now owned separately from the main building. It seems the big house is now offices.

Heath Hall.

I think this is the stables and brewhouse. The brewhouse, four bedrooms, is for sale at £725000.

The Heath or common survived the attempt to enclose it by the big landowners of the village at the time, Smyths, and now is a lovely open space on the outskirts of the city. As you can see there is no sign of the large funfair or all the cars parked there so giving you some idea as to how big it really is. We stopped for a pint or two at the 1700's Kings Arms. (it was a row of cottages then but became a pub in the mid 1800's). It was gas lit and with lots of little side rooms off. Well worth a walk up from Fall Ings, and the food looked good too.

On the way back to the boat we came across this folly that was overlooking the valley of the Calder, and at one time must have had a lovely view, then of collieries and mills and now of woods and rivers with spires and flats in the distance.

We got back to the boat and to reality too. I decided not to worry about the Hurricane and set too with the Sunday paper. Maybe it was the alcohol at lunch but I will give it plenty of thought over night. It sounds as though it will be another nice day tomorrow and we are off visiting.