Field Locks - Leeds-Liverpool Canal

It was nice to see a bit of boating activity today on the Leeds-Liverpool canal.  The barge in the picture is just entering Field Locks between Esholt and Thackley.  The old iron bridge in the background once carried a small steam tank engine across the canal, it was part of the nearby Esholt sewage works and last ran, I think, in the early 1970's.

Five Rise Locks - Bingley

It looks like the cold weather we have been experiencing over the last five or six weeks has finally gone, it has been pleasantly warm here for the last two or three days.  I took the opportunity yesterday to visit the Five Rise Locks on the Leeds/Liverpool canal at Bingley, luckily, there was a boat descending the locks and I was able to get a picture of it leaving the bottom lock.  When I last visited, over the winter period, the lock gates were being replaced and it was possible to walk along the bottom of the drained locks (along with several hundred other people who also turned up for the open day) which was quite an experience.  I believe the gates last around thirty years, so I probably won't be around when they next need replacing.

Rosie And Jim - Skipton Waterway Festival 2012

Brightly coloured boats converged on the town of Skipton at the weekend for the Skipton Waterway Festival.  Many of the boats were decorated with Union Flags as this year is the Queen's diamond jubilee and the Olympic Games are also taking place.  I went along fairly early in the morning, before the crowds arrived and managed to take some quite nice pictures. I liked this one, Rosie & Jim, the other two boats are Bill & Ben, but Ben unfortunately drifted across to the right so you can't see his name.

Horse-Drawn Boat - Saltaire

This horse-drawn boat was making its way along the Leeds-Liverpool canal at the weekend as part of the Saltaire World Heritage Site celebrations.  The lady in the picture gave a harnessing demonstration and a little talk about the boat and the horse before setting off.  The boat (which you can't see very well in this picture) is known as a fly boat, shorter, lighter and with a more restricted cargo area than the larger boats.  It would have travelled 24 hours a day with the horses being changed at intervals to give a quicker delivery time.

From The Old Iron Bridge

This is the view from an old iron bridge which crosses the Leeds-Liverpool canal just a short distance from Apperley Bridge. I walk in this area quite often and always stop on the bridge for a minute or two. It doesn't seem long since the trees were sprouting green leaves and we had the summer to look forward to, now the leaves are turning brown and we have the winter to look forward to, I don't know what happened to the summer, we just didn't seem to get one!

Canal Boats - Leeds-Liverpool Canal

There is something about canal boats, chugging along at four miles an hour, it's supposed to be a very relaxing way to take a holiday, I don't know, I've never tried it but it certainly looks relaxing enough. I waited quite a while at this spot on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal for a boat to come along and then two came along at the same time, a bit like waiting for a bus.