Selby Canal

After our sloth of Tuesday we decided on a longer day for Wednesday, so were watering by 7 and off by 7.30 with a beautiful morning.  We eventually moored at Beal on the Aire mid afternoon after nearly 7 hours and nearly 19 miles..........whew.   However as the weather was good it was no effort and we only met one of the big tankers and we were safely tied up waiting for the lock at Whitely.  He was going so slowly coming out of the lock that there was almost no wash.

At the recommended moorings at Beal there is room for two boats which just leaves a space for anyone using the lock.  The other boat there was Dreckly, so we were two Cornish boats together.

The mooring is quiet and secluded and safe but not terribly dog friendly.   Chatting to Dreckly we discovered that they had also suffered from diesel bug and in their case they had had to empty an almost full tank of diesel...Ouch!!!

Before we left Geoff wandered up to the lock with the camera but encountered Jim on Amelia with a variety of articles around his prop.  The picture above shows what came up!

Gentle start today, Thursday, and once down the lock we were on a wide but very bendy river.   All very tranquil with almost no sign of life but with a constant reminder that industry is not far away.

Once through the flood lock at Haddersley we had a closer view

We moored just beyond the lock and had a stroll into the village but the big garden centre etc which Nicholson mentions is no longer functioning.   Our Nicholson doesn't have a date in it and it is probably not the latest.

After coffee break we departed planning to moor at the first mooring shown in Nicholsons at Gatefor Landing.   There is just room for one boat, luckily there was no one there as I don't think we could have gone much further.   The Selby canal is full of weed and we have obviously picked up a load......so after his siesta Geoff has the thankless task of going down the weed hatch........

We have booked to go through the Selby Lock tomorrow and we leave there at 11 so we will have to leave early in case we pick up moor weed en route         It is  tidal river again up to Naburn Lock.

Later Geoff and Barney walked back to the pub in Beal for an early evening pint.   Whilst there he got talking to a chap in the bar who had an old Mk8 Jaguar which Geoff had noticed in the car park.  Geoff had once owned such a vehicle, long before my time, so the pair of them had a lovely time discussing cars and when they left he took Geoff a short drive in said vehicle.