Yorkshire Canals 2001 (Page 5)

Wednesday 10 October 2001 - onwards to Leeds

A GNER train heads north from Wakefield towards Leeds and Doncaster, crossing a viaduct known locally as the "ninety-nine arches", though apparently there are only ninety-five.

A barge being loaded as we head into Wakefield on the river, preparing for an abrupt right-angled turn into another artificial cut, skillfully managed by Lucy despite the strong current trying to carry the boat downstream.

We have now reached the Aire & Calder Navigation, and pictured here is the old Stanley Ferry Aqueduct from the new aqueduct. The Castleford & Wakefield Cut was opened in 1839 and almost halved the distance by water between the two towns. At Stanley Ferry the cut crosses the river, originally by an cast-iron trough suspended between elegant bow-spring girders, said to have been the inspiration for the Syndey Harbour Bridge.

A new aqueduct has been built alongside by British Waterways, as the old one was said not to be standing up to the demands of modern commercial traffic. However, hardly had the new aqueduct opened than commerical trade on this part of the navigation all but vanished.

Having made it safely down to Castleford, we turned onto the River Aire and made our way slowly upstream against a strong current. Here coal is being loaded into large dumb-barges at St Aidan's open-cast mine, to be transported in convoy, probably to Ferrybridge power station.

By late afternoon we had made it to Leeds. Pictured here is the weir at Leeds Lock, just below Crown Point Bridge.

Looking back under Crown Point Bridge, with the orange barrier on the left protecting the weir, with the route into the lock on the right.

A modern footbridge, Calls Bridge.

Leeds Bridge.

Looking back to Lucy steering us under Leeds Bridge.

Looking upstream to Victoria Bridge, the last on the Aire & Calder Navigation. The tail of River Lock, the first on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, is just visible with the white railings.

The sign says "Leeds and Liverpool Canal - Welcome". To the left of picture is River Lock; on the right the unnavigable River Aire emerges from Dark Arches underneath Leeds railway station. We moored in the basin just through this lock, with the sounds of the massive engineering works at the station keeping us entertained through the night.