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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tour 2002
13 - Selby to York - Tidal River Ouse / River Ouse and River Foss up to Yearsley.
Monday 8th July 2002
It was an early start as we had to catch the flood tide up to
Naburn. Into Selby Lock at 06.00, that we booked the night before. Out into
Tidal River Ouse at 06.20. Peter W had been commandeered by John Chapman to crew
aboard the battered Frogmoore. Reasonable fast flood tide we had to use a fair
bit of power, to get round the sharp bends and stay in channel. The usual amount
of floating debris in the river, that has probably been going up and down for
months!
All the semi derelict barges have been removed from the Hovis Mill wharves. Cawood Swing Bridge passed at 07.35, observant bridge keeper gave us a wave.
From here on the effect of the flood is less pronounced, so we slowed down a
fair bit. Just above Wharf Mouth (07.45) the passing BW patrol craft "Ebor Lights"
gave us a wave.
It was straight in at Naburn Lock at 08.35. We were soon locked up and stopped
for five minutes above the lock for John to get his bearings, well actually to
phone Naburn Marina, with a view to getting a new Morse lever.
We carried on to Naburn Marina at 09.00. getting on their pontoon at
09.20. The bad news was that the Vetus Single Lever Control was over £100 and
that they would have to order it, this they could do in time for our return
back. Off again at 10.00. John had confirmed with York City Council that we
would like to do the River Foss that afternoon and said that we would go
straight to the council offices as soon as we had landed in York to pay the
£55. A meet at Cast Mills Lock was arranged for 13.00.
We were on Lendal Visitor Moorings at 11.15 and John wandered off to pay the
Castle Mill Lock operation charge. Trevor went off to the bookies to place a
horse race bet...God knows where he got the tip from!12.40 saw us back off down river again to the
entrance of the River Foss, then up the short distance to Castle Mill Lock.
There were council vans and employees everywhere and they soon got to work trying
to work the lock gear. Since our last visit it has been deemed that it is too
dangerous and boaters are too stupid to open locks! We finally both got in the
chamber and watched in amusement as some of the staff tried the age old sport of
trying to break a lock gate in half!!! This was due to them not releasing the
closing capstan and chain (which works under water from the bottom of the
gate), as they tugged for all their might on the opening
capstan and chain (which pulls from the top of the gate!). Finally with a resounding twang, the shackle broke and a
couple of daft, laughing council bods tumbled to a heap on the ground. This was obviously
done to their well rehearsed safety audit standards.
By this time we had had enough and went to organise them. They asked if we had a
spare shackle - Neil said that he did, but the cost was £55! (HA HA!). They eventually
found a spare one in the lock hut an we helped them put it on. Finally at 13.20
we were out of the lock.
The river up to the junction with Wormalds Cut, but above this we
found that it was shallower than on our last visit. Deep enough water could be
found very much in the outside of bends, due to flood scouring. We were soon
under the new low ring road bridges, work on which stopped our further passage
in 1997. John was leading and Neil on Earnest just kept on
following....................and following (with a few corrections when we run
aground) John in Frogmoore all the way to the bridge below Yearsley Weir.
Here
Earnest ground solid, this proved to be the case right across the river. We hung
about as Frogmoore struggled under the bridge and round the next corner, to get
Yearsley Weir in view. We started retreating at 15.00. Earnest made a much
better job than Frogmoore in reversing out and we soon left Frogmoore behind. It
was reverse ALL the way back to the junction with Wormalds Cut. Here
we reversed up the arm, to reach the end at 16.15. After a final session down
the weed hatch we sped out and was sat waiting for Frogmoore in Castle Mill Lock
at 16.35.
The council bloke soon came back and got rather agitated waiting for Frogmoore,
which turned up at 17.35!!! Robin and Nathan got even more bored and went into
York to find a pub for the evening, after checking out a few - and probably
sampling the beer in them! - they recommended a big new posh Wetherspoon's -
"The Postern Gate"
Eventually Robin and Nathan came back, followed shortly after by the lagging NB
Frogmoore. We were soon locked down and got back to Lendal visitor moorings at 18.15. Neil
put Earnest on the inside with Frogmoore breasted up. Earnest's centre gunwale
fender eye was securely locked up on a long chain to a mooring ring. We have
seen narrowboats cast adrift at York. That night we did indeed go to the
"Postern Gate" - up to Wetherspoon's normal OK standard and rather
cheap beer for central York.
