You’d think we’d been in Leeds for weeks but it was only 5 days. We’d seen such a lot, but one of our personal highlights was visiting the house in which Eric was born over half a century ago. Eric’s father was a Methodist minister and we were able to worship at his church. Although the family moved when Eric was just a nipper there were still people who remembered his Dad.
Much to our amusement, I was born in Liverpool so this really is a journey going back to our roots.
Sadly not all boaters have such a positive experience of Leeds and the advice is to travel earlier in the day because the local troublemakers don’t get out of bed before midday.
We heeded this advice and had an enjoyable passage although those first locks were a bit of a shock to my system because I’d been spoilt by the automatated river locks.
Thankfully we had a lock buddy for the kirkstall and Newlay rises and as they were staircase there was also a lock keeper in attendance to make sure we didn’t mess it up.
We treated ourselves to a night in the Aire Valley marina so we could fully charge the batteries on shore power and our second night out in the country side.
Relishing the peace quiet and tranquillity after city life.
We’d found ourselves facing the same conundrum, country bumpkins at heart, but fascinated by city life. Reluctant to move on but Leeds Dock only permits 48hour visitor mooring. But we’d been told Granary Wharf was a nice place, a mile upstream, next to the railway station. So off we set.
Under the fancy Victorian bridges
alongside the trendy warehouse apartments,
and past the yellow water taxi, a hidden gem of Leeds ferrying passengers between the station and Leeds dock for a pound.
What we hadn’t fully comprehended was that the section between Leeds dock and the wharf is still river and therefore liable to flooding. And with Leeds Dock being inbetween the last river lock and the first canal lock, we hadn’t seen the flood warning before we set off. The River Aire flows underneath the fancy gold domed railway station and as its mighty waters are channelled through this restricted passage there is always a strong flow.
There doesn’t need to be a huge amount of rain to create a hefty flow.
and much to our horror, as we tried to traverse onto the lock landing we lost control of the boat, resistance was futile and the best course of action was to allow ourselves to be swept back downstream until we could regain control. There have been very few times I’ve been scared on Firecrest but this was definitely a mistake. Luckily Eric has a lot of confidence in how Firecrest handles and once I’d walked the long way round and got the lock gates opened Eric was able to use maximum throttle. Much to the entertainment of the watching crowd he ploughed straight through the torrent and into the lock. And he was able to stop before he hit the other side. He got a big round of applause, and a silent prayer of thanks from me.
And so this was it. After a fraught 20 minutes, we were finally on the L&L. Moored up in Granary Wharf, nestled under the arches of the railway.
And over towered by the Doubletree Hotel
And it won’t come as any surprise that I went to investigate whether or not I could go to the top. It’s actually a Skylounge open to the public. And the view is worth the cocktail. Looking south sees the area of Leeds currently being gentrified and the canal starting it’s journey West.
To the east the sky line is dominated by “The Dalek” building. River Lock, the first lock on the canal can be seen below, and the River Aire flowing East. I think the white building in the distance is the Armouries next to Leeds Dock
Looking north is Leeds city centre behind the covers of the train station.
And again to the north but looking down over the station and the bars and restaurants under the arches
And finally the view we wanted to see the most, looking down onto Firecrest.
I’m talking about the buildings. Leeds seems to be full of tall buildings, both old and new, regenerated and tumbling down. And some inbetween.
The River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool canal obviously helped the city prosper back in the 18th century. Warehouses dominated the waterfront,
and the merchants created a stunning city centre with ornate arcades and offices designed to show off their wealth.
Today’s society is also cashing in by regenerating the warehouses into very desirable housing and enhancing the centre with open spaces and trendy retail experiences.
But it was the old buildings that grabbed my attention the most. We particularly liked the Corn Exchange with its unusual oval domed glass roof, it’s now full of small independent retailers and the eateries. There’s a piano in the middle for anyone to play.
