A linear walk #5

Saltaire to Bingley Five-Rise Locks

Above the Three-Rise Locks, after rounding a bend in the canal, you get a first glimpse of the engineering marvel that is Bingley's Five-Rise Locks - the steepest staircase locks on the longest canal in the country, built in 1774 and rightfully considered one of the wonders of our waterways. They lift the canal about 60 feet (16 m). It's very quiet at the moment owing to the water shortages leading to restricted opening times for the passage of boats. When working, it takes a boat about 45 minutes to travel up the staircase, assisted by lock-keepers because inevitably it's rather a complicated exercise! 

At the top, there's a small canal basin to allow boats room to manoeuvre and wait for passage. Beyond that there are always a lot of boats moored so it's a colourful spot to visit. Crossing the swing bridge, I called at the Locks Café for refreshment and a welcome rest. It's only a walking distance of about three miles from home but it always feels much further, no doubt because I stop so often to take photos! 

I then walked on just a little further to Hainsworth's Boatyard, where there's a track down to the main road. I decided I'd get a bus back, as I'd have been very weary walking the whole way back. As you can gather from my photos, it was quite a dull day. It was okay for mono photography but not so wonderful for colour. 

Saltaire to the Five-Rise is an interesting walk with varied scenery and lots to see. I achieved my objective of taking some decent black and white photos for our club project, so it was a good exercise all round! 

 

Half way up

On a sunny Sunday stroll along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, I noticed there were a lot of boats moving up and down. It was the final weekend of the summer holidays, just before most of our schools went back, so maybe that had something to do with it. (School holidays inevitably inflate prices, so perhaps the first week back ushers in more reasonable costs for boat hire?) Every lock seemed to have a boat in it too. The Canal and River Trust staff were running around making sure everything was going to plan - very necessary with the multiple locks in Bingley. This widebeam vessel, hired from Bear Boating at Apperley Bridge (see the paw prints on the bow?), was half way up the staircase of Bingley's famous Five Rise Locks. Bear Boating is a company that prides itself on ensuring that novice boaters are properly trained before letting them loose, with a full two days training at the start of your holiday. Perhaps some of the other hire companies should cover more than just the rudiments before people set off. You do see people doing some rather silly things.