Eggborough (Aire & Calder Navigation) to Leeds (River Aire) – VIA Wakefield

This is a trip of 36 miles and 20 locks

 

This cruise will take us on and off the Aire & Calder Navigation, The Calder & Hebble Navigation and Rivers Calder & Aire.  We’ll expect our guests to arrive about 1.30pm  on day 1 and after an introductory blah blah (and most probably a glass of something fizzy) we’ll depart and put in a few hours and aim to moor for our 1st night together around Ferry Bridge. 

 

Next morning (after a simple DIY breakfast), we’ll cast off and head on to the River Aire passing through Bullholme lock on to Castleford cut.  Having probably lunched here, we’ll go back onto the River (this time well be on the Calder) and make our way upstream towards Fairies Hill and through Woodnook Lock to get off the river to moor for the day.  From experience, it can be tricky to get in along side without the use of the gangplank but it’ll only be for 1 night… and if we’re doing well for time, we can easily enough press on to Foxholes where there’s usually space to get in.

 

Ellis is back on home ground (or rather water) here, and it’ll be nice to see who’s still around since we were last in the area…  A gentle day ahead will see us lunching at Stanley Ferry  - the Capt. Might even buy you a pintin the pub before we nip back on to the river to go into the City Centre to moor for the day – Hopefully near the Hepworth Gallery so folks can take a look at the work of Barbara Hepworth before dinner.

 

Next day, we’ll turn around and retrace our steps (chugs) back down the Castleford – probably lunching just before the Woodnook lock or pressing on and (assuming the river isn’t angry) throwing a line up at Allerton Bywater.    Our aim for today will be the safety of Lemonroyd Lock (although it is MASSIVE) – mooring just above in readiness to top with water and continue upstream the following day.

 

Day 5 should see us arrive at Thwaite Mill around lunchtime.  If there’s a mooring space directly outside (and folks wish to have a look around), we’ll moor here for the night paying the fee.  If not, we can tie up opposite (although that does involve a bit of a trek to a bridge in order to cross the canal. 

 

Our Penultimate day will see us chug up past the rowing club and Knostrop fall Lock, back onto the River Aire and to the Floating pontoons at Leeds services… we’ll lunch there and take a nosey into Clarence Dock (Home of The Armories Musuem) – and if there’s space, we’ll nip round the corner to moor for a our final couple of nights in Leeds Centre.  If there ISN’T space, it’s not a problem we can either moor on the River OR chug up through Leeds Lock into Granary Wharf (right next to the train station) -  This is a bustling area with several bars/restaurants  and a great please  to people watch until our guests depart following breakfast on the final morning.