THURSDAY. At Thorlby swing bridge, Br.194
The 2008 journey thus far: 235 Locks & 351.5 Miles & 49 Swing\Lift Bridges
Journeys using bus pass: 20
I wandered into Focus store at Skipton as I needed to replace the smoke alarm and buy a length of 22mm pipe insulation, this I then split along the seam and fitted over the lip inside the rear slide. This prevents a draught in the rear cabin when the wind blows hard. Myra went shopping in Morrisons, I went as well, for the smoke alarms in Focus were £9.99, in Morrisons, they were £3.99. I bought two, as the one at home also needed replacing. We had a telephone call from Chris (CanvasMan), James could call in this afternoon and sort out the bars and look at the slack top panels of the cratch cover. Hooray! James arrived and replaced the bulkhead fitting for the right hand bar correctly. He then looked at the cover and decided to take the bars away and have them bent outwards so as to tension the top panel. It seems like a good idea, we await their return and fitting with interest. That is putting it mildly.
After he had left us, and given that the weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain; we decided to move off and after emptying the PortaPotti, head for Thorlby swing bridge. We said our goodbyes to the Atkinsons on Nb Bison and headed off into the countryside. I had marked Thorlby on Nicholsons guide as a good mooring from our last visit. It was three swing bridges and two and a half miles away, just right for topping up the batteries. We travelled in glorious sunshine, but with clouds building on the horizon. We managed to get the front within two feet of the bank and the back about four or five feet away; the view was stunning and that we decided that we would stay rather than try and get in closer elsewhere. I took photographs of the sunrays below the dark clouds and noticed that the cattle were moving slowly across the field in the foreground. Everything fitted pefectly, I thought of the wonderful Elergy written in a country churchyard by Gray and was transformed immediately back to an English Literature class at school. Yes - I do have a vivid imagination and a very long memory!
If it rains in the morning, we will stay put; with views like these we will watch the progress of showers from our dry vantage point.
Weather – Mainly dry, the odd light shower, bright sunshine. Heavy showers in evening.
