Elland

The mooring is five star.  The pub makes no difference to the peace and quiet whatsoever.  The towpath is all cobbles and while there are new buildings you can almost imagine that it hasn't changed for years. 

The Barge and Barrell is well worth a visit with the bar staff being very friendly and happy to chat and the locals are all, or seemed to be, likewise.  With twelve real ales at the bar it is a busy pub but not for the lager drinking brigade  even though they do have three lagers on tap and I have never heard of any of them.  The landlord/lady have their own narrowboat which is moored on the other side of the basin from us and the Towpath Talk is ready to be picked up at the bar.

Opposite my mooring there is a converted warehouse and drydock.  They have done a very sympathetic job on it.

The Barge and Barrel is a brilliant pub.  Lots of real ale and food and very friendly people.  The boat is moored just at the back wall so its 20 yards to stagger back.

Walked into town and found the library and a carrier bag full for a pound.  The Calder and the canal are forever together and at each place only yards apart. 

The town of Elland is full of outstanding buildings.  This one with the pillars used to be a bank in the days when banks were respected places of commerce :-)

Where ever you look there are signs of the industrial past of the town.  Umpteen mills and warehouses.  Some still in use but many converted to other things.  That still leaves a load that are just boarded up.

At almost the top of the hill is the parish church of St Mary.  It looks brighter in the pic with the sun on it but there is still the covering of grime that once came from the smoke thrown out by the mills. 

Elland itself is really just one street and is not built for vehicles.  Narrow and winding it hasn't changed its character for years even with the newer building that are there.  The feeling of the place is still of a time gone by and you wait for the horse and cart to come along.

In the other direction the road goes down to the Co-op and a roundabout for the new road. The hills in the background still have snow on them.  Since Thorne we have done nothing but go up in the locks and this will carry on till we are past Summit.

On the way back to the boat I past this building that I was later told was a Monrovian church.  I did look to see what it was used for but couldn't find a label on it.