When we woke the water was mirror like. By Woodnock Lock the wind was getting up and at the next lock it was troublesome to the extent that I had to tie the TV aerial down on the roof. Castleford Flood Lock was open and at Woodnock Lock we came up behind a boat just exiting. This is a deep lock and roping up in the wind was difficult. Had we known it ws a side fill lock, we could just have sat on the opposite wall to the pedestal and not bothered. This was the same at the next lock where we joined Myrtle, also destined for the Huddersfield Narrow and the tunnel next Wednesday. The wind by now was most unpleasant, unimpeded by the open nature of the canal. At Stanley Ferry we had our last chance to aquire the mysterious Calder and Hebble handspike, allegedly necessary to work the locks. There was nowhere to moor apart from the water point several hundred yards from the marina. Reaching the chandlery required some gymnastics to get round the locked pub doors. The chap in the chandlery said not to waste our money. Just use a mooring pin with the 'D' end.
The visitor moorings at Wakefield are not inspiring.
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