And the market hall is a worthy detour for any tourist, as some of the original pitches are still in use today and the decorative structure of the building is stunning.
Leeds market is where Mr Marks and Mr Spencer first started trading at their penny bazaar. And although this is not quite on the spot M&S maintain a historic presence in the market hall.
Leeds city library might be full of interesting books but again it was the building that I came to see.
It’s not a city that is standing still but despite the glamour we saw a lot of dark alleys that quite frankly we wouldn’t walk down in broad daylight let alone after 5pm. And it feels like, despite a lot of prosperity, the downtrodden and undesirables get pushed further and further down, out of sight and out of mind, Leeds is certainly a city that made me think and at least some are making a conscious effort to keep a welcome door ooen
I think Yorkshire is a very creative county, but there’s art and there’s art. Contemporary art seems to dominate Leeds at the moment, I like to think I’m quite open minded and able to see something good in most things. Sadly a lot of what I saw just made me shudder and laugh at the pretentiousness of it all. One of Leed’s famous sons is Damian Hirst, (Although he was actually born in Bristol). His work is being showcased across the city this year, but in all honesty I’d rather it wasn’t. One of my favourite phrases is “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”
“Hymn” by Hirst
But each to his own, you might think differently. I saw several of the sculptures around town but I don’t consider them worthy of gracing my pages. What I did like about the art in Leeds, is that it is all so accessible. The museums and galleries are free entry and interesting and even though I considered a lot of what I saw a waste of space. I was glad there were no obstacles to me coming back to look closer. And I will admit I did like the juxtaposition of the sheep in formaldehyde standing in a room full of old oils.
Black sheep with gold horns by Hirst
Funnily enough most people ignored it, whilst I enjoyed watching the people. There was one piece I liked in the Leeds Art Gallery, a human form created by Anthony Gormley. The Brick Man was a scaled down model of the 180 feet version submitted as part of the regeneration for Leeds railway station. It was to be hollow allowing people inside, sadly it didn’t get planning permission.
The Brick man by Gormley
Next door to the LAG was the Henry Moore institute which I was really looking forward to seeing. But alas, it was full of installation exhibitions by other artists which left me cold, including a room with 3 trestle tables holding blocks of Shea butter, 2 were “representative”, 1 was “interactive.” I tentatively stuck my finger into the greasy mess and made my mark.. then I went off dutifully to wash my hands before I got a bill for millions for having touched something I didn’t realise was art.
A pile of Shea butter…?
This one, by the way, was one of the artists efforts and not to be touched….. As I said not all of the art around Leeds was rubbish. This outdoor installation was a representation of flying birds made of of plastic milk bottles. I liked this one.
Flying milk bottle birds
But the very best and most enjoyable were the animated Dinosaurs lurking in various shopping centres for the summer season.
Watch out the dinosaurs have cone to town
Eric and I obtained our Jurassic trail card and dutifully tracked down all five of the monsters and got our stickers and stamps. We like art that is interactive and touchable and these marketing gimmick dinosaurs are no less worthy than Damian Hirsts obscenities. Yet for all my inability to comprehend a lot of what I saw, I still consider our stay in Leeds to have been enjoyable and thought provoking. Having got the ball rolling
I am happy to say I remain open minded and am willing to look at most things.
We like to think of ourselves as country bumpkins at heart, we love mooring in the middle of nowhere surrounded by wildlife and the incessant birdsong. But oh boy do we get a buzz when we enter a big city, and Leeds was to prove no different. Canals by their nature, being part of the industrial transit system, tend to occupy the backwaters of most locations. There’s always dereliction, but sometimes regeneration and always graffiti. But not all graffiti is offensive. And this was our welcome into Leeds.
Colourful welcome into Leeds
Leeds has its fair share of victorian factory warehouse buildings. It’s a tall city, but we quickly saw some highly desirable waterfront properties as we approached the centre.
