Narrowboat Annie: North Yorkshire Cruise: Aire and Calder to Castleford with Lisa, to a mooring at Beal Lock on the River Aire

Thur 9 June 2016 Aire and Calder cruise to Castleford with Lisa, and onto Beal

Leaving the New junction Canal behind, we passed over the Went Aqueduct and enjoyed the view over the huge Southfield Reservoir, now a nature reserve and sailing lake, but built to service the navigation and Goole Docks. Heron, cormorants and geese were in abundance.

Moored after the last road bridge on the New Junction Canal

footbridge at Went Aqueduct

on the Went Aqueduct

Dumb barge and narrowboat moored at junction

Southfield Reservoir is linked to the Aire and Calder

Pollington

approaching Pollington Lock

|Leaving Pollington Lock

one for the speed merchants!

Turning westwards into new territory for us, the sun burned through cloud as we passed moorings before Pollington Lock and at Great Heck, where the South Yorkshire Boat Club have a basin just before the CRT depot, replete with work boats of all types.

South Yorkshire Boat Club basin

CRT depot

Moorings at Whitley Lock

It was pleasing to reach Whitley Lock, visited by car off M62 junction 34 a couple of times over the years, a colourful scene with plenty of moored boats to view as we approached.

A kind cruiser couple waited for Annie at Whitley lock

Picking our friend Lisa up after the M62 bridge, we continued in the now hot sun through Eggborough, where she had left her car near the station, to Kellingley Colliery, where diggers seemed to be moving piles of coal slack, possibly tidying up the now defunct workings?

Leaving Whitley Lock and passing under the M62

Lisa and John

Lisa and Liana enjoying the sun

Through Skew Bridge, we reached the junction: We would go right through Bank Dole Lock and onto the River Aire later, but for now we turned left through Knottingley, and moored for lunch in the glorious summer sun, below Ferrybridge Flood Lock, with the vast cooling towers behind. Picnicking on the grassy bank, it felt like the Canal du Midi in France!

passing through Skew Bridge to the junction

boats at the junction near Bank dole Lock

Picnic at Ferrybridge

Both sets of gates open at Ferrybridge Flood Lock

The flood lock had both sets of gates open, so we decided that we should visit Castleford for Lisa to experience a lock. The River Aire between Ferrybridge and Castleford is wooded, quite wide and very pretty. Liana and Lisa spotted two big blue fenders beached, so we had fun rescuing them, John touching the bank with the bow while the girls got the boathooks out.

Leaving the Flood Lock, we passed under the road bridges, old and new

Bulhome Lock takes you up onto Castleford Cut, which provided safe moorings across a loop in the combined Aire and Calder Rivers.

Bulholme Lock. The River Aire/Calder comes in from the left

John went up the river to investigate this water being pumped into the river, while waiting for the lock

There is a boat yard and moorings just below Castleford Flood Lock. John took Annie though this and had a look at the “crossroads” beyond: left to the large weir; right a bit then straight on for the Calder; or right up the Aire to Leeds. After this reconnaissance, we returned to the cut, seeing local working lads enjoying a lunchtime game with rugby ball – well, it is Castleford, Rugby League bastion!

Coal staith

Leaving Castleford Cut, the Calder is ahead, turn right for Leeds (and left for the weir)

A lunch rugby session

boatyard on Castleford Cut

Lisa practised her steering further on the way back through the lovely wooded scenery created ironically by mining subsidence, and we repassed Ferrybridge power station, seeing the old disused hoist for emptying coal barges, all too soon reaching Kingsmill Bridge, where Liana and Lisa left to find the nearby Knottingley (Hill Top) Station, for Lisa to return one stop to Eggborough and her car.

leaving Bulholme Lock

the old coal loading lift mechanism at Ferrybridge

Lisa steering at Ferrybridge

Bank Dole Lock, with its sadly derelict lock house, is heavy and slow to operate, but at least it had a rising pontoon for John to back onto once down onto the river.

turn right to return to Goole

... or go left for Bank Dole Lock, the River Aire, the Selby Canal and Selby, as we did

Knottingley chemical works

odd bollards at Bank Dole Lock

leaving Bank Dole Lock

These five miles on the Aire a very twisty, with high flood banks and grazing beast (Lincolnshire for cows!). Passing under Beal Bridge, we decided to moor on the lock cut with another boat, leaving room for a third to use the lock.