Naburn Lock
We have had exciting times since I last updated this blog,
well relatively speaking anyway. We left
Boroughbridge on Thursday morning, intending to cruise down to
York
and stay there overnight and for most of Friday and then continue on to
Naburn, which is only about an hour from
York. However on arrival in
York
there was limited mooring available and as we didn't fancy the spots on offer
we carried on and moored up in Naburn.
As we stopped it began to rain and continued raining for
most of the night and on and off for most of Friday as well. On Friday evening we went to the local pub
and had an excellent meal and a couple of pints. However when we got back to the boat the water
had risen right to the top of the bank and we and the other narrow boat,
Freedom, also moored there decided to move to the floating pontoon at the
top of the weir. This was a good move as
the next morning the path to the mooring was under water and the level still
rising. So we had to sit out the floods,
yet again. Spoke to the lock keeper on
Sunday and he said that he would not let any narrow boats out of the lock and onto the tidal Ouse until the water
had dropped by 1 metre and this was unlikely to be before Wednesday.
Before and after pictures of the weir at Naburn Locks showing the difference in the river levels after the rain!
We found plenty to do though, saw short eared owls again and
even saw a fallow deer in a field one morning when we were walking the dogs,
watched it for ages. Went into York
on the bus on Monday to do some shopping and have a day out. Saw Michael and John from narrow boat
Evenlode, who we saw on the way to Ripon, and passed on the information from
the lock keeper. Also met up with Steph
and her husband on narrow boat Largesse.
Had a good gossip with them all and said we would phone them when the
water had dropped enough to moor at Naburn.
The river in York was very
high and we were glad that we hadn’t stayed there on Thursday.
Freedom and Jeanie Deans snuggled up on the floating pontoon at Naburn Locks!
A sad sight on the River Ouse!
Eventually left Naburn on Tuesday, a day earlier than
expected. All three narrow boats,
Evenlode, Largesse and Jeanie Deans went into the lock at 2:30 and proceeded in an orderly fashion to Selby, where
Evenlode and Largesse went first into the lock, whilst we waited outside. As usual the boat performed beautifully
sitting nice and straight against the flow while we waited for the lock, thanks
Norton Canes!! Cleared the lock and
moored up overnight in Selby.
This morning we did the shopping, took two trips to the
supermarket due to having eaten everything.
Then we moved on, mooring up at West Haddlesey lock
where the Selby Canal
meets the River Aire. A short day, only
about 1.5 hours. Had a chat with a
couple who were passing and during conversation realised that she was the
author of the guide to the Chesterfield
Canal that we used earlier in the
trip. She was delighted to hear that we
had gone right to the end of the Chesterfield
as not many people do and she was involved in the restoration of the locks
right at the end. Chilled for the rest
of the day and sitting writing this with a beer.
Tonight's mooring at West Haddlesey Lock
Onto the River Aire tomorrow and onwards to the Huddersfield
Broad Canal
and Standedge Tunnel (eventually not tomorrow).