Canal not wet enough

Local newspapers yesterday carried this slightly alarming headline. It seems strange... Reading blogs from various parts of the world, it seems that a lot of people are having the opposite problem, experiencing more rain than usual. But we in England have had an unusually dry start to the year. All that snow last winter didn't add up to much in terms of rainfall and the spring and summer have been markedly dry. The drought is especially affecting the north and west of the country, precisely where the reservoirs that top up the Leed-Liverpool Canal are situated. It's usually the wettest part of the country, but already the area has a hosepipe ban - and now this! The report says that a long stretch of the canal from Wigan in Lancashire to Gargrave (just beyond Skipton) could be closed by the beginning of August, unless there is significant rainfall between now and then.

They say that 'every cloud has a silver lining' (perhaps not a very apt saying in this case!). It could mean more holiday boating traffic comes this way along the canal, to explore the Gargrave to Leeds stretch that includes Saltaire, instead of the more rural mid-Pennine areas. I'm sure they won't be disappointed - it may be a bit more urban but it's a very fascinating journey through history.

PS: As I write this, it's raining heavily - so it could all turn out to be 'a storm in a teacup'. ;-)