River Hull and Driffield Navigation Today

Old Harbour

Our trip starts in Hull, which is a large bustling city. It has connections with deep sea fishing, and commercial carrying, even today barges still bring sand and gravel from the upper reaches of the tidal Trent, and the North Sea Ferries can be seen leaving and entering King George Dock every day. There was even an oil route from Hull to Nottingham within the last few years, but that seems to have died out now.

The marina in Hull is a short walk from the city center. The marina, a converted dock, makes a pleasant stay, but when arriving at Hull from the Trent, or Ouse the tide may be too low to enter. For this reason mooring in "Old Harbour" maybe necessary. Old harbour is just through the recently built (1980) tidal barrier, and is a popular place for mooring barges. At low tide neaps it is just possible to scrape into the harbour, and moor on to a barge, all of which are usually aground at this state of tide. This proves a problem if you want to get off and see the town as the barges slip down the mud away from the wharf. Using a gangplank it might be possible to reach the shore, but then it is necessary to climb up a long, poorly maintained ladder!

The Stoneferry bridges recently replaced the original bridge.

Three hours after low water Hull the river has started to flow upwards. The river starts to rise before the flow turns, which is confusing to people not used to tidal waterways. It takes a long time for the tide to get through Hull with it's tight twisting course, and narrows caused by bridges and moored barges, so the wait is necessary or else you run out of flow (and in some places water). The trip through Hull is interesting, full of history, but also can be dangerous as the severity of the bends can cause eddies and undercurrents, and of course a turning barge completel...

Moored along the banks are old barges, most of the motorised ones are still in use, but there are a few dumb barges littered about which were moved with the tide using mud weights to check the speed, and to steer it, or pulled by a motorised barge/tug. The center of Hull is highly industrialised with large (usually smelly) factories, and ugly oil terminals, some of the more famous factories include Recketts (the chimney can be seen for miles around), Croda (really smelly), and Rix (who still use the river).

Passing through the site of the new bypass road.

Next are the housing estates which surround Hull, and an industrial estate on the east side of the river. After Sutton Road bridge there are currently no more bridges until Beverley, though this will change soon once the Enerdale Link road bridge is built. The river here has high banks, and unless you are traveling of the top of the tide even standing on the roof will not let you see much (unless you have a high boat). The width at low water throughout the whole of the river is not particularly big, at most 20 foot wide, but this grows quite a bit at high water.

Beverley and Hull Bridge

Moored outside Hull Bridge Boat Club barge

The only thing you pass out here are farms, and there are not a lot of them so when you see Beverley Beck lock coming at you from round a bend it is quite a surprise. The beck is a short cut, about 1 mile, to the outskirts of Beverley. There used to be a large ship yard there, but now it is all very quiet. In the distance can be seen the tower of Beverly Minster.

There are lots of boats moored upstream from the lock now, and before you know it you reach Wheel bridge. Wheel Bridge is a lifting bridge, which was placed perhaps a little low. It is usually possible to get under it for most of the tide, but we have at times needed to guide the boat through the girders under the bridge to get through in time to get down to Hull. The bridge keeper can be booked, but if you need it lifting in a hurry, forget it. About 1 mile further up you come to Hull Bridge, which has a large boat club, and moorings for the night, or just for a meal at the pub on the riverside.

A short stop next to Arram beck during a sponsored walk from Hempholme to Hull Bridge.

Further up it is possible to see an attempt to control the tide by using a gravel pit which the river skirts round. As you continue round you can see cuts in the bank were the barges were loaded with gravel, then you come to the first of the joining becks, Arram. The beck is now only navigable by small boats at high tide. Just a few hundred yards further up the outfall from the gravel pit empties its water back into the river to help keep water in the river at low states of tide.

Leven Canal and Aike Beck

The Leven Canal is now just another piece of bank from the river after the NRA built up the bank. I think the site of the lock is still there and the canal is still watered, though completely weeded up, and has a drain cutting it into two halves further along. Mainly used for fishing.

Aike Beck is now redirected to come out at the same place as Arram but I thought I would keep the descriptions in the map order. From here on up it is the Driffield Navigation.

Next up is Wilfholme, where there are some boats moored. The main feature at Wilfholme is the pumping station which pumps the water from the surrounding land drains up to river level. During the summer the weed is a problem from here upwards, especially when the water is low.

Struncheon Hill Lock

Leaving the lock going upstream. On the right is the crane used for taking out the weed cut by Yorkshire Water Authority.

After passing another farm you come to Top Hill Low on the left of the river. Here are some large water reservoirs, and a nature reserve. Soon after you pass another drain and Struncheon Hill Lock comes into view. There is a small cut up to the lock on the left, and a wider, but shallow cut up to an automatically controlled weir. At low water springs it takes a bit of getting through the soft silt in the cut, but you soon reach the outer half-tide lock, where it is possible to moor up. The lock is usually empty due to the leaky bottom gates. The last time we went through the lock we had to wait a few minutes before there was enough water to get over the cill, this is one of the times where a working lower lock would have been useful.

The paddles on the bottom gates can be opened using a standard BW small square windlass, and the gates are just pushed opened, however the top gates are slightly strange. The local water company of the time wanted to improve the drainage of the river with a new automatic weir, as part of the deal they had to replace the top gates with new ones. This deal was for the whole canal, but they decided that the other gates were good enough not to have to replace. The gates they put in however were designed in a functional way from the water authorities point of view. These gates require unusual windlasses, the paddles require an open ended, preferably a two handled square. There are so many turns to open the paddle fully up that by the time you have one up the lock is full! The gates are opened with a windlass, which a large sized BW windlass will just about fit.

