Calder & Hebble

At Fall Ing Lock in Wakefield, we officially join the Calder & Hebble, this waterway is a mixture of river sections and canal cuts. The dogs and I hop off for a walk at one of the flood locks.  The mistake is I don't take my phone and the boat is diverted onto a canal section whilst the path continues on the river section. Thankfully there is a railway bridge with a footpath below it that crosses the river. As I go into the footbridge I am startled by a cyclist who has scared himself on the bridge and decided to turn round and come back! Bravely the three of us set off, me constantly talking to the dogs to reassure them (yeah right).  Walking in semi darkness, you can hear the water below, Mazey isn't good with wooden bridges with gaps between the planks, her paws are spread and she's low to the ground making slow progress, even Lexie is being quiet and not pulling on the lead. To make matters worse I can feel the vibration of an approaching train. If a train goes overhead I think all 3 of us might just lose the plot. Of course all these dramatics are totally unnecessary and we emerge into sunshine a good 3 minutes before the train appears.

Broad Cut Low Lock in comparison to where we've been recently is picturesque and we decide this is it for the day. It's 2.30pm and we are ravenous, homegrown and homemade tomato and basil soup is the order of the day following quite closely by a shower, a change of clothes and a nap.  It's very tiring this boating lark. Dusk sees us heading off to the British Oak for a couple or three pints and then on to the Kingfisher Fish & Chip Restaurant. On the walk back to the boat we discuss the fact that we're not losing any weight this holiday!

Flakes for breakfast tomorrow.