Onward down the Calder & Hebble

Since yesterday we have seen a few more boats which is a pleasant change.   Today we actually met one coming out of a lock as we approached.......that has not occurred for ages.
 The river flits in and out of this section but even when we are on the canalised section it is very wide, such a contract to our time on the Huddersfield narrow.

However the locks are challenging....they are very short and when I have descended I have to wiggle about so Geoff can get one gate open and then I have to wiggle again to extricate Petroc from behind the other gate.   In some of the locks it is all the more exciting if the back gates leak.  Some of the paddles, especially those that necessitate the use of the spike, are very stiff.

When I have to sit right back almost on the sill I cannot avoid the flood......in one my lower half had a good drenching!

Since it was forecast to be hot again we had one of our really early starts as I don't function awfully well when standing in the sun for too long.  So after a quick trip to the Co-op for the paper we set off just after 7.  The advantage of this was that by coffee time we were nicely moored at Horbury Bridge , just a few domestic chores to do before lunch and settling down with the tennis again.......

Petroc all alone.   We did have the occasional visiting boat but only stopping for a lunch break

Geoff took a walk up the road and discovered this.  For the explanation see here

Total distance:5.63 miles 

Elapsed time:3h16m10s

 Locks:8

Bridges:27 
Average speed:1.72 mph (4.17 lock/mph)