Diggle, summit pound 343ft

We Made It!

After a week waiting at Wool Road facing set backs and unpleasant neighbours we finally made it to the summit pound of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal! At 343 ft above sea level it is the highest altitude Rainboat will ever reach on the waterways of England and Wales.

It was Saturday and our passage through Standedge Tunnel was in two days' time. Lockie Andy had seen the delays we'd faced over the last week. He knew a journey up nine locks and through the 3 mile tunnel in one day would be a lot for anyone so even though it was his on Emergency On Call day, he had promised to do what he could to get us to the tunnel entrance.

Another boat had been due to come down before us so we set the alarm for 8am and fed Tiger her calming medication, which takes 2 hours to kick in. 45 minutes later we heard a 'Rat-A-Tat-Tat'. The other boat had decided to stay put so Andy would be ready to go in 15! We weren't going to pass the opportunity up so with a quick dash, no breakfast for us and plenty of peanut butter on licky mats for Tiger and Leo, we were approaching the first lock at just before 9am. Thankfully we'd had the foresight to lock Whiskers in overnight so didn't need to worry about retrieving him in a hurry.

Andy was an absolute star. It was drizzling, with patches of proper rain but he worked tirelessly and without complaint. We grounded on the cill coming out of the first lock so he actually ran to the next one to let water down and raise the level, setting us free. Talk about endurance sports!

The pounds were short, the locks coming in quick succession. Part way through we met the other boat who had changed their mind and decided to come down after all. Passing in the shallow water was tricky but thankfully they were a charity boat with no passengers meaning they sat high in the water. We cruised past a sewage plant at some point but on the whole the scenery was stunning. Through lush foliage we saw industrial age stone buildings, backed by a faraway ridge dotted with sheep, bracken and dark green copses.

As we approached the final lock Vicky's eyes were drawn away from the natural beauty to the canalside Grandpa Greene's Luxury Ice Cream Parlour! Hopefully they'd do takeaway 🤞

As we exited the final gate at Lock 32 West we felt such a sense of relief and gratefulness towards Andy. There hadn't been any shops near Wool Road but Will gave him a bottle of his favourite Chianti Classico Riserva as a token of thanks. It can feel as if the waterways are falling apart sometimes and the Huddersfield Narrow is the most challenging of all the canals we've cruised but the generosity and helpfullness of lockies and volunteers really lifts our spirits.

Diggle had a holiday feel to it as we tied up to the bank just before lunch time. The wide, open area had the scent of pines and the sound of live music wafting through the air. We took the pups to a nearby green known as Diggle Fields and were accompanied by Mr Whiskers, who eyed up the twisted oaks growing down the bank then quickly became distracted by something hidden in the long grass.

Our neighbour Wendy from NB Conway came and introduced herself, giving the pups some love. She was particularly admiring of Mr Whiskers and told us she had two of her own cats on board, one of which glared in alarm through the window as Whiskers sauntered past.

As we hadn't yet had breakfast, Will did a quick scan of local eateries on Google Maps and headed for the nearest pub. On the way he saw Wendy and her girlfriend trying to retrieve their life ring they'd accidentally knocked in the water. They weren't having any luck so he returned, hoiked the canoe from the roof and went to rescue the buoyancy aid. That's not quite how life rings are supposed to work guys! 😂 Wendy gave him a measure of her sourdough starter as thanks.

The Wizard Hollow pub only opened in the evenings but Diggle Lock; a café with a hipster vibe provided a great veggie breakfast and pot of English Breakfast Tea for Will. Back on board it wasn't long before Vicky persuaded him to pay a visit to the ice cream parlour. He returned with the most splendiferous waffle cone dipped in dark chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, containing a smooth, sweet mango and passion fruit double scoop of ice cream. Highlight of the week for Vicky!

We'd seen billboards advertising Wizards Hollow pub so as it was Saturday night, Will popped out for a pint. He didn't stay long. Wizards Hollow turned out to be the base of the Road Wizards Motorcycle Club. Will strolled in wearing his mukticoloured hippie shirt and was completely blanked by the 7 leather clad men. There wasn't a bartender but one of the club members gave him a choice of a bottle of Bud or Newcastle Brown. Cash was preferable but he needed to ask his mates for change. Will sat quietly drinking his ale, staring at the full size skeletons riding real motorbikes dotted around the room. On his way out one of the members nodded to him, saying 'see you again'. Will made a noncommittal noise and made his way back to Rainboat to relay the experience to Vicky 💀🏍️

The next day Will prepped Rainboat for her journey through the tunnel (more about that in our next footprint). We walked the dogs on the green and enjoyed playing a game of Standedge Tunnel hopscotch, with Will rolling the dice and moving Vicky alongside the paving stones in her chair. The stones were carved with Diggle at on end and Marsden at the other, with a timeline of events in the tunnel's history; its opening, closing, reopening, visit from Prince of Wales, a record breaking time for legging a boat through etc It was a lovely way to share the story. While Vicky and Will were having fun, Leo was getting bored. After being retrieved from a family playing on the other side of the green he smelled food at Grandpa Greene's, took himself off down the towpath, across the canal and further down the opposite bank to hassle the diners sitting at outdoor benches 🤦 Will left Vicky with Tiger and returned not only with Leo but with an ice cream for Vicky and one for the pups to share. When the furries were ensconced he fetched another for himself.Read more