York by Night

After dinner there was time for a walk around York as dusk was falling.  Fortunately the camera is actually rather good at taking photos in poor light.  We have previously visited York but it was by road.  The first occasion was in 1991 and if I recall correctly the Minster had been seriously damaged during a fire some years earlier.  At the time of our visit the exterior was partially covered in scaffolding whilst undergoing restoration.

As I started to walk up to the Minster the campanologist started practicing.  OK I confess, I had to look up the term for bell ringing. 

The bells sounded very good and I tried (unsuccessfully) to record them on the camera. Note to myself, read the camera manual again!  It was going on 8.30pm and the streets were starting to empty.  It made walking The Shambles all the more interesting.  Wikipedia reports this area was once the preserve of butchers and as late as 1872 there were 25 butchers shops in the area.  today there are none.

The thing I most noticed about this area was the cobblestones and the stone pavers where the cart wheels would have run.

The narrow alleys reminded me of Jack the Ripper!

The area is also known for its crooked buildings.  where the timber upper floors overhang the street below.

It will be interesting to see the area tomorrow in daylight.

Ditch crawler in Tupperware Country

The scene that greeted us as we departed Naburn Lock was one of wall to wall plastic boats.  After a year of steel boats the sight of so much Tupperware was quite a shock.

After what seemed like several miles of linear plastic we finally started to reach more interesting boats.

No expensive moorings on this part of the river.  The boat below looks as if the garden shed has decided to piggyback.

The moorings eventually petered out and almost immediately Jan saw the house she wanted.  I didn’t think we could afford the annual maintenance bill, let alone the purchase price. 

Motoring towards York we passed under the Millennium Bridge.  From our angle it looked like a suspended arch bridge.  It wasn’t until we looked back that we realised the steel arch is offset to the footpath.

It was a late arrival in York and our first priority was a mooring.   We got our first sighting of a York Day Trip Boat before we reached the centre of the city.

An interesting dining area on the left

A large Tupperware boat had passed us on the way into York and had moored on the west bank.  Our map showed there were also moorings on the east bank immediately after the Trip Boat platforms.  I winded and we managed to get against a high wall.  With some careful reversing I was able to get the stern adjacent to a ladder going up the wall.

After mooring I climbed the ladder to find an ice cream van at the top (handy) along with a large number of patrons from the two nearby pubs (not so good).  Jan stayed on Waiouru whilst I went for a walk.

Can you see Waiouru moored on the left dwarfed by the flood wall?

Further upstream I noticed much better moorings along Dame Judi Dench Walk. 

So I swiftly walked back to the boat and suggested to Jan that we move.  Safety in numbers, quieter and she should get that “dot in the sky”.

Jan had read there might be a mooring issue in York.  Apparently one of the locals had mentioned six boats had been set adrift by local yobs one night.  Consequently we used both chains and ropes ensuring we tied off on the boat.  It’s probably a little unfair in York to suggest mooring there is a risk.  One incident doesn’t make it a problem area. 

Dodging the Debris

The Selby lock keeper replied to our message at 11.00am advising we could go through the lock at 12.00 noon and that we would be going with the second group.  Fortunately we had already visited Tesco earlier in the morning for essentials (beer and chocolate).

Jan worked Selby electric swing bridge which gave us access to the lock and the services.  A boat was already on the water point mooring with a Tupperware boat almost immediately behind.  We were able to position Waiouru at 90deg to the lock and then drag the hose along the roof feeding it down through the cratch to reach the bow tank.

We had scarcely started to fill the tank when the lock keeper indicated 5 minutes to go.  That had me in a bit of a tizz until Jan told me there was plenty of time because the first two boats had yet to enter the lock.

I had a good look at the lock.  There is a large steel stop gate a the canal end which I assume had the dual function of protecting the canal in the event the River Ouse floods and also enabling maintenance to be conducted on the lock when empty.

Hydraulically operated steel gate

The river end of the lock has the traditional groove in the stonework to enable the insertion of stop boards.

Jan was going to love working the capstans under the supervision of the lock keeper.  It would look a bit like the opening scene of Conan the Barbarian.  She could play the role of a “Jolly Tar”

Fortunately they are now decorative as the lock is fully electric.

I’d walked down to the lock earlier in the morning to check the exit onto the river.  It was low tide and the mud banks on either side of the lock approach were visible.

