Monday 10th August, 2015 in Skipton.
Dick and Judy joined us early having checked out of the "Old Swan" as they said that they preferred the room to be cleaned, the bed made up and to have a choice for breakfast. The Old Swan offered none of these services! So, they have booked another B&B in Skipton for tonight.
The weather forecast for today was not promising and, sure enough, the rain arrived just after we set off. Dick was skippering with M aboard MM - so managed to don waterproofs quickly but R and Judy on the towpath got very wet before they could get their waterproofs off MM.
We teamed up with nb "Beech" to work down the three locks. M and R did the locks while Dick and Judy steered MM all day. They looked very happy even in the rain!
One of the locks had beautifully carved gold painted words on the balance beams. We couldn't find out the significance of this but it did look very nice.
Once we were through the locks, the sun came out. Hooray! R had the rare treat of walking the towpath while Dick and Judy continued to skipper MM.
Between here and the Bingley Five Rise, there are no locks but there are very many swing bridges and some of them are very heavy and difficult to open and close.
For the last section into Skipton, M and R walked the towpath together - the first time that we have been able to do that in four years' cruising! Perhaps we should train Guy the Gorilla up in skippering skills!!!
On the way, we passed a small cottage with interesting signs outside. The sign on the gate says, "Here lives a Beautiful Lady and a Grumpy Old Sod".
We spoke to the gentleman outside the cottage, who did not appear to be "Grumpy" at all! In fact, he seemed vastly amused by our interest!
Skipton is very popular with boaters (wide and narrow), so we were very lucky to find an excellent mooring close to the centre by a converted mill and we set out to explore the town.
We have been to Skipton before by car but it was Dick and Judy's first visit. Dick was particularly pleased to find Freddie Truman there in full motion!
Luncheon called and the guide books mentioned the "Pie and Mash" Inn. It also came highly recommended by Trip Advisor as First out of 400 local establishments. Unfortunately it appeared to be trading on its reputation and M said she thought 399 out of 400 would have been more representative. Although the pies were OK, they had been micro-waved, which makes for soggy pastry, and the chips left a lot to be desired. However it was still fun and we were able to sit outside in the sunshine.
After lunch, Dick and Judy took the five minute train ride back to Gargrave to collect their car and then check in to their new B&B (much better!). In the meantime, we explored the back streets of the town - and even found a Costa! What a surprise!
We walked up the old tramway beside the castle, which was built to bring quarried stone down to the canal. There is a canal spur between the tramway and the castle, a river on the other side and beyond the river a mill race.
We found little groups of houses built round a central garden and many delightful cobbled streets and back alleys.
Dick and Judy met us back at MM and we went off to the "Herriot Hotel", named after James Herriot, the Yorkshire vet of "All Creatures Great and Small" fame. The Hotel's restaurant was called "Rhubarb" (for no particular reason, the waitress informed us) but the food was excellent and we had a super meal with lovely wine.
We walked back to MM in the dusk, where we said goodbye to Dick and Judy as they will leave in the morning. It's been super spending time with them and we will miss their boating skills!
Today: 5 miles, 3 locks and 2.7 hours.
Trip: 210 miles, 115 locks and 130.5 hours.
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