On Friday the 5th April 2019 a number of Shires narrow boats set off from Sowerby Bridge on a 10-day delivery trip to Barnoldswick. Adrian and Anna and three dogs on “Norfolk” and Neil and Karen on “Cambridge”, we had planned to do the trip together as it made the large canal locks easier. On our journey we often saw “Gloucester” and “Somerset”.

By the Monday evening we had completed the river sections, the Calder & Hebble and the Aire & Calder Navigations and had just entered the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Granary Wharf in Leeds Basin and found two empty finger moorings. Later we were joined by “Gloucester” and “Somerset”. A stones throw away was the Hop which served very good real ales and was dog friendly. Whilst next door was an Italian Restaurant that did superb take away pizzas.

The photograph was taken in the morning, it looked like Shires had moved to Leeds Basin. A late start on the Tuesday as we couldn’t go past Kirkstall Lock until 1pm, then a long day pushing on to Shipley for the night. This meant we didn’t have such an early start to get to the bottom of the Bingley 3 Rise. We didn’t have to wait until 1pm as the lock keepers had got the last boats going down the locks by noon and they started us up straight away.

We had planned to stay at Skipton for two nights and enjoyed the good micro pubs and good eating.  We met up with “Gloucester” and “Somerset” again at Gargrave, but we were spread out along the moorings.  Everyone arrived at Barnoldswick on the Sunday night.

10 days and no rain in April, good food, good beer, good company and great scenery and wild life.