Wed 16 June York CRT Elsan hunt
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| Water point is on lower quay to the left by two white marks. The higher quay with wooden timbers is the Trip Boat mooring |
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| A Trip Boat: First trip is about 10.30AM. We put Annie's bow close to the ramp by the notice, to use the water point. |
Moving to the low quay just north of the trip boat landing and Lendal Bridge, the black water point is well back, under the hotel terrace.
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| The black water point is under the Lion pub balcony |
To find the CRT Elsan and wc facilities, go behind the hotel, either through the museum gardens and turn right, or next to the bridge and turn left through a Roman arch!
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| Walk up the steps into the park (gates locked by 5PM) |
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| Walk up here, turn right and walk into the Lion pub back yard |
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| The Lion pub back yard, by the kitchen door! That black door between the two green wooden vegetable stores hides the CRT loos and Elsan facility |
In the hotel's back yard, is the kitchen entrance, with wooden outside cupboards for vegetables. Hiding behind one of these, next to the kitchen door, is a doorway marked Toilet: This is it! There are two disabled loos and the Elsan at the end of a narrow corridor. The rubbish bin next to the Elsan room may or may not be CRTs. I hope the pictures help!
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| You can walk towards the Lendal Bridge, then turn left after the tower, up the footpath ten metres, and turn left through the old arch |
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| Liana pointing the way: Through the arch, turn left. The door has a Toilet sign above it |
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| This really is it! |
Thanks to Steve and Mary on Marge for taking John to show him, after we had been there twice, asked cooks etc, and no one knew. Maybe CRT can erect a notice to help boaters find it, as well as the other signs already there for other purposes.
Today is a day to enjoy York.
After sorting out Elsan and water, John moved Annie back to her mooring, avoiding the trip boats and myriads of scullers from the club opposite. We chatted to Steve on Marge, and he recommended Nun Monkton village and pub, plus Newton-on-Ouse tomorrow: We shall see! John still has not sorted out a proboe my with a task bar which hides the commands on our blog, so he is using my iPad, without pictures, at the moment :(.
At Oxclose lock, we passed finally off the Ure onto the Ripon Canal. We were going to look carefully at Ripon Motor Boat Club (on the left) and Ripon Marina (on the right below Bell Furrows Lock), with a view to 7 day mooring while we visit the area, pop home and visit the Braunston Working Boat Rally. The kind couple on Two Can introduced us to Bob Medhurst and commodore John of RMBC, who quickly sorted out a mooring for us: Many thanks for our excellent welcome to Ripon! The enlarged marina can take 147 boats, including 24 larger narrowboats up to about 58 feet long. Once settled, John gave us a key and we walked the two miles into town to start our visit.
A huge 80cm salmon leapt twice fully in the air next to the boat, as John neared the lock. The weir has a salmon ladder. The bottom gates are huge and heavy, with wheels to move the paddles. Liana couldn't move a gate until Annie helped. Then a kind man helped her close the gate. The pub/shop opens 11AM until 9.30PM Fri/Sat, so we missed it. The river is a bit more interesting above the lock, with lots of boats moored at the marina.
A group of cyclists rattled over the wooden spars on Aldwarke Bridge, north of Ouse Gill beck, above which the Ouse is called the Ure. 
While there are still sandy banks, the view improves as you go north. Cattle, sheep, herons and other wildfowl are more abundant, too, with Sand Martins catching flies and returning to river cliff burrows. 
After twisty turns, there is no mooring pontoon below Milby Lock, just ladders onto the high jetty. 
Again, the heavy bottom gate needed help from a friendly man and Annie to both open and close. At just under 60 feet long plus fenders, Annie fitted. Milby cut has no top lock, so levels cam vary. The bollarded visitor moorings are below the first bridge, opposite the CRT services and the Canal Garage (diesel 59.9p at 0%). We had lunch in the sun, chatting to local walkers!
The town is tidy and pleasant to walk round, with a variety of shops including Spar, PO, newsagents, ironmongers, etc.. The church is worth a look, with six bells, if you ring! On a back street, John bought local sausages, and Bryson's icecream was very tasty in the shop next door. The visitors moorings are reasonably quiet, opposite the CRT services, where Two Can , from Ripon Motor Boat Club, occupied the handy 48 hour mooring.
