Bartimaeus

We headed through and then out of Slaithwaite on Friday.  I chose to operate locks and let Clare drive because I knew that the last lock on the way out of town was a guillotine lock.  I wanted to operate it mostly out of curiosity, but also because I suspected it might be a lot of effort – I didn’t want to be stuck at the far end of the boat watching Clare struggle.  It did take a lot of winding to lift the door, but it didn’t require strength.

The rest of that day’s travel was rural,  peppered with locks, and very pretty in the sunshine.  One of the pounds had a number of boats moored on the offside.  One of the residents took a keen interest in boat movements because he was (perhaps understandably) anxious about water levels.  I accepted his help and advice, but I bet he gets some people’s backs up.  We happened to meet a boat coming the other way in “his” pound.    I’m sure we’d have passed without difficulties, but the resident made sure I did it his way.  Clare had a tight squeeze to stay in the channel on approach to the lock without touching an awkwardly moored boat.  She managed it perfectly.

The lock landings are often shallow, so it makes no sense to ride between locks.  When I eventually got thirsty enough to want a drink, I suggested we swap roles.  Rising in the lock is an excellent time to boil the kettle.  Clare was happy to warm herself up a little by winding some paddles.

By lunch time, we were one lock away from the bottom of the Marsden lock flight.  To deal with issues with water supplies on the flight, Canal and River Trust (CRT) have introduced a compulsory booking scheme and we were booked in for the next day.  The lock landing was just about usable as a mooring, and was unshaded.  I figured this was as good a place as any to stop for the day.  In the afternoon I had a video chat with colleagues.

By the time we’d finished the sun was already low in the sky.  I fancied stretching my legs and having a look at the locks ahead of us.  It was only a mile to the top of the flight, so we set off for a look.  We were back before it was too dark to see where we were going.

My video conversation had ranged widely as always, but included discussion of my problems with the new waste sensor.  I was inspired to check the voltage being delivered by the sensor, which was exactly as expected.  So I then checked the wiring at the other end and discovered I had failed to tighten a screw.  With that fixed, the readings on the control panel started to make sense.  The sensor gives 0.00V if the tank is empty to 10.00V when full, and the corresponding values range from 0 to 1000 – we were getting a very credible 485.  Steve wondered which of the group had made me think of there being a screw loose!

I’d promised the lock keeper we would make an early (for us) start on Saturday.  It seems that it is difficult for boats to pass in the lower sections of the flight, so it is preferable for those coming up to get most of the way up before boats start coming down. I’d been given a small amount of other advice on the phone, but this was the most salient point.  We’d been told there were no volunteers available to help us, but that we should manage.

I was slightly surprised to find a CRT volunteer lock keeper waiting for us at the bottom of the flight.  She had even brought her husband along as further help.  We introduced ourselves as we worked the first lock.  During the flight I gathered that they lived locally and had their own boat.  Their boat is moored at Droitwich Spa Marina – where we first collected Bartimaeus.

With the expert help we reached the top of the flight by 11am even after having to wait for one of the boats coming down.  We can’t go any further until our next appointment on Monday, so we were compelled to stay in Marsden for most of the weekend.  Purely by coincidence, this was the weekend of the Marsden Jazz Festival, so we felt obliged to explore.

We wandered between events with no real knowledge of what we could expect at any of them.  The quality was generally very good, but not everything was to our taste.  One of the liveliest performers was in a gazebo outside a pub.  He continued to perform despite a heavy rainstorm driving most of his audience away, and only gave in when it turned to hail.

We retreated towards the boat, but I suggested we also check out things near the tunnel entrance.  There we discovered the Fringe event in a former canal warehouse.  We spent an enjoyable evening there, though I did have to go back to the boat to change out of my wet shoes and socks.

This morning, I wanted to follow the advice of our CRT guides and explore the hill ahead of us.  As we climbed up we could see an unusual feature.  An aqueduct takes the River Colne across the railway and then in to a tunnel alongside.  The river has been diverted to form a reservoir, and the overspill is then carried across the canal and railway.

We carried on up the side of the hill until we reached a large stone and brick construction.  My map showed me that this is directly above the canal tunnel in the hill below.  It is probably the cover over a shaft used during tunnel construction, and likely now serves as an air vent.

The view back towards Marsden gave a hint of the height we had gained on foot – nearly 500 feet.  We have been gradually gaining more height than that since we left Selby, but getting enough water for a canal up to this height would be impractical.  The massive effort of building a tunnel was the only option.

We got back to the village in time for brunch in a cafe (other cafes were available, though some were fully booked).  We found some more events to enjoy in the village, and later on at the Fringe venue.  Our enforced weekend stop in Marsden has been very enjoyable.