Barging Around

A light mizzle set in as I set off from Gargrave. It wasn't enough to put my cameras away but it was enough for me to wipe my lens every time I wanted to take a photo. At Newton Locks the towpath was blocked due to a 'danger of falling masonry' and a diversion sign dumped me on to a country lane. Looking at my map I was able to get back on to the tow path at Newton Grange. This had a mooring site and half a dozen barges were staked to the bank side. Some of the barges looked quite dilapidated. In fact, I'd say that most of the barges that you see could do with a lick of paint and bit of TLC. Some of them just seem to be a dumping ground for junk and it's hard to believe that anybody would actually live in them. There are of course exceptions. Those with their carefully attended 'gardens', wood smoke coming from the wood burner and their wonderfully painted sides. I'd guess that canal life is not quite as idyllic as it looks and involves a lot of time maintaining the boat. 

Bridge Double Decker

The Pennine Way runs through Gargrave and shadows the canal on its eastern side. I did think about incorporating the national trail into today's walk, but I've done the route a few times and thought it would be quite muddy after the recent rain. The Pennine Way does join up with the canal just before reaching East Marton. I think the trail designers probably included this short section in order that the walking stalwarts have the opportunity to see the curious double arched bridge over the canal at East Marton. It looks like the bridge builders couldn't be bothered to remove the previous bridge and so built another one right over it. It looks like a double decker bridge.

Wildlife Haven

The canal system is really a haven for wildlife. Today's tally included: Mute Swans, Oystercatcher, Goosanders, Canada Geese, Pied Wagtails, Grey Wagtails, Blue/Great Tits, Cormorants Chaffinches, and of course,  the ubiquitous Mallards, Crows and Magies. I'm guessing that some of the Swans and Geese were nestled on eggs on the other side of the bank. 

On one lonely section I caught up with two elderly women who were chatting away, and walking about 50 yards behind the husbands. They were walking side-by-side and I couldn't get past, so I said 'Good morning. Excuse me.' They obviously didn't hear me and so I upped my request a decibel or two. One of the women jumped so much I feared that she might land in the canal. I apologised for startling them, but they didn't look too pleased. I quickly pressed on. 

A mile outside of Barnoldswick I met what I took to be father and son walking the other way. The son walked on, but the father sat on a wall and we started chatting. He was 71 and had been sailing the canals since 1990. His current boat was a 32 footer; he said that he couldn't manage anything bigger nowadays. He was making his way back to his base at Castleford. I asked how far he was going today. 'Only about 2 hours sailing and then we'll moor up. There's no need to rush.' His boat was called Tinker, but didn't have its name painted on the side. I saw a few 32 footers further down the canal that might have been Tinker. They do look tiny compared to the other barges. 

Leeds-Liverpool Canal Summit

A large sign promised not only the highest point on the Leeds-Liverpool canal 400 yards ahead, but also the Stop Lock Cafe. Brilliant, tea and bun time. 400 yards further on, a sign told me that the Stop Lock Cafe was closed as it was being transferred to new owners. Damn, I'd been looking forward to the refreshments. I'd reached the highest point on the canal system though. A Canal And River Trust lady was cleaning the shower facilities used by the people moored up here. We started chatting and I asked if this really was the very top. She confirmed it to be true. I was going to ask how the water got into the top of the canal system when I looked at the building next door to the shower facilities and my question was answered. It was a pumping house and I could see water flowing from the building into the canal. So that's how they do it. Not that surprising though, I have to agree. 

Barnoldswick

I could have turned around at this point, but decided to wander down the canal into Barnoldswick. I have to confess, that up until last night, when I looked at my maps, I'd no idea this place even existed. Some quite nice houses had been built along the other bank of the canal. They had a wonderful view of the canal and the rural landscape beyond. Unfortunately, there was a strong smell of shite in the air. I took this to emanate from a large farm that was positioned about 300 yards down in the valley. I could hear cattle mooching about in the sheds. I moved swiftly on, further into Barnoldswick. The houses persisted on the other bank, and a large British Aerospace site started on my right side. The factory looked quite old and maybe some of it even derelict. The canal doesn't go through the centre of the town and once I'd seen an Aldi supermarket I figured I'd seen as much of Barnoldswick as I wanted to see. I turned around and started heading back. 

Labradoodle

Back at the canal's highest point, the new owners had still not reopened the cafe and so I sat on a canal side bench and ate a cheese sandwich I'd brought with me. As I was devouring this culinary delight, a middle aged man walked past with a Labradoodle. I said 'Hello' and he grunted a response. The remarkable thing about the man was that his hair was identical to that of his dog's. Not just the colour, but the length and texture too. He spent a lot of time looking at his phone and I caught him up near West Marton. I said 'Hello' again and he grunted something. I was almost tempted to ask him whether he chose his dog based on his own hair, but his attention was glued to the smart phone, and he didn't look the chatty type. I did look back once or twice and could see that he was following me a few hundred yards behind. I guessed he was travelling to Gargrave too. 

Return To Gargrave

Just after East Marton I came across a canal maintenance barge. It had some serious looking machinery in the centre of it. The barge was called the Pennine Way. I had a sense of Deja Vu seeing this, and sure enough, after delving in my memory filing cabinets I remember seeing this barge moored around here many years ago. It must have been when I was doing this canal stretch on the Pennine Way. What amazing thing your memory is. Unless it was a false memory of course. I remember taking a photo of it on the previous occasion and so if I can find that, I'll be able to dismiss the false memory accusation. 

Spots of rain started hitting me as I approached the outskirts of Gargrave. I increased my pace, but the rain didn't materialise into anything serious. Today's walk had been a pleasant plod through a pretty rural landscape. Despite the appreciable distance, a canal walk is never going to be tiring. I visited the highest point on the Leeds-Liverpool canal and dropped in on Barnoldswick, a place I never knew existed until yesterday. All in all, a good day's walking.