To a grinding halt.

After the fantastic day of yesterday today turned out as forecast, overcast and rainy. We had decided to stop anyway as there was no point of travelling in the rain. Whilst not very heavy the rain had been pattering on the roof for several hours before we got up and it continued until about 1100.

Helen decided that it was a baking day and she presented us with some beautiful ginger biscuits and a lovely moist banana loaf. There is still a little of each left as I write this. After lunch the cloud lifted somewhat and the rain stopped so I took the opportunity to go out and move our log store from the st'bd bow to the port side to correct the list when we are sat at the dinette or in the saloon (oh, that sounds very grand!). I took the opportunity to also re-nail the pallet I made to lift the big bag up from the deck with longer nails to stop it falling apart. I then had a look in the bow locker to remind myself of what was hidden away in there. I found two bags of kindling and three of logs! After that Helen was crocheting and listening to the play on the radio. Of course as soon as that was finished we were off for a walk and it was then it started to rain again, although only lightly so we went anyway.

We walked east along the towpath and then cut off to the north to walk back along the river.It was a little claggy under foot in places but it was nice to be out in the fresh air.

The footpath crossed the River Calder on an old rail bridge. There are lots of old lines and bridges here abouts. This one serviced the Hartley Bank Colliery. You can just see a footbridge over the canal right of centre (upper).

This is the same bridge looking to the south to the old colliery of which there is no sign from a distance.

This was just on the north bank where the bridge above lands. The silver birches were striking. It looks like there was a bit of a colliery waste heap here and a bit down the old river towing path loads of old rubble had been deposited.

The path besides the River Calder.

The previous bridge at Horbury Bridge. As can be read it was wrecked by a flood 12th Feb 1920.

To the east of the bridge was Nertherton Colliery and to the west were coal tips where it was run into canal boats and keels for moving onwards. The town of Horbury bridge seemed to be dominated by mills and dye works though.

There has been a fair few boats passing this afternoon. I think that members of the South Pennine Boat Club from Battyford Lock are on an Easter outing. There are boats coming up too and they say that although the flood locks are closed the river isn't running too badly at all so we think we will move on and see for our selves.