Brighouse

Thursday 10 July 2014 – Brighouse, Calder & Hebble Navigation

The Sowerby Bridge facilities shown in the Nicholson Guide seem to have been removed leaving just concrete bases as have most of the rings for Visitor Moorings.

The start today was at 07:30 in bright sunshine which has continued all day.  There was an initial quiet run through a deep wooded part with the river Calder burbling away off to the right of us then we came to the first of the C&HN locks (Salterhebble Locks) - what a palaver.  Entry to the first lock is a 90degree turn and to operate the lock you need a piece of wood like a Mk1 cricket bat sized 3inch x 2inch.  Fortunately Graham had made two of these before we set out – mine needed minor a adjustment before it would fit.  These are used to wind the paddles up and down and are very heavy to use.  Priscilla ii was just too long to fit beside me so had to go diagonally in the lock and this meant we went one at a time.  The first three are very close together so can be seen from each other.

The other locks were spaced out and at a couple of the locks there were boats coming up which we let through.  We moored up at 13:45 on the Visitor moorings which are at the back of Sainbury’s supermarket (easy for stocking up).