Airedale

Sunday - at least 7 swing bridges, a staircase of 3 locks and another of 2. I'll be glad to get home where all I have to do on a Sunday is go to church and cook the lunch! Having said that, the journey itself was very good. 

Brigid took the tiller while I worked the locks. On the staircase of 3 I had to empty the bottom lock, half empty the middle one and fill the top. Needless to say they were all the wrong way round when we arrived. So, work all 3 locks before we could work the boat through. Fill the top lock, put the boat in, empty that lock into the middle one, move the boat through and then empty that one into the bottom lock and then empty into the canal at the bottom. I think it could qualify as an event in the olympics! The staircase of 2 wasn't so bad since there was a boat coming up but I still had to empty the bottom lock first before going down. 

We managed a stop for lunch at Apperley Bridge just to draw breath. 

We then went on and moored just before Rodley, the last place to stop before the big push to Leeds. Perhaps 'big push' is overstating it a bit but the lock keepers and navigation guides recommend that you do not stop between Rodley and Leeds and that you make your passage in the morning. In the afternoon, if it's hot, local housing estate residents come down to the canal and swim in the locks. And they don't stop for boaters either. Last year a policeman and a lock keeper were thrown into the lock when they tried to work a boat through. 

Still, a nice stopping place at Rodley, roast beef for supper and an early start tomorrow.