{"id":1457,"date":"2018-04-18T00:01:59","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T14:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/julesforth.com\/walkingtheblackdog\/?p=1457"},"modified":"2018-04-18T04:05:33","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T18:05:33","slug":"day-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/julesforth.com\/walkingtheblackdog\/day-42\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 42"},"content":{"rendered":"

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From: <\/strong>Littleworth to Hebden Bridge
\nDistance:\u00a0<\/strong>10m \/ 16km
\nCumulated distance: <\/strong>556m \/ 985km
\nPercentage completed: <\/strong>54<\/p>\n

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Leaving the piece of Andalusia in the Peaks behind, I headed down the road to find the Rochdale Canal.\u00a0Unusually there was a choice of three routes today, all ending up in Hebden Bridge, where my bed for the night is. The first option was the Rochdale Canal. Or I could have climbed up to the Pennine Way and forged my way across the moors. Or there was the option to sit on the fence and take the Pennine Bridleway which charges straight through the middle. I knew that in a few days I’d be joining the Pennine Way for a fortnight, so I decided to take advantage of life’s rich tapestry and walk the towpath.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over breakfast I chatted to the owner of Rake’s Tapas and discovered some pretty amazing facts about the hotel-come-tapas bar. Apparently, it’s the second oldest building in Lancashire, the oldest being next door, up the hill. The front door of the building was chiselled to accommodate Cromwell’s Roundheads when they came in thirsty for a tankard of mead.\u00a0 Clearly they were usually parched as the doorway allowed them to leave their helmets on their heads!<\/p>\n

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Terrible photo but you can see how a Roundhead could come in for his beer without removing his helmet<\/p><\/div>\n

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Tree trunk beam in my bedroom<\/p><\/div>\n

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The OLDEST house in Lancashire, where Cromwell himself stayed<\/p><\/div>\n

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I have to admit to there being another reason for my choice in walking the Rochdale Canal. There are a dismayingly large number of footpaths which abound on today\u2019s map and I could well foresee myself getting lost. The beauty of following a canal is that you simply can\u2019t lose your way. Decision made. This particular canal must have forged such a good route that there is both a railway line and an A road which run parallel with it. I\u2019ve always loved being able to see the four forms of transport running together. It\u2019s like being able to see the progress of forward motion over the centuries \u2026 from feet to barge to train to car.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Train, road and canal side by side<\/p><\/div>\n

The Rochdale Canal is 32 miles long and has 91 locks along the way from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge. It was built in 1804 and was the first trans-Pennine route, built after much local wrangling about cost and route. The canal system in the UK played a vital role in enabling the Industrial Revolution. You have to remember that until the early 19th century, if you wanted to move a bunch of stuff, you\u2019d have to use packhorses and they had only medieval mud tracks along which to stumble. Having the first nationwide canal network meant that the UK could transport cotton, coal, whatever much faster AND much more safely than any other country. Think Josiah Wedgwood, transporting all that fragile china \u2026 canals were the making of his business. The canal boats could carry thirty tons at a time with only one horse pulling<\/span>.<\/sup><\/span> That\u2019s more than ten times the amount of cargo per horse that was possible with a cart. Because of this huge increase in supply, the Bridgewater Canal for example, reduced the price of coal in Manchester by nearly two-thirds within just a year of its opening. Phenomenal.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rochdale Canal<\/p><\/div>\n

But of course, nothing is so constant as change. By the second half of the 19th century, many canals were increasingly owned by railway companies or competing with them. Train speeds left canals a very poor second option for shifting anything, including of course, the general public. \u2018Canal mania\u2019 was dying a death.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Derelict factory<\/p><\/div>\n

Shift forward several decades to find that the canals of Britain have recently enjoyed a reincarnation and have become a major leisure destination, for those wanting a lazy, messing around on the river sort of holiday. Even today, when the weather was pretty grim, there were several narrow boats out enjoying a leisurely time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Aussies enjoying the canal<\/p><\/div>\n