As the gate opens it is possible to see the long straight up to Bethels Bridge. Here the canal is quite wide and the water level is a good bit above the surrounding land so you get a great view. Just out of the lock is Top Hill Low Pumping Station which is a main water inlet for the drinking water of Hull, and a short bit of piling on both sides of the canal which is for water flow measurement. On the east of the canal it is possible to see Hunt Hill on which two farms are situated, beyond the hill is the (very) small hamlet of Hempholme, which is just a couple of farms. After passing an old bridge over a joining drain you soon get to the boats moored below the bridge. All the moorings on the west side of the river are provided by the farmers.

Bethels Bridge

Flat as far as the eye can see? Not quite, the lump on the horizon is Brigham Hill

Bethels Bridge is a wooden swing bridge, and is opened by a winch with an attached windless. It can be a bit hard to get it moving when fully closed, and the steel cables are very springy, a friend of mine sprained his wrist on it once. There is no moorings for the bridge so it is usually advisable to drop someone off on the bridge wall.

On the east (right) side, just above the bridge is Bethels Bridge Boat Club. There is a slipway here, and is even possible to dry dock a boat. For more information on using the slipway see the Contacts. Halfway through the boat club the river turns to the east. This is where the new cut joins the old course of the river again. To the west is a drain which follows the old course of the river, which winds its way round the back of the farm to the southwest and back to the river at the lock.

West Beck

Down a short straight brings you to a left-right wiggle after which is the junction to West Beck (the original course of the River Hull). This is a very twisty narrow stretch up to a farm at Corps Landing. There is just enough room to turn a 40 foot narrow boat, but it might mean stirring the mud a little. Over the entrance is a controversial newly built foot bridge. A parting gift by the old council authority, the bridge is not high enough for the sailing craft to navigate under it. The original bridge was, I believe, a swing bridge.

Frodingham Beck

North Frodingham Landing, looking downstream

Back on the river again a wide but bendy bit of river later brings you to the junction of the canal and Frodingham Beck at Fisholme. Continuing up the beck takes you to Frodingham Landing about a mile from North Frodingham. Coal used to be unloaded here, the ground is still very black and hard. Less than a quarter of a mile from the wharf is a fixed bridge which takes a road from Frodingham, past Brigham, Wansford and up into Driffield.

Fisholme

The canal at Fisholme goes dead straight for just under 1 kilometer, in English two thirds of a mile. Near the end of the straight the Brigham Sailing Club 'lighthouse' stands on the bank marking the start and end of races that are held during the summer. Rounding the corner brings into view Brigham Bridge, and the current end of navigation. There is space to turn a 35 foot narrow boat near the bridge, but a longer boat can be turned further back.

Brigham Bridge

Looking upstream at Brigham Bridge

Brigham is a small village which is perched on the largest hill for miles. It's quite a walk to the top, but it does give a good view of the surrounding area. Through the bridge are some more long straight sections with high banks, by the time you reach Snakeholme Lock the canal is in a small cutting. Just below the lock is the outfall for a trout farm which over the years has moved vast amounts of silt downstream and has deposited a heap of very hard chalk. At places it is only a few inches deep in the middle of the canal!

Snakeholme Lock

Snakeholme Lock

The lock itself was originally a staircase lock, with the lower lock only in use on very low tides, however with the later improvements with Struncheon Hill lock there is no need for it now. The paddles were operated by means of a handspike as on the Calder and Hebble canal. Above the lock, after passing through a new water flow measuring station you approach Wansford.

The DNAA and DN Ltd. have recently received a £30,000 grant from the former East Yorkshire Borough Council to restore this lock.

Snakeholme Lock chamber

Wansford

The first thing you notice is a large very low concrete road bridge carrying a small road, even dinghies have problem getting under this one. Traveling through Wansford is pleasant, a row of houses back on to the canal at one side, and at the top of a small tree filled embankment the Frodingham-Driffield road on the other. At the bottom of the lock is a new disabled fishing platform which should nicely double as a lock mooring.

The first fully single lock so far brings you up to the rest of Wansford village. Across the road is a small post office, and on the lock side is a bus stop, handy for traveling to Driffield once Snakeholme lock has been opened.

Whinhill Lock

Whinhill Lock

The canal follows the straight road for about a mile to Whinhill lock. Below the lock the cutting has trees on both sides which makes it a very nice stretch, and makes a change from the wide open spaces of before.

Above the lock it is open as before, but after a short stretch the canal bends away from the road into peace and quiet again. Between the road and the canal is an electricity sub-station so the scenery is not that great, but that's not a great surprise to most canal boaters. On the right is West Beck, winding it's way up to Driffield. After a short winding section through farmers fields the bungalows below Driffield Town Lock comes into view, just as you start to smell something funny.. hmm what is that? Oh! Yes... phew Driffield sewage works, a necessary evil perhaps, but a bit more processing could be done.

Town Lock

Town Lock

Now actually usable again Town Lock is the first completely derelict lock to be restored to it's former glory. Completed in early 1995, the Town Mayor officially opened the lock Easter weekend 1996. A lot of work was needed on it, both top and bottom gates needed to be replaced as well as the cills. New stop plank grooves were constructed, the chamber emptied of silt, and brickwork pointed, as well as trees growing out of the wall taken out.

River Head

River Head, looking upstream

Now there is just a short stretch of waterway left to River Head. On the south side (left) the bank is stone capped, the bank all along this side is very low, and a small access road to the bungalows runs along the side. On the other side are lots of small bushes which separate the canal from farmers fields, and then the backs of buildings. Near the top is an old hand operated crane using for unloading. At the head is a large warehouse, now made into flats, and a brick wall with a small culvert in it for the water from Town Beck to flow in. On the other side of the road, which is the one which we have followed from Frodingham is a pub called the Bluebell, and just up the road is the train station which took so much of the canal traffic away.