Boats come in all shapes and sizes!

Silsden is home to a large boat hire business so the canal through the town itself is currently lined with moored hire boats, with their distinctive livery. Silsden Boats have a drum logo and many of the boats have 'Drum' in the name: Hum Drum, Drummer Boy and so on. The lockdown has meant no-one can get away for a canal-cruising holiday. Some miles further on, I came across three boats moored - and they were all very different: one a fairly traditional narrowboat, one adapted with a tall wheelhouse and then the tiniest narrowboat I've ever seen! I don't know if it is a normal one cut down or whether some are built like this. I suppose it would be easier to get through the locks but there can't be much useable space inside. Cute though...

At the Five Rise

One of my longer walks along the canal took me as far as the Five Rise Locks in Bingley. Normally it's a busy spot, especially on a sunny day. Even in the lockdown there were a few people about but it was much quieter than normal. The café is closed (so I had to take my own coffee!) and there are no boats passing through, though there are permanent moorings along this stretch so there are always plenty of boats to see. The top photo shows the café on the left, which used to be a stable block for the horses that towed the canal boats. The swing bridge at the top of the locks is just beyond the boats, with Lock House alongside, built in 1885 reputedly with stone from a dismantled Liverpool warehouse that was brought by barge along the canal.  I think the rainbow in the water has to do with the fact that I was shooting directly into the sun. 

Swivel 180 degrees and you get a pleasant view looking the other way: 

The picture above is taken from the swing bridge. The moored barge had some interesting sculptural decorations, not 'the owl and the pussycat' but the owl and the... rabbit?

The old cottages opposite Lock House are quite attractive, though they've been altered quite a bit since they were built in the early 19th century.

Shipley Wharf

In winter, when I tend to take fewer long walks, I make a point of walking rather than taking the car if I want to go into Shipley town centre to the library or shops. If I haven't too many heavy things to carry back, I'll take 'the scenic route' back, avoiding the main road. I join the canal towpath at Shipley Wharf. The view up towards Salts Mill and Saltaire from the elevated bridge is one that I rather like; I call it the 'three chimneys view'. Two of the chimneys belong to the old mills on Ashley Lane. The third one, on the right, is Salts Mill chimney. It is much taller than the others but so much further away that perspective plays tricks.

Along the canal

I often take a walk along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal towpath. There's usually something to see and on this day there were several hire boats.

Some stretches of the canal over in Lancashire have been closed this summer because of low water levels in the feeder reservoirs, caused by the drought. From the middle of August (a couple of days after I took these photos) these restrictions also closed all the locks between Bingley and Leeds, including the famous Five Rise Locks. I don't suppose they take such action lightly, given the amount of holiday traffic along the canal. It will have spoiled a lot of people's plans. The towpath is still open but it's not quite the same fun when you know you won't see any boats cruising past.

The lock gates are padlocked and the gates have been 'ashed', the gaps plugged with ash to prevent water leakage.

Devon: Lynmouth at night

After sunset one night, a few of us went down to Lynmouth, the nearby resort, to take some night shots. Places appear totally transformed at night, don't they? It was a bit of a muddled scene with all the varied colour temperatures of the lights. The tide was out (again) too so the boats in the harbour were stranded on mud, which made for a less than pleasing aesthetic in my view. Never mind, you can only photograph what's there... It was atmospheric though and pleasant on a summer's evening, so warm that it felt like being in the Med!

Red army

Lined up two by two, in the Springs Branch Canal by the marina in Skipton, an army of hire boats waiting for the summer season. They belong to Pennine Cruisers, who operate out of Skipton, and they can be hired by the week.

The view from within

Wales - Our holiday apartment had a small conservatory on the front that overlooked the tidal Teifi estuary, right at the spot where there is a small park with seats, a jetty and slipway. When we weren't outdoors exploring, we spent hours just sitting in the sunshine there, watching the endless sideshows that revealed themselves. The tide ebbed and flowed, boats came and went. The deepest navigable channel was just in front of the jetty, so we saw small fishing boats making their way from Cardigan to the sea, as well as all the leisure craft. A flotilla of kayaks came past every day, people being trained to use them under the watchful eye of two or three instructors. We spotted waders, gulls and ducks. Three tractors danced in the fields across the river, just muck-spreading but doing so with such grace and artistry. People sat on the benches gazing at the view, walked their dogs, waited for the bus, parked their cars to go to the excellent local pub... But the best were the fishermen and the little children crabbing from the jetty. This family (below) caught lots and then emptied their buckets out onto the jetty so there were crabs everywhere, all scuttling sideways to splash back into the water!