There was a specific reason for checking the lock at low tide.  We will be coming back down on the Ouse with the tide and will probably want to plan our entrance into the lock on the ebb.  It’s better to know where the mud banks are now and be able to plan for that rather than panic on the day.

The first two boats down were narrowboats.  One the same length as Waiouru and the other around 30ft.  I didn’t get to see them exit onto the river as I was busy with Waiouru.

The lock was refilled and the small Tupperware and Waiouru were directed to enter by the lock keeper.  We were instructed to use bow and stern lines to hold the boat whilst the lock keeper emptied the lock.  I suggested to the steerer of the Tuppperware that he should exist first.  I told him I didn’t want to crush his boat if I botched my exit.  However my real reason was to see how the tide affected his departure!

Selby Lock looking back towards the canal.

Jan’s view

Getting ready to leave the lock.  No photos of the actual departure because for some reason we both became preoccupied.

The lock keeper told me to take it slowly leaving the lock and allow the current to drag the bow around.  Only apply power when the bow was pointing upstream.  Jan stayed in the bow on lookout duty as the lock keeper had informed us there was a large amount of debris moving with the tide.

We exited as instructed and Waiouru promptly started to list alarmingly to port (upstream side) as the current pushed her side from downstream.  Once around I increased the engine to 1500rpm and we started to make headway with the tide.

Ahead we could see the Tupperware boat dodging all the debris going upstream with the tide.  He obviously needed to be more alert to the debris than us.

It didn’t take long for him to disappear out of sight.

Just around the corner is the Selby Railway Swingbridge.  Fortunately the air gap is of sufficient height that we didn’t require it to be open.   However it was open as they were doing maintenance on the far bridge abutment.

We exchanged friendly waves with the bridge operator and then Jan returned to the stern to join me for the remainder of the trip.  The lock keeper had informed me we would pass under a bridge about one hour after departing the lock and that we should go through the centre arch.  As it was we reached the bridge around 90 minutes after leaving the lock.

There was plenty of debris in the water.  Sue and Vic wouldn’t have to hunt for fire wood around here!

Just haul it out as they pass.  The size of the wet mud banks on either side gave an indication of how much the water level was affected by the tide.  Jan commented that there were no sign of crocs.  Not even Paul’s crocs!

The bridge we had been told about was a swing bridge and this time it was closed.

Looking back.

With our luck we had to share the centre arch with a large pile of moving debris.  One of the boaters at Selby had warned us about a tight bend in the river and to ensure we kept to the middle to avoid running around on the mud banks.  As we approached this tight bend a large object could be seen floating in the water ahead of us.  It became apparent we were going to catch up with this object in the bend.  And so it came to pass that we navigated the bend with a bloated corpse of a cow bobbing alongside.  Ah the aroma!  At least we didn’t hit it!

The 30ft narrowboat then appeared in the distance.  Obviously it had been overtaken by the Tupperware.  We gradually gained on the boat and eventually overtook it.  This was a slight relief because we were no longer last.  I had this fear that if something had gone wrong and we were last, then it might take some time to get assistance.  At least we now knew that particular concern had been mitigated.

About 3km before Naburn Lock two boats passed us going in the opposite direction.  I assume their departure from Naburn Lock had been timed to coincide with the ebb of the tide at Selby Lock.  As we approached Naburn Lock we could see the weir, but not the lock.

To our surprise the first narrowboat and the Tupperware were waiting in the lock.

The lock keeper then waited for the small narrowboat to arrive before closing the gates.

So we had completed the tidal part of the Ouse.  Above the lock we knew it would be non tidal to York.  We’ve decided not to go beyond York as a number of local boaters have told us that at 58’6” we’re probably going to be too long for the locks and even if we did make it we’d almost certainly lose some paint.

Going up

Late start…. but got there!

 

it was a very late start with the cruising.  Jan had a restless night and was exhausted.  Most unusual for her, she actually went back to bed for another couple of hours sleep after speaking to her mum in Sydney.  As a result we didn’t start until after lunch.  Not that it mattered much as there’s very little traffic around here.

The gps and Paul Balmer’s canal maps (Waterway Routes) recorded today we moved 19.1km at an average speed of 4.84km/h, and a maximum speed of 13.2km/h.  The route took us along the River Aire from Knottingley to Haddlesey Lock at the southern end of the Selby Canal.  We then cruised to the other end of the canal and moored in Selby.

