Gypsy Rover’s Birthplace

10 Locks, 13 Miles. Now moored at Mirfield

First of many railway bridges over the Calder and Hebble. This one is still in use.

It was to be an early start again today so that should our planned destination not be to our liking we could carry on. Unlike yesterday there was very little activity on the navigation until we reached Broad Cut low lock. Once we were in this first lock we realised that there was actually another narrow boat in the second lock ahead of us. We hoped that they had seen us and would wait and share the next lock but no such luck. We did catch up with them at Greenwood lock but not until after they were ready to make their exit. We finally got to share Shepley Bridge lock with them.

Wakefield flood lock has had a lot of work done on it including a new footbridge. The wind blew the gate shut.

Back at the Figure of Three locks Dot got a helping hand from some Environmental Agency workers who were just in the process of putting a Bailey Bridge across the lock so that they could get several trucks (lorries) across.

Figure of Three locks where EA workers were waiting to close the navigation to put a Bailey Bridge across the lock.

They were repairing a wash out in the course of the river below the navigation which happened 18 months ago. It must have been one hell of a flood because it came up to the navigation level dumping several thousand tons of gravel etc. in the navigation and washed away three boats.  They were good enough to allow us and another wide beam through before closing the navigation for the afternoon.

Fancy stone work on this railway bridge which is an electrified main line.

We were not too fussed about where we had planned to moor so we carried on to Mirfield where Gypsy Rover was launched in 2004 and we took her south to the River Wey in 3 weeks with a crew of five, before returning to New Zealand for work.  We had plenty of time today and despite the ominous rain clouds it remained dry. We were lucky to get a mooring right alongside the Lidl store in Mirfield after a marathon 7 hours cruising (for us anyway) where we have stocked up ready for another early start tomorrow.

BW were repairing the lock gate collars here but this weed just got worse.

Dot gets to grips with a Calder & Hebble spike.

1857 locks, 3768  miles, 68 tunnels, 127 swing bridges and 53 lift bridges since Nov 2006