Barnoldswick to Sowerby Bridge.
81 miles.81 locks.
This journey has everything;
Rural and urban.
Canals and rivers.

We started by driving to Sowerby to taxi over to Barnoldswick and a very picturesque drive too.
We had a quick handover as we have boated on Norfolk before so she was familiar to us.
Off we go...
Stopping at Bank Newton as we ran out of light.
Early start Tuesday to pick up friends at Gargrave.
Passed through Skipton and Snaygill and stopped overnight at Kildwick.

Wednesday was Bingley 5 and 3 rise day which is always great fun.
Through Saltaire with its strange mooring rules and stopped at Shipley (A very tasty Chinese take-away from Red China on Briggate - 5 mins walk from cut) Nextday onto Rodley incorporating a self-pumpout for the first time!(Dobsons lock) but oh no!, disaster, the machine ate our card....how lucky CRT staff were there and overrode the machine so we did get it done..hurrah!
Our friends had left us at Rodley so next day was on towards Leeds.
I was shown how to set a staircase lock at Field by the lockie and thought I was going to have a heart attack opening and closing Moss swing bridge as it's so hard to move but we did get to Leeds. We moored on VMs in the basin, next to Candle House behind the station - very noisy and busy and in retrospect we may have been better at Leeds Dock near The Armouries. We saw Kennet getting ready for her trip across The L&L to celebrate the 200th anniversary.

Up and away through the big electric locks and onto The Aire; Magnificent and benign as little rain had fallen,onto Castleford Basin and a turn toward Wakefield next day.
Onto The Calder and Hebble towards Dewsbury, We had a walk up the Dewsbury Arm which we were going to boat up, glad we didn't as it's quite narrow and weedy.
Then onto Brighouse and an overnight in the basin.
Short hop to Salterhebble next day-it was raining so we stayed in continuing with the box-set binge (recommend bring DVD's as TV signal can be intermittent) Up to Sowerby on Thursday and overnighted on the wharf ready to go home next morning.
What a great adventure,we loved it, didn't want to come home and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you so much Susan and Nigel and all the Shire Crew.
Steph,Jus and Ellie.
PS planning a return to Rochdale Summit next!