Looks a nice place to live
Our aim was to moor in “Leeds dock” a regenerated wharf surrounded by trendy eateries and in our case pylon moorings with electrics. But alas, despite the potential for a lot more visitor moorings CRT and the local management team only provide space for 3 or 4 visiting boats and we weren’t one of the lucky ones. So we had 24 hours outside on the island high wall. (At this point we are still on the River Aire with weirs and flood locks) but this gave us a brilliant view of the Royal Armouries Museum. A pity the weather had turned everything dark and grey
Looking towards the Armouries
The following day we were on the ball waiting for spaces in the dock and were able to reach our destination.
Entering Leeds dock
And get one of the prized pontoon places
With 48 hours to go exploring our first stop had to be our overshadowing neighbour the Armouries. Especially as it was now pouring with rain. I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking that this huge purpose built building might just be full of guns, not my idea of a fun day out. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is a fascinating venue, so much so that after a few hours we got museum overload and left before we’d seen it all. The impressive glass tower housed a display of historical weaponry, and whilst you could say that once you’ve seen one sword and spear do you need to see more, the impressiveness was in the way in which they were displayed. Symmetrically and artistically, as they would have been in castles and kingdoms of old. And of course with the view through the round window of Firecrest moored below.
And the view through the round window is firecrest
The displays weren’t only of weapons of war, but went way back to early mans esential hunting tools, and modern man’s non essential, but visually more impressive hunting tools.
It didn’t stop at what we know now, there were futuristic film weapons for zapping aliens, just in case. And the beautiful swords from the Lord of Rings trilogy. We were treated to guides in costume giving talks and actual displays of sword fights. All in all it was a very impressive and well done museum, and the best bit is that it is free admission and we got a good view through the rain streaked windows of Firecrest.
So near yet still so far, only another 15 miles to get us to the start of the Leeds and Liverpool canal, but we aren’t rushing, and after passing under the A1, (significant to us because of the countless times we have driven this way to visit family)
Under the A1
The River Aire is wide and interesting and we found a pleasant spot to moor in Castleford. I hadn’t realised but it is the home of sculptor and artist Henry Moore, Castleford is a bit of a scruffy town, and the reclining figure had to be removed from the main street and displayed in the library.
Henry Moore’s reclining figure
It was 48 hour mooring so we moved on the to Aire and Calder Navigation, and found a nice cool spot under the trees near Lemonroyd. Of course I had to get my spinning wheel out and make the most of the space and shade.
Another perfect spot
The locks here are still huge and automated to accommodate the commercial vessels so I was able to enjoy the view
Woodlesford lock
whilst Eric got tossed around in the turbulence.
Who needs to go white water rafting when you have open lock gates
With out batteries recharged we were ready to hit Leeds. But not before another glorious rural sunset
Having detoured from Plan A – ie to do the Leeds and Liverpool over the summer, before CRT imposed any closures due to water shortages- meant that we had to backtrack on our route for the next 30 miles. We waved goodbye to York and headed downstream to Naburn to await our booked passage along the tidal section to Selby. We’d spotted this giant wire creation on our way into York so we were prepared to take a closer look this time. The fisherman is sitting on a disused rail bridge, and that’s a train he’s caught not a fish. But we loved his doggy companion, cocking his leg against his bike. And it’s not just any old train, it’s the flying Scotsman, which used to use this line in it’s heyday. I’m sure there’s more detail that we failed to notice, but I do like art with a sense of humour.
The fisherman and the flying scotsman
Naburn is a haven of peace and tranquillity after the bustle of York and before the race along the Ouse. The warm and balmy evening was another opportunity to sit with my spinning wheel outside.
Spinning a yarn in Naburn shade
The imposing building by The lock landing isn’t a house, it was the banqueting hall built in 1823 for the wealthy businessmen who took advantage of river transport.
The banqueting hall in the moonlight
It’s in the process of being transformed into a cafe serving cream teas and other delicacies but at the moment to garden is home to a flock of obliging free range chickens. This one is BBQ ready.
