TNC On Tour 2002 Page 14

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2002

14 - York to Ripon - River Ouse and Ripon Canal.

Tuesday 9th July 2002

We left Lendal visitor moorings at 08.50 after complete failure at finding the supposed water point near Lendal Bridge. Peaceful night, no disturbances, even though we were fairly near the bridge. John in NB Frogmoore II had stayed behind as Pat was coming up to meet him and John had to replace his glass and get his scratched boat sorted out before the guvnor saw it!
We were going to split up for a couple of days and meet up again at York. One reason for this is it was expected that Earnest may have some difficulty with the locks above and have to go in side ways / shut one bottom gate and move over before shutting the other. The morning started off promising, but gradually clouded over, so the time we were clear of York rain started, which carried on intermittently for the rest of the day.
No other boats about. At Nun Monkton pools we thought about nosing up the River Nidd, but there were a few fishermen about. The next section up to Linton has the infamous Clay Huttes. There are a couple of theories about the formation of these mud banks. Either these sections of clay bottom get pushed up by the weight of the banks or hydrostatic pressure. They have now been buoyed.
Along this reach, in the bank was a cruiser with a very smoky engine, we do not know if it had broken down or had just started up. The Cap'n waved and did not seen concerned. The final bend below Linton Lock came sooner than we thought and the large sandbank loomed up on the left hand side. It was a long sweep round to the snazzy new waiting pontoon. The crap affair that we nearly demolished on our last passage up here had been replace by BW after they took over the Linton Lock Navigation (small section run by commissioners until 1998), with the new ones. This amazing affair has two walk ways, the top one "bottoms" on a pontoon in a frame work that is usually high and dry and the lower walkway comes down from this. This was presumably built like this to allow for RATHER a lot more water in the River Ouse.
By the time we had prepared the lock a couple of cruisers arrived. They declined going in with Earnest as we were about maximum length. Quite a lot of changes here since our last visit in 1997. Linton Lock has had new bottom gates since BW took over and the subsiding wing wall has finally been under pinned and serious sheet piling put in to protect the lock island. The abandoned 1930's hydroelectric station has also been refurbished. The income for this helps BW after they took over responsibility for this short section of river and Linton Lock. For this reason there was no longer a separate toll. The ramshackle lock cottage has had the ivy stripped from it and has had a posh makeover, without taking away too much of the character.
We came out of Linton Lock at 11.50 and continued on in the still spitting rain. The "junction" between the Rivers Ouse and Ure can be traced a couple of miles up where Ouse Gill Beck enters the river as a large drain! The next things of note were the road toll bridge at Aldwark, then the newish footbridge near the village of Aldwark. Just beyond this are some not very good visitor moorings for the village. Swale Nab, junction with the Navigable River Swale was passed at 13.30, it was a then another couple of miles to Milby Lock. Arrival here was at 13.55. An ex Thames or Broads Caribbean hire cruiser was just coming out of the top of the lock but informed us that they would be stopping on the Milby / Boroughbridge visitor moorings, which are in the lock cut above Milby Lock. There is also a sanitary station water point here. We passed the visitor moorings at 14.20, which were pretty full.
The next lock up is Westwick, we exited this at 15.30. As there was a "Donny" sized BW craft coming we left the gates open. A rather huffy BW lady was alone on the workboat and rather huffily asked if we were in a hurry!. We said that we had no idea that she was just mooring up on the lock waiting area and we equally huffily reversed back to close the gates. At this Robin forced a smile out of her and she shut the gates for us. The river above here is much wider and more open, where you pass through the extensive grounds of Newby Hall, with its miniature railway. Soon the river sweeps around to the right and we started up the narrow cut up to Oxclose Lock and the Ripon Canal.
The lock here was immaculate and tended better than most peoples gardens. This was a testament to the lady lengths person whom we later found out tends the Ripon canal and the Ure down to Boroughbridge. Soon came Rentons Bridge and the off line basin of the very established Ripon Motor Boat Club. Just below Bell Furrows Lock was the entrance to the new Ripon Race Course mooring basin. This was still fairly empty, even though it has now been open for a couple of years. Rhodesfield Lock was the next and final one. This we were warned is the shortest and has a visible cill at the the top. This proved no problem for Earnest (60ft 3ins with fenders) although we did have to swing across to get the other bottom gate shut, as the bottom gates seemed a bit more "pointy" than some.
The next item of note was the old temporary terminal basin, which had been built after the last lock was restored, but before the final dropped bridge and the old Basin was rebuilt. Here a rather special sanitary station has been built, in the same style as the lock cottage. The Lady Lengths person keeps this ABSOLUTELY immaculate. It has flowers and a visitor book, as well as a stocked display of local guides. This takes our prize as the best sanitary station ever visited. we stopped here for water between 17.20 and 18.20 (not the fastest tap!). Next section is under the new by-pass bridge, then by a slightly noisy road. Finally after a wind in the basin (NO MOORING in the actual basin, since the new "whavette" dwellings have sprung up) we moored up on the visitor moorings just outside the basin 18.45).
That evening we wandered around the town but found it a bit dead. There was a not bad looking Chinese Restaurant - Robin seemed rather amused about the name! - but we ended up at a fish and chip restaurant. We missed the actual restaurant while passing, but then saw the sign and went in and "opened" it up our selves. We were the only patrons of this good establishment, all the time we were in. Everyone had a traditional fish and chip supper, with tea and buttered bread. After this Neil retired early as he was still feeling a bit iffy, which he put down to the stinky ducking at Harlam Hill Lock. The others ended up at the excellent (from our last visit) Water Rat Inn, near the weir that feeds the canal.

