Today we moved from Cromwell Bottom up to Salterhebble. We took advantage of a fine day yesterday to work on Corbiere, but today’s forecast was for damp weather and it was not wrong.
We got away around 10 as usual, and got to Park Nook Lock soon afterwards. This is this first of the seven locks we did today, in a run of just 3 miles. As the Calder valley steepens, so the locks get closer together.
Park Nook Lock
The basin at Elland is now used for long term mooring, with the warehouse converted to apartments.
Elland Basin
It’s a pleasant section of canal, with the river never far away on the left, but also with the road occasionally making it’s presence felt up above the navigation on the right. There are quite a few mill buildings in the valley, built to make use of the river. Some are derelict, and some have been converted to apartments or for light industry.
This one at Woodside Mill Lock (Woodside Mill, maybe?) is one of the former, the upper floors collapsed into the lower. It was obviously quite an imposing building though.
Woodside Mill Lock
One more lock took us to Salterhebble, and the picturesque flight of 3 locks that are the last on the canal in this direction. The bottom lock has a guillotine lower gate, installed in the ‘30s after the road above was widened.
Salterhebble Bottom Lock, with Guillotine gate closed….
And fully up
In Salterhebble Middle Lock.
A sharp turn left at the T junction above the locks, another 100 yards, and we stopped on the moorings just past the railway bridge. We’ll stay here for the weekend.
If you turn right at the T junction you are on a short stub of the Halifax Arm, which used to run the 2 miles to the town centre, through 14 locks lifting the canal about 100 feet. All that remains now is this ¼ mile section, terminating at the old Salterhebble wharf, which has been restored for moorings. The remainder of the line has been filled and surfaced, providing an attractive walking or cycling route to Halifax.
Salterhebble Basin
Locks 7, miles 3
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