Aire today, Leeds tomorrow!

 Sunday May 16 up the River Aire to Leeds (11 miles, 6 locks)

After a wet night the morning is calm, quiet and sunnyish.

iPhones are wonderful for keeping in touch by phone, Facebook, Whattsapp, Zoom, FaceTime and email. My mum wrote weekly when I was a young sailor - a different world.

Liana is chatting to daughter Joanna in bed as I speak.

Graham and Wendy on NB Down the Hatch again passed us, heading our way to Lemonroyd.

Once watered up and holding tanks were empties, we entered the river lock/basin with four boats from South Pennine Boat Club, Lordy Lordy, Above Bored and two more, all on a club cruise to Skipton, so we may see them again.

We joined the SPBC convoy for the journey up the Aire. Graham and Others helped us through the vast and 13.5 feet deep Lemonroyd Lock. 

With walks, nature reserve and Marina, plus CRT services, this is a good scenic mooring place. 

We continued on the hot sun through the pretty Woodlesford and Fishpond Locks towards Thwaites Mill, a museum owned by Leeds City Council, where we hoped to moor and maybe visit tomorrow if open.

The visitor moorings at Thwaite’s Mill were taken already, so we continued on to Knostrop Fall Lock. After this, the canal joins the river after a hundred metres, not after 800m as in our 2015 Pearson’s Guide. 

All traffic to the city centre passes under the river bridge, not through the old flood gates.

The CRT services and visitors pontoons were available, but we continued through Leeds Lock into Clarence Dock, where we moored on the excellent pontoon in front of  the Royal Armouries.