All along the way there are reminders of England\u2019s industrial past .. mills, factories, warehouses .. but these are framed by the green hills and escarpments of Calderdale and the Pennine Hills.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Background hills. Any idea what a ‘Gongoozler’ is anyone?<\/p><\/div>\n

It was my great fortune to get chatting to some of the narrow boat holiday-makers this morning. Turned out they were from Jervis Bay and Orange in NSW Australia! They’d done their lunch stop homework and gave me the hot tip of calling in at Walsden for fish and chips at Grandma Pollard’s, the best chippy in the Pennines. I thought I might give it a try, calling in at the Post Office on the way to send a bundle of maps home. Chatting to the postmaster and other customers they all endorsed it was a great spot but advised I get a move on before the ‘dinner-time rush’ began .. it was only 10.45am and the chippy was only a five minute walk away!<\/p>\n

Well, it turned out to be one of the biggest delights of my journey. The freshly caught haddock and chips were delicious. But it was the warmth of the place with Jim Reaves playing, the avid customers and Tony, the owner who all made it such a heart-warming experience. All along the walls are photos of people who have visited the cafe, including celebrities and local heroes. I had my photo taken with Tony ..<\/p>\n

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Such a treat ..<\/p><\/div>\n

.. and then he offered to donate a voucher for Walking The Black Dog! I couldn’t think who of anyone who might be able to cash it in but I’d enjoyed a terrific conversation with the lovely couple on the adjacent table, so we agreed they would be the ideal recipients .. they’ve been coming once a month to Ma Pollard’s for years. The lady’s name was Barbara Woodhouse (even though she had no dogs with her) and her husband, at the age of 84 had climbed Hellvelyn .. doubt I could do it now! Whenever you find yourself in Walsden make sure you join the queue and get your fish and chips at Grandma Pollard’s\u00a0http:\/\/www.grandmapollards.co.uk\/home\/4547823106<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lovely Barbara Woodhouse<\/p><\/div>\n

The peace of the canal today was frequently disturbed by the territory wars going on between various geese and ducks. I watched countless battles between defensive drakes, who had ducks sitting on bank-side nests. There was one particular couple of Canada Geese who were going completely spare as their nest had been usurped by a Muscovy Duck.<\/p>\n

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Expectant parents getting frantic ..<\/p><\/div>\n

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.. and eventually chasing him\/her off<\/p><\/div>\n

And it wasn’t only ducks and geese who were getting in on the action. At one point I had a serious feeling of discombobulation when I turned a corner and found emus on the bank.<\/p>\n

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Emus .. really??<\/p><\/div>\n

My destination for the day was Hebden Bridge. It\u2019s a delightful, traditional looking market town. And yes, it is delightful but it\u2019s anything but traditional. Hebden Bridge is the so-called \u2018lesbian capital of the UK\u2019. As the mills in the north began shutting down in the \u201870s, Hebden Bridge\u2019s mills became home to hippies who had creative skills .. writing, painting, crafts and music. The town was thankfully a liberal-thinking place and the scene developed further, attracting and nurturing visitors who became residents. The town\u2019s welcoming attitude seemed to go hand-in-hand with being considerably more bohemian than a typical market town and over time this naturally extended to the gay community. And so we have Yorkshire\u2019s rather wonderful answer to San Francisco. As one resident put it, \u2018Here you see lesbians everywhere; it’s like having an extended family which, considering all of us have had to move away from our families to find somewhere we could be accepted, is a wonderful feeling.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Coming into Hebden Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

Black Dog Tails<\/strong>
\nKuro is Tanya’s right hand man. She has MS and her black dog hero helps her in a zillion ways to lead as normal a life as possible. Tanya says, ‘Even when I smile at him I usually get a tail wag. However, if I am having a good belly laugh, his whole bum gets wagging. Kuro is one of the best presents I have ever received’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Leaving the piece of Andalusia in the Peaks behind ..<\/p>\n

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