Shire Cruisers Information Pack

Somerset: one way trip between Sowerby Bridge & Barnoldswick

We are delighted you will be coming on holiday with us. Here is your Information Pack, containing all the information you need for your particular boat, starting from your booked boatyard. It contains everything you need to prepare for your holiday – what to bring, how to find us, and what you can expect of your boat and our service.

Please check you have the right page for you. Your Booking Confirmation shows these details. Other boats and bases have different pages.

This Pack contains useful information of many sorts. These are the key items, essential for you to study before your holiday:

  • Holiday Guide
  • Route Companion - where more than one is offered, pick the one that suits your plans
  • Canal & River Trust Boater’s Handbook - and Boater’s DVD
  • Specimen Handover Certificate

To give us information we need to prepare for your arrival, please return the Yellow Form (scroll down this page to find) as soon as you know all the answers but at least ten days before your holiday.

Since your whole crew need to be confident about safety before you can enjoy your holiday, we place great emphasis on giving you all the information and training you need to handle the boat, work locks and so on. This process starts now: please pass the url of this page to all your active crew, and encourage them to prepare. Then when you arrive to start your holiday, we will give you a thorough briefing and practical demonstration. Before we leave you on your own, we shall ask you to sign a Handover Certificate as a way of checking that we have explained everything to your satisfaction.

Each boat must have a Skipper. If that is not the Hirer, then the Hirer will sign to appoint a Skipper.

If you are a novice, this may seem daunting. But don’t worry; we are good at making our training straightforward and enjoyable. If you are an experienced boater, we are sure you will appreciate that we need to tell you about the numerous unusual features of our northern waterways, and to make sure that any gaps are covered.

Please see important information below under Stoppages and restrictions. This section is updated to cover any important temporary restrictions or closures, in the event of adverse weather or waterway breakdown. We encourage everyone to sign up for Canal & River Trust's email stoppage alerts. These include emails to update you on the state of the river navigations. These keep you in touch and make life much easier.

Please pay your balance six weeks before your holiday - the due date is on your Booking Confirmation.

There is a copy of the Boater’s Handbook and DVD on the boat.

We look forward to seeing you, and hope you have a wonderful time.

Yours sincerely,

Nigel and Susan Stevens

All this material (except where obviously published by CRT or others) is prepared by us exclusively for our customers. Versions shown here are updated periodically. Up-to-date information on opening times, stoppages etc. will be given to you on arrival. There is more about routes and canals on our website, but remember you can't get back to this page from the site, so bookmark it now.

Click to see how our handover procedure works.

 

Navigation update for one way trips between Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldswick

Updated 2 August 2023

Water supply, Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Major reservoir works have reduced capacity for the start of this season. Shorter lock opening times will help to conserve water for later in the season. Note that a number of sites still have normal operating hours - see our Lock Opening Times page. Please always take great care to leave all gates and paddles closed.

Sign up for stoppage alerts (scroll right down to 'Receive stoppage notices').

The Cross Keys at East Marton is still closed, so sadly will not be available for your first night, if departing from Barnoldswick.

We will update you when you pick up your boat, and lock opening times will be in the Boat Manual on your boat.

Key items

You will need ALL of these.

Holiday Guide

Holiday GuideOur complete guide to what to bring, where and when to come, and all you need to know. You can print this out - it will re-format to save paper.

Canal & River Trust The Boater's Handbook

The Boaters' HandbookDownload The Boater's Handbook.

Watch The Boater's DVD
  

Watch The Boater's DVD in Dutch, German or Swedish.

Handover Certificate

We'll sign off one of these with you when we've completed your handover. Sample for reference.

Route Companions

These are not conventional cruising guides, but contain detailed information about practicalities and boating safety relevant to each route.

One Way Trips for experienced boaters
One Way Trips via L&L

One Way TripsClick Between Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldswick via the Leeds & Liverpool.
For Dorset and Delivery Trips

Other useful information

Opening Times

Locks and swing bridges are available all daylight hours unless they are on this list. Temporary restrictions for water control are included where known. There's an up-to-date copy in your Boat Manual. See also Stoppages section below.

Navigation information
Stoppages and Restrictions

Sign up here (you need to scroll down) to receive email alerts from CRT on your phone, keeping you up to the minute on any emergency restrictions and closures.

Strong Stream alerts

Click to see continuously-updated navigation conditions for the rivers in our area. Use this when travelling on the Calder & Hebble or Aire & Calder Navigations.

Maps, Guides and Apps

There is a selection of guides on your boat. If you want to plan ahead, our online shop lists all the maps and guides you might find helpful, with pictures of each. There's also a new app which locates you on your phone or tablet as you move. Or you can order cruising guides by phone, or download and print a form.

Your boat

Your boat is Somerset. Click for pictures. The back and middle cabins each have either a fixed double bed, or two fixed single beds, which we make up with duvet set(s). The saloon settee can be converted to either a double or two singles, for which we supply duvet sets as required. There is a colour TV/DVD and a radio CD player with Aux and USB ports. There is a 230v supply with microwave. You can bring your own appliances, max load 1kw, with ordinary 13 amp plug. Please note that the electric toilets will not accept wipes etc.
Your holiday is a One Way Trip between Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldsick via the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Layout 1 Two doubles plus saloon convertible to one double or two singles

Somerset boat plan

Layout 2 One double and two singles plus saloon convertible to one double or two singles

Somerset boat plan

Layout 3 Two singles and one double plus saloon convertible to one double or two singles

Somerset boat plan

Layout 4 Four singles plus saloon convertible to one double or two singles

Somerset boat plan

Length: 56ft.
Inventory: click. to see list.
Towels: are not normally supplied. If you have booked from overseas, we will supply towels free of charge (one bath and one hand towel per person). UK customers are welcome to order towels at £5 per set. Towels must be ordered in advance, using the Yellow Form. We will add the charge to your account and email a revised confirmation, for payment before the holiday please.

