So This is Leeds

Nr Calverley Lodge Br (215) to Leeds City Basin, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, 7 miles 12 locks

High winds today made everything difficult, and it was a matter of hauling on ropes for me trying to hold the boat into the side while Vic locked through to Leeds. We were going to stop short of Leeds today, and arrive there tomorrow, but the lockeepers advised us not to stop en route before Leeds as there was nowhere secure to moor. The weather forcast for tomorrow is dreadful anyway, so we plodded on to the centre. Once again a lot of swing bridges to do today, we were both very tired by the end of the day, the wind had made the two of us take a paracetamol once we had tied up!

It is surprisingly quiet here in the basin right in the centre of Leeds, it's right by the railway station too. There are a lot of boats moored here, and we couldn't get into granary wharf, the alternative mooring is at the Armoury museum, but is closed, we are told, as they are doing some building work there. Hopefully tomorrow the 4 or 5 hireboats moored in the wharf itself will leave, and we can move round.

Well we are at the end of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal now, and for the most part we have enjoyed it. We didn't enjoy the yobbo element in the larger towns though, but we have learnt a lot about how to deal with them for sure! The part of the canal that goes over the pennines was superb, beautiful open moorland with heathers growing on the canal banks, and of the towns and villages, Gargrave was our most favourite. We very much enjoyed Skipton too, and if ever we were to visit this waterway again we would do so from the Leeds direction, and turn back probably at Foulridge, for sure we enjoyed that stretch very much.

We will certainly stay here tomorrow, but not sure how long we will stay in Leeds, we have mail to collect anyway. Our next cruising daywill take us onto the Aire & Calder Navigation on our way to York.