Tuesday 11th July

Wakefield to Leeds

Left Wakefield at about 9 and through Fall Ings lock onto the Aire and Calder. This should be our last manual lock for a while, also there will be no more short locks.

Arrived at Castleford to find the lights on the flood lock on red, and a sand barge was coming through to go to Whitwood. After it, and a couple of narrow boats had come through, we were allowed through and moored with two other boats west of the coal chute.

Went to the Griffin for lunch, but it was shut, so we went on to Wetherspoons.

After lunch we turned round and headed up the River Aire for Leeds. This is very boring stretch.

In Leeds there wasn't really room in Clarence Dock so we carried on to the canal basin.

Went to the Scarborough Hotel and had a meal there. Then to Whitelocks First City Luncheon Bar which is down an alley off Briggate, and Tom Tom doesn't know where it is. This pub is in the national inventoryand is one of the oldest in Leeds. Here we saw the Landlord of the New Beehive and his daughter, who stayed and chatted with us for quite a while.

Then to the Baroque, which is a conversion from a bank or something, and appeared to be an Okells house.

Then on to the Victoria Family and Commercial. They had called time when we left, just after 11, so we went just up the road to the George. Peering through the windows there weren't any interesting beers so carried on back towards the boat to try and find the Wetherspoons. As we couldn't find it we carried on and found that the Scarborough Hotel was still open.