There were only three locks, all manual.  Bank Dole Lock took us down onto the River Aire and Beal Lock detoured around the weir at Beal.  The Aire isn’t in flood so Beal Lock was almost a stop lock.  Haddlesey Lock takes you off the Aire and onto the Selby Canal.  It too was almost a stop lock.  The River Aire section was rather boring with high flood protection banks on either side preventing any views of the countryside.  The Selby Canal was obviously narrower with minimal current.  Additionally, the flora on the banks made it more interesting.

It’s interesting what can catch your eye.  In the following photo it was the debris piled up on the bridge columns over the River Aire at Beal.  You can see the approach to Beal Lock in the background.

Obviously the water level on the River Aire can get quite high.

Further along the river we rounded a bend to find caravans and tents on the flood bank and three speed boats moored.  It looked as if water skiing was about to commence. 

The location has a boat ramp and short finger moorings so it must get regular usage.

We cruised into Selby just before 6.00pm and moored in front of nb Brookweed. Waiouru has been playing leap frog with Brookweed since Blackburn. They are probably also on their way to York!

I had a quick walk into Selby to visit Morrisons and gained the impression it might be interesting to explore further.  Perhaps tomorrow morning or on the way back from York.

Lunch and a Walk

Initially it was the usual lazy Sunday with a telephone call back to Perth and then a roast lunch at the nearby pub. 

The sound of a boat horn bought us to the side hatch where nb Dignity could be seen passing.  The lady at the tiller called out that they knew Kev & Anne and had read the Ben Harp tale.  Small world!

Actually it was a very good roast lunch at The Steam Packet Inn.  We were asked if we’d like a dessert but simply had no room.  As it was we couldn’t eat all the vegetables.

I decided to exercise some of the relaxed stomach muscle and headed off on a circular walk from Knottingley to Beal.  It actually worked out rather well because I was able to record and upload about 10km of footpath to the OSM.

The first thing you notice around here are the numerous power stations.  Looking back, as I headed towards Beal, the Ferrybridge Power Station dominates the skyline.  Apparently it is the third power station to occupy the site.

Looking to my front I could see a further three power stations on the horizon.

To my right was what looked to be a large coal unloading a storage facility.  My assumption is the power stations were built because the coal was sourced locally.  The mines have now closed but because the power transmission system radiates from this area the power stations have remained.  Coal would have once been delivered by water but is now transported by rail.  Probably from Australia!

Well I’ve just had a peek at Wikipedia and the coal for the stations is a mixture of domestic (Yorkshire, Midlands & Scotland) and imported (Australia, Poland, Columbia, Russia and South Africa).

I walked past The Jenny Wren in Beal and can confirm they do a Sunday lunch.  It smelt very nice, but fortunately my stomach was still full!

Jan will be delighted to learn that Bank Dole and Beal Locks will not wear out her pinkie.  They are windlass operated.

Weir and lock at Beal

The route back was on the north side of the River Aire and it was apparent the route doesn’t receive much foot traffic.  Back near Knottingley I came upon a sluice which had a dozen bouquets of dead flowers tied to the fence and can only assume one or more person drowned in either the sluice or adjacent river.

It’s a rather isolated spot and my guess is either a fisherman or child.  Tragic!

There was no crossing over the Aire at Knottingley and I eventually walked to Ferrybridge where the A162 crosses the river.  Beyond the new concrete span bridge there is an older multi-arch stone bridge.

Apparently this crossing was on the main road between London and York.  Eventually the volume of traffic became so great that the existing bridge was considered to be too small.  It was replaced by the structure you see in the above photo.  Construction started in 1797 and the bridge was opened in 1804.  The route had been a turnpike and then became a Toll road. 

There is a Tollhouse at the end of the bridge which is now an administration building.  The bridge now carries pedestrian traffic.

The route through Knottingley back to Waiouru took me past the former Town Hall which was the only building of any architectural interest I saw in the town.

Not having previously approached our mooring from this direction I was surprised to see a chute protruding over the edge of the canal.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised there were probably dozens of them 100 years ago. 

So we’re back to having the mooring to ourselves.

Jan told me she had been entertaining six men in my absence.  So where was the money?  Apparently the men had spent it on beer at The Steam Packet and had then decided to have their photo taken on the back of our boat.  Jan was able to convince them it was her house, and not a boat.  Their inebriated brains went into overload and consequently rebooted.  This resulted in them returning to the pub to poison a few more brain cells.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Selby.