More difficult to get a passage

AS A USER of the Huddersfield Narrow, enjoying the exercise of the 70 odd locks, it is becoming more and more difficult to get a passage.

The latest stoppage on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal just reported, is the latest of many, and to my mind an attempt at maintenance would have prevented, but that is a thing of the past, writes T. Lang.

Two journeys

Like your good-selves we have enjoyed two through journeys without a stoppage, but found it getting more and more difficult as time goes by.

During last year we planned a slow late June holiday on the 'Narrow' enjoying the scenery that is second to none, but on the 22nd there was an head gate failure on Lock 32W. Then two days later on the 24th an aqueduct leak between 12E and 13E, then the following day Lock 22W had paddle failure—all closing the navigation whilst the contractors sorted themselves out.

We then tried for July, but were met with stoppages on the 2nd Lock 4E had an unexpected fault. Then come the 12th a paddle fault on locks 20/21 that I could not understand, but the navigation closed. The 16th and then the 31st it had no water. 

So that was July buggered for us.

Adding to the misery

Adding to the misery there is a strict limited passage through the tunnel to take into the equation.

What a waste of that £20 millions or so to bring the 'Narrow' back to life. (Pictures shown—Editor.)

And now of course there are the two weeks required for contractors to repair a wall, making a somewhat bad start for this year to cruise the Huddersfield Narrow.

I really wonder if anyone actually manages that canal without meeting a stoppage of one kind or another?