Friday's Cruise

Done the tidal Trent Keadby to Torksey, rather boring actually apart from the spray coming over the bow and hitting us in the face.

Now on the Fossdyke canal(which was kindly built for us by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago) and moored for the weekend at Saxilby,


Coming out of Keadby Lock onto the big, big river Trent


At the bottom of Keadyby Lock


Keadby Lock filling up behind us


Ken caught a fish, fish ok, Ken traumatised and gave up fishing!

Sliding railway bridge on Yorkshire Navigation - one of only three built


Sliding bridge closing


Pilon rally!!


Lynda pushing a swing bridge, oooh, I am soo strong!!!


House boat!!!


Lynda operating a lift bridge. What power I have, stopping the traffic, almost as much as a car park attendant with a limp!

Tidal Water

Convoy of narrowboats going down the tidal river Ouse


Turning into Selby lock - the gongoozlers are othere boaters hoping to get tips on 'how to do it!'


Moored at York the sun came out and our visitors arrived. So we sat in the sun with a bottle of wine and caught up with all the gossip. Later we went for a wander round York to look for something eat. Well, there are so many pubs and restaurants, just where do you start. We ended up in a pub specialising in different sausages, Lincolnshire whirl, cumberland etc. Trouble is they wouldn't have known one sausage from another. I think whatever you ordered you get the same, some cheap nasty mass produced sausage with no taste what so ever. Revolting! (Should have refused to pay really!!) This didn't however spoil the evening and we called into our favourite hostelry 'The Olde Starr Inn' on Stonegate. Then back to the boat for champagne cocktails (we really know how to live).

Sunday another hot and sunny day and after our guests left we cruised down to Naburn lock to wait for the tide on Monday. A total of seven narrowboats and three cruisers moored up waiting to go through. So after a wander up to the local in Naburn and a few drinks we had a pleasant evening chatting to all the other nervous boaters.

Half past twelve on Monday we all made our way into the lock, which is massive. The lock gates open and off we went like formula ones cars leaving the grid. The cruisers zoomed off so we didn't have worry about them again and we were number six in the convoy of seven narrowboats. We went steadily down river against the tide spreading out a little bit ready for turning and then going into Selby lock. By the time we got there the tide had long since turned and was rushing out at a fairish old lick but we all turned successfully and sat in mid stream, stationery in an orderly que waiting for our turn in the lock, which we all did with no major problems at all.

Had a pleasant night at Selby again wandering up and down and chatting to the other boaters and congratulating each other on our successful trip down the tidal bit.

Tuesday, big rivers, few locks, quite uneventful. However, we moored up at Jolly Miller Moorings at Whitley Bridge on the Aire and Calder, did some shopping and
checked out the local pub, we came back to the boat and thought we had been burgled!!! Not so, on closer inspection, there had been really, really big boats come by (pictured) and created a wave sooooo big it threw everything in our boat around. We are now nervously awaiting their return!!

I have a load of photographs to upload, but unfortunately not a good enough signal. I will keep trying and post them separately. Sorry to blog followers for my recent lapses in blogging!!


The bigger boats!!


The bigger boats!!


Kellingley Colliary

Return Journey

We stayed five nights in Ripon catching up with family and friends. On 11th August (which spookily is exactly two months from when we left Peterborough on 11th June) we turned around in the canal basin to head off back home. I didn't realise the spooky dates till afterwards.

Before we left Ripon we decided to use the British Waterways facilities. These are definitely the quaintest and cleanest facilites we have come across to date. There was even a video and book swap.

We are now moored once again in York. Our friends are coming to stay with us tomorrow. The rain has decided to set in and the temperature is getting cooler. I suppose we had some fantastic sunshine earlier on in the holiday so can't expect too much now.

Our plan is to go into Lincoln and then onto Boston before mosying back to Peterborough.

We've reached our goal - Ripon

We set out from Peterborough on 11th June and finally reached our destination 'Ripon', North Yorkshire on Saturday 7th August at 3.15pm.

Its been a fantastic journey. We have enjoyed every minute.

After leaving York we cruised on to Boroughbridge (my growing up territory). My sister and partner came by and we spent the evening doing a tour of all the pubs I frequented in my younger days. Not too many changes in all those years. The weir on the river and the salmon ladders where we used to swim haven't changed at all.

Saturday morning off we set for the final leg of our planned journey to Ripon. Lots of open water cruising finished off with the short Ripon Canal with three of the best locks we have come across on our travels. Very well looked after and maintained, not to mention easy to use.

The moorings near to the canal basin in Ripon are really good. The canal basin itself having a small courtyard of shops. Very pretty.

First job when we arrived was to visit Mum (and take her my washing). Second job - check out the locals.

We are going to Leeds on Tuesday to visit my sister in her new house (by car, not by boat). Then we will plan our journey back down to Peterborough. We will stop off in Lincoln and Boston on the way back down. We have friends we hope can join us on their boat, plus friends to visit in both places.

We are having visitors to the boat today, so some major cleaning works need to be undertaken to make her look decent. There are a lot of war wounds from the canals which will need attention when we get back.

The salmon ladders at Boroughbridge - one of my favourite playgrounds.

Unbelievable Progress

Since leaving Huddersfield, the canals and rivers have just got bigger and wider with all the water you could wish for (well I wished for it a couple of weeks ago anyhow). Progress is very rapid. Miles and miles of just cruising with very few locks. However, the locks are enormous, big enough for anything up to about 8 or 10 narrowboats at once. Amarantine did look a bit lost in the midst of the lock all by itself.



One of our overnight moorings was at Ferrybridge (very nice gated moorings). Not the most noteable place you may think. But, the coolings towers are a landmark from as long ago as I can remember. Passing by them on the A1 for holidays in Yorkshire, then later when I moved to Yorkshire and traveled back and forth visiting my Dad. In my wildest dreams I never would have guessed that I would pass them by river on my own narrowboat. Strange the twists and turns life takes.

On our route we saw so many boats but one stuck out a mile - it is a perfect vessel for our friend Ian (sorry Jennie).



Tuesday we set off for Selby lock - the gateway to the tidal Ouse. We were booked to go through on Wednesday lunchtime. We moored in Selby basin and went walkabout, as we usually do. We spotted nb SKYY, whose blog we had been following, and went for a chat. Wandered around Selby and sampled a couple of their pubs. The basin is a nice place to stay.

Wednesday, through the lock and out onto the tidal Ouse!!!. We didn't really know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised - it was wasn't scary at all!! Below is a picture of a 'twig' rushing by.




It was a two and quarter hour trip on tidal water to Naburn lock to get onto the non-tidal Ouse. A bit boring and uneventful. Probably the highlight was passing a poor dead cow floating along and a sudden downpour, which I had very cleverly predicted and managed to get Ken suited up in waterproofs a split second before it fell.


Sharing Naburn lock with some fellow boaters.

We decided to motor on right through to York, which is where we are now moored. We had an early night last night, completely pooped by all the fresh air and cruising all day. Today we will spend visiting museums and a wander through 'The Shambles'.


Looking at Lendal Bridge from our mooring in York.