Roast chicken, anyone?
Our given time for leaving Naburn Lock, meant we would be pushing against the tide for an hour. Although we had been warned about the speed of the River and the amount of debris, we hadnt encountered either on our way up so it took us quite by surprise, seeing 20foot logs hurtling towards us.
Is it a lot of a crocodile
It was a challenging journey and we both had to be on full alert not wanting to suffer the same fate as the Titanic. The green duck weed had been pushed out of Selby, in an attempt to clear the canal. But the intrepid cruisers told us they were banned from entering Selby lock as the quantity of weed would block their cooling system and overheat their engines before they’d gone 100yards. They had to run the gauntlet of floating logs and giant crocodiles all the way to Goole.
Selby basin in the green
It wasn’t nice and was so thick we had to manually push it out of our way so we could moor.
It didn’t stop us enjoying another day walking around Selby though, I even got to enjoy an organ recital in the Abbey, (and just to confirm that is grass around the Abbey not duck weed. )
Selby Abbey
We didn’t linger though, as we had an offer from nb Albion to share the locks and swing bridges. Our companions suggested we went first, I wonder why….
Not sure we’ll beat the land speed record
Selby canal is a short canal, and we were welcomed back into Knottingley on the River Aire that afternoon by the locals
Knottingley has one of the prettiest towpaths I have come across. It is known as Freda’s garden. Freda lived in one of the cottages adjacent to the canal but didn’t have any garden of her own, so she adopted the land she walked along everyday, scattering seed and planting shrubs. Although she is no longer with us, the community embraced her love of nature and colour and maintain this half mile stretch for everyone to enjoy.
Freda’s garden
Knottingley is in the heart of the Yorkshire coal mine fields so suffered appalling deprivation when the mines closed down, but we’ve seen many towns and villages that were also affected by this policy, and some have gone on to thrive and although its obviously not a wealthy area, there was a sense of community pride here. I hope these places survive the closure of the power stations. Fennybridge dominates the Knottingley sky line.
We never intended to spend more than a few days on the Ouse, but York just grabbed my attention and we never tired of wandering around those crowded streets. Packed full to overflowing, with tourists and locals, culture and history, with independent expensive eateries and shopping opportunities, and places for tranquillity and bustle alike. Mooring by the riverside museum gardens was empty during tnhe week
but came alive at the weekends when it felt like the huge cruisers emerged from the nearby marinas to show off their finery, we felt like a minnow along side them. There is a craft and art street fayre held on summer Saturday’s, and we were lucky enough to be moored directly opposite “dexdigits” a “yarny” who is a spinner and a dyer, of course we made friends and I took my wheel out to spin along side her.
Spinning in York
York is undoubtedly a very expensive city. I find it hard to comprehend how families can afford to do it all. We decided to find our usual starting point for an interesting place-the guided walking tour. And surprisingly it was free. Unsurprisingly, York’s history covers such a long period, there was too much information to take in. With hindsight we realised just being in the centre and absorbing what was around us was fascinating. I guess the buildings were what grabbed my attention. Obviously the grandeur of the Minster was the most startling.
The South window
But there was such a diversity from the old riverside warehouses to the ancient ruins of St Mary’s Abbey, and the new offices built to complement it’s surroundings.
The old new and ancient
Not all museums charge an entrance fee, ironically, the railway museum is one we’d have been happy to pay to visit, and it didn’t disappoint us. Old locomotives are generally the most photogenic, but stepping inside the Japanese bullet train and seeing how modern carriages had evolved over our own lifetime was and interesting.
York railway museum
I took myself off to see the only NT property in York, the Treasurers house. Originally it was built to manage the churches assets in the 10th century but has undergone many transformations since. Its last private owner used it to house various art works and furnishings that appealed to his family until he bequeathed it to the NT
The treasurers house
Fascinating as the centre was, being boaters it was the River that provided us with the most entertainment. Their were a number of interesting vessels showing off besides the fancy cruisers.
