There’s a few more photos on this post – Barry must’ve seen so much worth keeping for posterity!
Our neighbours leave to go down the long flight to Manchester
While we set off to Todmorden, via Walsden, and up the final lock – number 37 West Summit Lock which is reported to be the highest lock on the system
More rolling hills and greenery
A vision of serenity – what a fabulous place to live
Longlees Lock, the first for the descent to Hebden Bridge
An old toll house
Taking a turn at locking to get some much needed exercise!
A magnificent house by the lock near Walsden
The first time we’ve encountered a lock of this kind with a ratchet mechanism for opening the paddles and the gates. The gates wouldn’t open any other way due to the bridge which takes the road to the huge house
Opening the gate – watch out between your legs! Lightbank Lock (oh goodness, and those rolls of flab! definitely need to do much more locking!)
You can do it! Keep turning …
As my youngest grandson would say – WOW!
Winterbutlee Lock – what a delightful name and place
An unusual sight – let’s hope it leads to a deep swimming pool!
Would this win the prize for the best fish and chip shop setting?
You can hire out the bus for parties and eat to your heart’s content
Something else we haven’t encountered previously – a friendly goat living next to the lock! watch your hat Sandra, apparently he/she is rather fond of them …
Our temporary travelling companion Phil, shows me his Nicholson’s Guide with a photo of the bridge in the background. It’s an old guide and he’s been looking for the location of the front page shot for many years – so happy he found it 😉
Approaching Todmoren in unison like a well oiled machine
Stunning – words are inadequate to describe this scene (shame about Barry’s parcel on the roof!)
Our perfect pal Phil and his mate Megan
In the lock, jump off, then Phil holds the boat so I can drive in alongside – it’s a fine tuned procedure that we mostly got right!
The Great Wall of Tod – it holds the railway line in place!
Entering this idyllic town
A narrow passage to the Guillotine Lock (Todmorden or Library Lock)
Lots of firsts on this journey!
And so we finish this post in the tantalising town of Todmorden – the county boundary of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
If you’ve never visited this area, we’d recommend you make some time to do so as it’s so different to the usual rat race towns. It embodies a community spirit of co-operativeness and slowness, with ‘Incredible Edible‘ gardens everywhere that anyone can pick from – even from the front of the Police Station.
If only all places could use these open spirited examples and live so happily.