Transfer Please see details in your Route Companion. Essential points:

  1. We won't know your direction of travel till the week before your holiday, so you must plan for both possibilities.
  2. We need your entire crew at the start point for your boat, ready to go at 1300, and we need the boat vacated for 0930 at your finish point.
  3. If you are parking at your start point, you just need to turn up at 1300. You can make the transfer back to your car(s) on your last morning, or the previous evening, as long as you vacate the boat by 0930.
  4. If you are parking at your finish point, you need to turn up there early enough to complete the transfer so that you are all at the boat ready to go at 1300.
  5. We can arrange transfer by taxi/minibus (you pay the driver cash on the day), or you can make your own arrangements.

Yellow Form: Somerset one way Sowerby Bridge/Barnoldswick

Please fill in this form, if possible at least 10 days before your holiday.
Or print the paper version , fill in by hand and return to us (directions on form).

   

  .

cars.

If booking taxi/minibus, please fill in for both contingencies: we will book transport when we know your direction of travel. Transfer on the first day of your holiday is normally at 1145. Transfer on the last day is normally at 0930.

bicycles.

bicycles.

Bedding requirements
Please say how you would like the beds arranged in each cabin (if singles, say how many). Fixed beds are made up with duvets. Convertible beds are supplied with duvet sets.

Spare bedding for second week if applicable?

 the Route Companion, Boater's Handbook and Boater's DVD, and Handover Certificate.

Stoppages and restrictions

Updated 13 May 2024

Reservoirs recovered well over the winter. The ground is very wet, so streams will continue to top up levels into the spring. However, rivers are likely to rise easily with any rainfall, so navigation on the Calder & Hebble and Aire & Calder Navigations may be interrupted more frequently than usual.

Calder & Hebble Navigation

Ganny Lock (just above Brighouse): the bottom gates are quite leaky, so use both top paddles to fill the lock as quickly as you can, using as little water as possible.

Rochdale Canal

Lock 8, just before Hebden Bridge, loses water, which tends to drain the pound between Locks 8 and 9 - just where everyone likes to moor. So it's better either to go through and moor between Locks 9 and 10; or to moor near the winding hole below Fallingroyd Tunnel, and walk up into Hebden.

Various other locks leak quite badly, notably 12 and 17. Be organised going through these locks.

Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Reservoir works will restrict supply this year, so most locks will be padlocked overnight. Up-to-date opening times will be in your Boat Manual..

The stoppage to repair River Lock from 28 May to 26 July has been cancelled.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal

Cerrtain reservoirs are being held down for works and if the weather is very dry there may be restrictions later in the year,

Navigation between Locks 1E and 3E will be restricted, see Opening Times.

Emergency stoppages are needed from time to time - that's why we suggest signing up for updates.

If your planned journey includes the river navigations (Calder & Hebble, Aire & Calder) then you have to be alert to the possibility that heavy rain makes the river flow too fast for safe navigation. If this happens, you simply tie up somewhere safe (in a lock cut) and wait for the excess water to run away. Observe carefully the coloured indicators which tell you when the river is safe to navigate.

Useful information

Here's some other stuff you might like.

Routes
Our website route suggestions

Routes pageCheck out our one way routes using the information you may have seen before you booked - with timed examples.

Pubs and restaurants
Our list of places to eat and drink, by or near the canal.

Pubs pageWe try to keep our pub list up to date, with the help of your reports. Bookmark it on your phone, and you'll be able to get directions from your mooring, and ring to check when they are serving food.

Where to stay
Our guide to places near Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldswick.

Where to stayClick here.

How to find us
Take the stress out of travel
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MapGoogle maps with directions from where you are to Sowerby Bridge and Barnoldswick. Also directions by train and air. The postcodes for your satnav are: Sowerby Bridge HX6 2AG and Barnoldswick BB18 5TB.

Information from others

Canal & River Trust provide lots of useful information.

Email alerts
Stoppages and Strong Stream

Sign up here to receive email alerts from CRT on your phone, keeping you up to the minute on any emergency or Strong Stream closures.

Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Leeds & Liverpool locks guide

Leeds & Liverpool Locks Download this useful guide to working the L&L locks.

Calder & Hebble Navigation
Calder & Hebble Navigation survey

CNS says: 'The Calder Navigation Society has introduced a survey page to its website and all users of the Calder & Hebble Navigation, particularly boaters, are invited to contribute to the survey irrespective of whether they are members of the society or not. The survey is particular to the Calder & Hebble Navigation.
In doing so CNS can correlate the responses and then advise / pressurise C&RT to take remedial action where considered necessary and appropriate.'

Aire & Calder Navigation
Commercial Waterways

The Commercial Boat Operators Association has produced this Skipper's Guide to the Yorkshire and Trent Commercial Navigations. It contains useful maps and wise advice on dealing with commercial boats (the ones you really can call 'barges'). Use the bits about the Aire & Calder - ignore the sections on the Trent, which is tidal and out of bounds.

CRT navigation guides
For individual waterways

CRT publish quite detailed guides. You can try here , but it's hard to find what you're looking for. This information is being revised.

Calderdale Events and Festivals
For the Calder Valley, Todmorden to Brighouse

A day-by-day guide to a huge variety of events and festivals across Calderdale, including Sowerby Bridge's very own Rushbearing.