Leaving Lendal visitor moorings in York. At that time the sun was still out! River Ouse.

Leaving York. Scarborough Railway Bridge. River Ouse.

Coming up the River Ouse, out of York. Clifton Bridge.

A1237 Bridge. River Ouse.

ECML Skelton Railway Bridges. Here it started rain, that was intermittent for the rest of the day. River Ouse.

Nun Monkton Pools, junction with the River Nidd, which is ahead in picture. River Ouse.

Looking back at Nun Monkton Pools. River Ouse.

Beningbrough Hall to right. River Ouse.

Looking back at the reach beside Beningbrough hall. This section has the infamous Mud Huttes. One of these mud banks is marked by the red buoy. Smoke is from a knackered old cruiser moored in the bushes (or was he broken down?) River Ouse.

Newton-On-Ouse. River Ouse.

Newton-On-Ouse church and moorings for the Dawnay Arms pub.

Approach to Linton Lock. Large buoyed shingle bank to left. Lock / lock island has been stabilized and new floating pontoons put in since our last visit. River Ouse.

Linton Weir, showing fish ladder and re-instated hydro-electric power station. River Ouse.

Linton Lock (without the large crack in the left hand wing wall.) River Ouse.

Earnest on the posh new waiting pontoon below Linton Lock. River Ouse.

Linton Lock cottage has been refurbished. River Ouse.

Linton Lock. River Ouse.

Looking down on the lower Linton Lock moorings. River Ouse.

Nearly up in Linton Lock. Still raining. River Ouse.

Leaving Linton Lock. River Ouse.

Coming out of Linton Lock cut. River Ouse.

Looking back at Aldwark Toll Bridge. The Ouse turns into the Ure about a mile below here. River Ure.

Swale Nab. River Swale of to the right.........on the way back? River Ure.

Milby Lock, just below Boroughbridge. River Ure.

Milby visitor moorings to the left, sanitary station on the right. River Ure.

Leaving Milby Lock cut, Boroughbridge weir to the right. River Ure.

Arrows Bridge carries the new A1 by-pass. River Ure.

Westwick Lock. River Ure.

Looking back at Newby Hall. River Ure.

Ripon Canal to left, River Ure continues to the right.

Oxclose Lock. Ripon Canal.

The immaculate Oxclose Lock. Ripon Canal.

Oxclose Lock. Ripon Canal.

Rentons Bridge. Ripon Canal.

Ripon Motor Boat Club to the left. Nicholsons Bridge ahead.Ripon Canal.

RMBC Club house. Ripon Canal.

Bell Furrows Lock. Ripon Canal.

Bell Furrows Lock and entrance to the new Race Course mooring basin. Ripon Canal.

Ripon Race Course mooring basin. Ripon Canal.

Leaving Bell Furrows Lock. Ripon Canal.

Rhodesfield Lock. Ripon Canal.

The old basin, now a new sanitary station below Ripon basin. Ripon Canal.

This bridge, now just a footbridge, for many years marked the end of navigation of the Ripon Canal.

Sanitary station basin, Ripon. Ripon Canal.

Looking up at the new by-pass bridge, built on the line of the old railway. Ripon Canal.

Looking back at the old head of navigation. Ripon Canal.

Ripon by-pass bridge. Ripon Canal.

Coming into Ripon Basin, new whavette bijou residences have sprung up. Visitor moorings to the right. Ripon Canal.

Ripon Basin. Restored wharf building still waits for a use. Ripon Canal.

Ripon Basin. Ripon Canal.

Ripon.

Robin is obsessed with dragons! ;-)

Ripon Basin.

Our mooring in Ripon Basin.

Ripon Basin. We get company.

The Tour Continues...

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