Up the Junction.

Well the joy continues. The sun was up early and the day started beautifully once again. It was nice and warm when we set off to Fall Ings Lock that marks the end of the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the start of the Aire and Calder Navigation Wakefield Branch. It also marks the last manual lock for a while now too. We must have set off at the time when everybody else was moving as there was plenty of boats wanting to come up once we had locked down.

Back out on to the Calder from Fall Ings Lock.

It was only a couple of miles to Stanley Ferry and through Broad reach flood lock to leave the river once more. We stopped and with the bow in the old aquaduct and the stern at the fuel point. They are very friendly at Marina here and we filled up with diesel. Not the cheapest on the system but it was nice to be full again after our mystery loss over winter.

It doesn't look it but the arched aquaduct was a ground breaker as it was the first trough suspended from a two pin cast iron arch to be constructed It is the same system as the Sydney Harbour Bridge but was 100 years earlier! It was built in 1839. Next to it was built a concrete one as they thought that the when the navigation was widened for big commercial traffic. It opened in 1981!

Next came Birkwood Lock that was very isolated. Then came King's Road Lock. A local chap made a comment about the breeze that was chilling off the air. It is very flat and exposed and in the winter they have had a few boats sunk as they have been left stern to the prevailing wind and their engine holes have been filled by spray. You could see by the lock how far bit of plastic had been flung by the spray. The area is flat as it was intensively mines by deep collieries. No there are just landscaped waste heaps that haven't had the trees etc grow up on them.

The electric locks are large but well controlled by the automatic lifting of the paddles. They are very large locks and maybe take a little longer than a normal narrow lock but you lose the exercise.

 Birkwood Lock looking towards looking towards the old mine workings.

It is always nice to pass under a motorway, this time the M62, and feel smug and superior as you potter on at 4mph. At Fairies Hill two old small locks were replaced by one of the big ones with the modernisation. We soon penned down and were out on to the river for the last time. Just by the lock is Whitwood Wharf that had some of the last of the commercial traffic with aggregates from the Trent. Nothing happening today for sure.

Out on to the Calder again for the last time and heading to a cross roads.

We were soon at the junction of the Aire and Calder. Left to Leeds, right to pass over a weir and been very popular on U Tube and photographs and straight on to the Aire and Calder Cut to Goole etc. The current was running very fast  so there was no problem getting in to the cut but the water berths were full so we just found a mooring in the sun.

We are just arriving at the junction. From the left is the Aire from Leeds and the Leeds Liverpool Canal. Off to the right the river continues over the weir and through the flood lock is the entrance to the Aire and Calder Cut.

After lunch we wandered into town to buy some milk but really to go to the Junction pub. It is the only pub in the country where beer is only served from wooden barrels. They have their own cooper and send the barrels off to be filled by selected breweries. I did sample a couple and they were spot on. It is not a dead glam place, just a nice 'proper' pub. And guess who was in there having a pint but Ian Clayton writer and broadcaster.We exchanged words about the love of spuds and beer doing nothing for your figure, and no I didn't ask for his autograph.

Ian Clayton, quite a few years younger.