Anyone familiar with Silsden?

[allybsc]

Hello all,

I've been looking for a place to turn my boat around when we get to our mooring, tried to phone my mates but there not in, they turn their 55 footer round somewhere local. According to waterscape & canal plan the nearest place is 3 hours cruise east from Silsden, don't fancy adding that to the journey everytime we go out to the shops!!! the boat is 59.5ft...anyone know?

Regards,

Ally p.

[Liam]

Hi Ally,

 

There's a winding hole close to Kildwick Aqueduct, between Grange Swing Bridge and Warehouse Swing Bridge. (No. 187 and 188).

 

And then there's a Winging hole the Silsden side of Booth's Swing Bridge, No. 195.

 

Both winding holes are 2 miles away from the centre of Silsden, which gives you around 30 minutes cruising in each direction before you can wind.

 

I think it's best if you speak to the locals, there may be a wide stretch of the canal which isn't recognised as a winding hole but is wide enough to wind.

[allybsc]

Hi Ally,

 

There's a winding hole close to Kildwick Aqueduct, between Grange Swing Bridge and Warehouse Swing Bridge. (No. 187 and 188).

 

And then there's a Winging hole the Silsden side of Booth's Swing Bridge, No. 195.

 

Both winding holes are 2 miles away from the centre of Silsden, which gives you around 30 minutes cruising in each direction before you can wind.

 

I think it's best if you speak to the locals, there may be a wide stretch of the canal which isn't recognised as a winding hole but is wide enough to wind.

 

Thanks Liam,

When I've been on the boat with my friends we usually cruise from silsden to skipton and back, the boat has always been pointing in the right direction when we got to it and we moored it pointing in the wrong direction for the next trip, I've not heard them complain it was a long way to wind to do it all over again, so there must be a wide point somewhere close, if not we will just have to take alternate trips in opposite directions when we go down for the weekend, I'll get awfully familiar with the Bingley flights! I fancy a trip to Saltaire.

Regards,

Ally P.

[allybsc]

Should have said that my mooring is next to Woodside bridge at Low woodside farm

Regards,

Ally p.

[ayeaye]

Should have said that my mooring is next to Woodside bridge at Low woodside farm

Regards,

Ally p.

Theres an unofical one going west of Silsden boatyard just round the bend

Bren

[Liam]

Can't beat local knowledge eh

[allybsc]

Theres an unofical one going west of Silsden boatyard just round the bend

Bren

 

Brilliant, that's just what I was hoping someone might say, might have to reverse a bit but...hey! I need the practice. I love skipton, great market, good beer at "the narrowboat" and fantastic "Pan loafy's" breakfast, might see you in August.

Regards,

Ally p.

[Paul Evans]

And then there's a Winging hole the Silsden side of Booth's Swing Bridge, No. 195.

Is that just for flying boats?

[allybsc]

Is that just for flying boats?

 

Maybe someone could come up with a canal version of "chitty chitty bang bang"

AP

[nb maggie]

You can also get round at Silsden boats, if most of the hire boats are out.

[GRPCruiserman]

You can also get round at Silsden boats, if most of the hire boats are out.

 

Slightly (apologies!!), but is the slipway still there at Silsden, as it used to be the only one in between the yard at the top of Bingley Five Rise and the one beloging to ELWY Boat CLub? Shame we lost the one at Gargrave.

[allybsc]

You can also get round at Silsden boats, if most of the hire boats are out.

 

Thanks,

I had it in my head that we would be the other side of Silsden boats, doh! till I looked at google earth! Sat pic must have been taken ages ago tho' as there are no moorings/ building work at Woodside farm in evidence. I'm reassured now, thought I might have made a mistake there in buying a 60 footer.

thanks to all,

Ally P.

[nb maggie]

Are you going to be mooring at Woodside ?

[allybsc]

Are you going to be mooring at Woodside ?

 

Yes, if all goes well with our purchase, our friends are moored there. The owners are putting leccy and water in at the moment but I'm not sure how it's all going or what it will be like when it's finished. It was just a field and a bit of a towpath when I booked it!

Regards,

Ally p.

[nb maggie]

We are moored there and have been for the last 2 years. Work is currently going on to extend the moorings by putting in steel pylons in the muddy part of the bank. They wanted to develop the moorings by digging out a basin and putting in herring bone mooring and pontoons (for which they had planning consents I believe) but I understand that this is not now going to happen because BW wanted so much money for the engineering works that it did not stack up financially. I believe it would have taken over 10 years just to recoup the silly money BW wanted for just of for their bit of the project.

 

Heather and Maurice the farmers who run the mooring as a side line (and lovely people) said they were going to put in electricity, water, car parking and a new driveway (so you could get to the moorings when the cows were in the yard to be milked without waiting 2 hours) but as yet this has not materialised. (They have started to put in the hard core for a new drive). So you still have to park in one muddy field and walk across another very muddy (and cow-y) field to get to the boat which is less than ideal in winter. I don’t know if any of the planned developments are now going to happen now that BW seems to have scuppered their bigger plans. Not only that, the moorings have gone up a lot in cost due to additional charges levied on the farm by BW. They were once cheap moorings but are now only about 20% cheaper than more established fully serviced moorings in Skipton (which are the dearest moorings on the L&L canal). There is a also a massive demand for mooring in the area, I heard the Snaygill boats just outside Skipton have closed their waiting list as it has over 150 names on it (We have been on it for over 3 years). So I hope that some developments happen at the Woodside/Jacksons farm, but given the demand for moorings and the position of BW I could understand if nothing else happened.

[allybsc]

Hello Maggie,

I've been there a few times with my friends who have the "Pearl Barley" first time in winter when it had been very wet, Diane had already warned me to take my wellies. Spoke to Heather last week, she said that the work had been delayed but should all be finished by the time we get there!!! I think it has been very stressful for them, must have been very dissapointing to have thier big plans scuppered. Diane tells me they are putting in water and leccy. It was the only mooring I could get. I put my name down at Snaygill 18 months ago despite them telling me the list was prob over four years long. I like the idea of Woodside, it's quiet and just the right distance from Skipton for an easy weekend away with the kids. I think I saw Maggie at the festival. My partner, kids and I went to the boaters bash in 2005 and horified the kids by drinking beer and dancing to Duncan's excellent band. Off to to see our lovely boat this weekend, we are going to meet it's original owner and sort out all the arrangement, one step closer to the dream

Hope to meet you when we get there.

Regards,

Ally p.

[nb maggie]

Yeh, hope to see you too. We were at the festival and had a 'open boat' with tons of visitors

 

Yes, I think it has been a pain for Maurice and Heather, and they seem really nice people.

 

You need to watch out for the swimming bulls, they can be quite amusing.

 

I've met the previous owners of Maggie and we have become quite freidly and invite them up for cruises and picnics etc now and again.