Pirates ahoy
But of course my favourite was the ice cream boat.
Ice cream in style
And on our final day we got prime viewing for the annual Dragon boat races.
The York Dragon boat Races
This little selection barely scratches the surface of what we enjoyed in York. We attended concerts, ate out, made friends, had visitors, walked the wall, saw firework displays, attended a service with archbishop John Sentanu, the and generally felt like we’d been on holiday. The detour was well worth it.
The question we kept getting asked in York was had we been to Ripon. The answer was No, the maps say the maximum boat length for the Ure and Ripon canal is 57 foot. But for some reason the boaters thought better, although non of them had actually done the trip in a 60 foot boat. So undeterred by the printed word we threw caution to the wind and set off. Actually we’d studied the map pretty carefully and knew where all our turning back points were if we couldn’t do it. It was a beautiful tranquil river cruise blue sky, kingfishers and herons at every turn. I kept looking out for places we could wild moor, amongst all this nature, but nothing looked viable.
We cruised onto Linton for an overnight stop on the floating pontoons, and then upto Boroughbridge. So far the locks were just about long enough for us to squeeze in. However my wish to moor amongst the trees came true when there was barely 20foot of mooring space left and with much balancing and rope throwing we managed to tie off the stern around an old oak tree.
Only just room for Firecrest
Boroughbridge is a pretty market town with some history going back to Roman times. I couldn’t find any dates for the town’s water pump in the centre of the square, I suspect it is Georgian.
Now on the River Ure, we debated some more about the last 7 miles into Ripon. We made easy enjoyable progress to Westwick lock, but this was to be our undoing. We nudged in cautiously, but even though Eric angled the boat diagonally I couldnt quite close the lock gates behind him. We suspect if we had removed the fenders we’d have been ok, but not knowing our ability to wind up ahead we played safe and reversed out. Going up a lock is less risky than coming down, because you are already below the cill. Therefore you know by the time the lock is filled there will be more length of waters , where as coming down, because the cill is below water level if you haven’t left enough room it could have catastrophic consequences if the boat gets caught up on the cill.
Westwick lock, as far as we could get.
Moored safely back in Boroughbridge, we caught the bus into Ripon. Its a lovely place full of character, and twisty streets,
Looking towards Ripon cathedral
and on the day we went, also full of Morris dancers.
Morris dancing Inn the square
If we come this way again, or should I say when we come this way again, we’ll probably give it another go at getting into Ripon. We like a challenge.
One of the nice things about visitors is that they usually have a car, and if we ask nicely we can go exploring a little further afield. As luck would have it Mum was also loves a trip out, so I hopped into their camper van and the was whisked a few miles up the road to Bedingbrough Hall, a magnificent Georgian Mansion owned by the National Trust.
But it was the gardens we really wanted to see.
Mum under the Apple archWhy don’t my herbaceous borders look like this
Perhaps because I didn’t have Andy Stugeon, the gold medal winner at Chelsea, design it, with an army of volunteers to maintain it.
The Andy Sturgeon garden
But even some of the flowers still have trouble with snails
Nestled inside the purple alium
Of course all good NT properties have somewhere for a cup of tea and a scone
A big house needs a big teapot.
We couldn’t leave without going inside, Bedingbrough hall has chosen to use its grandeur to house some of the National Portrait collection and it’s more of an art gallery than a home now. However to keep the younger visitors attention there is a floor of interactive ‘amusements’ including a dressing up box
Not very practical for narrowboat living
And of course all those grand clothes needed to be kept clean, so a house this size had a whole laundry block full of boiling vats and mangles,
I wonder if the Laundry maids saw the beauty of this mangle
But I couldn’t see a tumble drier anywhere.
But that all looked like hard work, we these little fellas had the right idea
