Oct 13th

Normal 0 false false false st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} We left Kirklees Lock this morning about 09.15.  It?s a pity we arrived a bit late yesterday (or had to go too early this morning) as we would have liked to trek across the river to a site on the map called ?Robin Hood?s Grave?. Tradition has it that Robin Hood and Little John forded the River Calder close by here in 1247 to visit the nearby Kirklees Priory where the local Abbess allegedly bled him to death! He was supposed to have shot an arrow from his cell into the nearby woods and asked to be buried where it fell. Looking at the map, it must have been one hell of a shot!! The grave must be half a mile from the site of the old Priory. However, who am I to challenge such a great story. Even if it isn?t true, it aught to be!   Anyway, it was a bit dull and cloudy as we left but not cold.  As we left, Sister/ Sister-in-law Thelma called to ask if she could meet us somewhere and come along for the ride to Hebden Bridge, with the promise that she would help with the locks!  We therefore arranged to meet in Brighouse.   Just as we had moored up at Sainsbury?s to wait for Thelma another boat called Dorothy May left the local moorings and told us they were also on their way to Hebden Bridge.  We passed a few friendly ?hello?s? and ?Where are you heading for next ? etc?and off they went.   Thelma duly arrived a few minutes later and we set off ourselves. We finally caught up with Pete and Joan on Dorothy May at the next lock and for the rest of the day we have cruised along together as double locking makes things much quicker and easier as you can share the load as well as conserve water. Thelma also helped with the locks so all in all things went very smoothly.  We did have one or two hairy moments with the strange ?Chav Basher? (correct name Hand Spike) locks . They are really weird to operate but also the paddles produce extremely fierce water flow which tends to throw the boats around a lot. However when there are two boats in the lock they stabilise each other.  Dorothy May did get a bit wet though when Joan opened one of the CB paddles, only one notch, but the water that shot out was so fierce it went straight over the bows and some went under the doors so Pete had to do a bit of mopping up!   One of the unusual locks on this stretch is at Salterhebble, where an electric-drive Guillotine lockgate is operated by BW. Dorothy May doubled up again with us for the experience.  All in all it has been a very pleasant and uneventful day ? Thelma has enjoyed herself but couldn?t get anybody to pick her up and take her home so she is going to stay the night with us and come to Hebden Bridge in the morning where she can get a train back to Huddersfield ? I am sure I can find a spare nightie ? I brought far too many with me!  We were wondering what to have for tea and Thelma decided to treat us to glorious Yorkshire Fish and Chips (the best in the world of course) from a very fine F&C shop in Sowerby Bridge and also a bottle of wine!