Coming up through Selby on the early morning flood. Tidal River Ouse.
Even a neaps flood does march on through the Selby Bridges and you have to be
alert and have the throttle up to gain steerage. Tidal River Ouse.
Looking back at Selby Road Bridge. Tidal River Ouse.
Selby, looking back. Pan barges have brought grain up from Goole. Tidal River
Ouse.
Negotiating the first sharp bend by West Mill. Tidal River Ouse.
The flood streaming up by the Hovis Mill. Tidal River Ouse.
Hovis Mill in Selby. Tidal River Ouse.
Hovis Mill Wharves, Selby. In 1997 these were covered with laid up barges. Tidal
River Ouse.
Tidal River Ouse.
Tidal River Ouse.
Cawood Swing Bridge. We have run out of flood! Tidal River Ouse.
Looking back at Cawood Swing Bridge. The bridge keeper gives us a wave.
Tidal River Ouse.
The entrance to the River Wharf.......still to be done! Tidal River Ouse.
Tidal River Ouse.
BW patrol boat gives us a wave. Acaster Selby. Tidal River Ouse.
Arrival at Naburn Locks. Head of tideway. River Ouse.
Naburn Locks. River Ouse.
Naburn Locks. River Ouse.
Naburn Weir. River Ouse.
Naburn Locks. River Ouse.
The disused Naburn Railway swing bridge has some interesting sculpture! River
Ouse.
The Bish's residence at Bishopsthorpe. River Ouse.
A 64 Bridge. Approaches to York. River Ouse.
John is sorting out his broken window. River Ouse.
Kit Kat anyone? River Ouse.
New footbridge. York, River Ouse.
Entrance to River Foss. York, River Ouse.
York, River Ouse.
Skeldergate Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Looking back at Skeldergate Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Looking back at Skeldergate Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Ouse Bridge, town wharf to right. York, River Ouse.
These mills are now bijou apartments. York, River Ouse.
Ouse Bridge. The Kings Head pub, on the wharf is the one seem many times half
under water, during flood reports.York, River Ouse.
Lendal Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Looking back at Ouse Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Detail of the recently repainted Lendal Bridge. York, River Ouse.
Looking back at Skeldergate Bridge. The "York Boat" trip boats speed
up and down just like any other! York, River Ouse.
looking back at River Ouse towpath bridge. Entrance to River Foss. York.
River Foss flood barrier. York.
Waiting for the excess of council workers to operate Castle Mill Lock. York,
River Foss.
John gets involved, as the council workers forget to take the top padlock off.
River Foss, York. Photo Peter Wright.
If it takes six council bods half an our to operate a lock, how long will it
take twelve! Leaving Castle Mill Lock. York, River Foss.
Looking back at A1036 Tower Street Bridge and Castle Mill Lock. York, River
Foss.
"The Mill on the Foss" ? York Castle above. York, River Foss.
Boating round the back of Castlegate Shopping Centre. York, River Foss.
Piccadilly Bridge. York, River Foss.
Fossgate Bridge. York, River Foss.
York, River Foss.
Looking back at Piccadilly Bridge. York, River Foss.
River Foss to left, Wormalds Cut to right.
Yorkshire Evening Post Wharf in Wormalds Cut. York, River Foss.
York, River Foss.
Approaching the new Foss Islands Road Bridges. York, River Foss.
Foss Islands Road Bridges. York, River Foss.
Foss Islands Road Bridges. York, River Foss.
Leaving the A1036 Foss Islands Road Bridges. York, River Foss.
A1036 Fossbank. York, River Foss.
A1036 Heworth Green Bridge. York, River Foss.
York, River Foss.
Almost canal like in this section. York, River Foss.
We were well aground, but John found a way through via the trees.....so we
followed! York, River Foss.
York, River Foss.
Disused railway bridge. York, River Foss.
Earnest's limit of navigation - Fossway Bridge. Frogmoore got to Huntingdon Road
Bridge, in view of Yearsley Weir. York, River Foss.
Reversing up the Yorkshire Evening Press Basin. The new newsprint unloading
facility only operated for a year or so and had stopped by the time of our last
visit in July 1997.
Looking back from the end of Wormalds Cut. River Foss, York.
The end of Wormalds Cut. River Foss, York.
Coming back out of Wormalds Cut. River Foss, York.
Coming back from the pub, the crew pose for a group photo by Castle Mill Lock.
Trevor Burridge, Nathan, Robin Nicholson and Peter Wright.
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