Returning down the Ouse and Big Barges

25th - Newton-on-Ouse to Selby, River Ouse, 30 miles 3 locks - 26th - Selby to Gateforth Landing, Selby Canal, 4 miles 0 locks - 27th - Gateforth Landing to Castleford, Selby Canal and Aire & Calder Navigations, 14.75 miles 4 locks

A long day on Tuesday covering 30 miles with a break at lunch time to collect provisions and bait in York. With the help of my internet friend Ron using google he found an angling shop for me. I couldn't see it on my 'tourist' map of York and phoned them.. "Oh come round the York wall and go through the Waldergate Bar and we are on the left" Oh through a bar? I put my best togs on, and thought it funny that the angling shop was through the back of a pub.

Tee hee......... A 'Bar' is what those Yorkshire people call the hole in the wall that surrounds York!

Leaving York we headed for Naburn Locks for our 4.30pm booking down the tidal Ouse. The lock keeper sure did put a lot of boats in at once! In the end there were 7 boats packed in.

Once trough the locks we punched the incoming tide for about an hour and a half, there was so much debris in the water, presumably due to the flooding on the east coast last week. It was a bit of an obstacle course, then the tide turned, and suddenly we were speeding up and going very fast. I was told to turn No Problem before reaching the lock, and let her drift down the tide...... sheesh, scarey stuff, but I did as I was told, and then with great difficulty entered the lock sort of sideways upstream under the direction of the super cool Lock Keeper straighted up at the last minute under full power, and slid into the lock without touching the sides next to a boat already in there to the applause from the many people watching lockside, I was really chuffed, but needed a very very stiff drink afterwards!

It was a tremendous experience, very difficult manouver not knowing how the boat would react both going backwards down the tide nor entering a lock with a fast tidal effect, but I learnt a lot.

Yesterday we went up the Selby Canal hoping that our favourite mooring of last week at Gateforth Landing was free, and we were lucky, so we spent the day relaxing in the lovely warm sunshine.

Today we left the Selby Canal and headed for Castleford. We knew we might meet some large barges, and thought we had got away with it, but just as we arrived outside Castleford one came along! I just had to get a photo!

We have decided not to go along the Rochdale Canal this time, for a couple of reasons, one is that we have heard there is a shortage of water along the Canal, and the other is that with the school holidays in full swing, perhaps the younger people of the Lancashire towns will have nothing to do but to intimidate narrowboats, so we shall return southwards via the River Trent, Nottingham and Leicester.

This weekend we are off to a Country Show just outside Wakefield, we will enjoy I am sure, there are sheep dog trials, falconry, fly fishing displays, and all things country. Next week we will turn back from here and head to the Trent.