Walk along the #HuddersfieldNarrowCanal in #Uppermill

With the weather being so nice over the last few days, we have had a chance to get out and do some walks. 

Many years ago I was fortunate to catch the attention of Lord Rhodes and his daughter with my paintings and after visiting him at his home and selling one of my paintings to his collector daughter, I was offered an exhibition at Saddleworth Museum in Uppermill. It was nice to return and wander around the gallery and the town again. 

The first time we visited was at weekend. Unfortunately, parking can be a problem, especial;;y on a Bank Holiday so  we finished up parking quite far out. On this occasion we just wandered around town and enjoyed the shops and cafes before returning home.

Today, as we were in the area to get some of my paintings framed, we decided to go for a walk along the canal.

This also gave me a chance to try out my travelling art kit; although I decided not to take my folding stool. This meant that to sketch I had to sit on walls. Sue, who sat beside me writing in her notebook, forgot about nettles and brushed against one when getting down. Sadly, we couldn't remember what dock leaves looked like and didn't think it was a good idea to rub random plants on her arm!

The first sketch was of lock 22W, where the rushing overflow was at the side. The second thing that interested me was a couple tending their allotment. The woman was working busily away whilst the man sat and watched. No comment needed here!

Walks like this are also a great inspiration for my oil paintings or just a chance to admire the beauty of nature or the ingenuity of the  people who constructed these waterways and bridges.

On an interesting note, last time we were here we did a trip on a canal boat and when we were in one of the locks the boat became wedged against a wall and started to turn sideways, as the water went down. This was quite scary and the people in charge had to climb on the roof to free it. A memorable adventure!