Huddersfield Broad

Today's the day .......................... to stop the traffic

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal becomes the Huddersfield Broad seemingly somewhere underneath the buildings of Huddersfield University.

You round the corner and find yourself suddenly with lots of room to spare on the water in the Aspley Basin. There are plenty of places to moor up, take on supplies - and have a spot of lunch in one of the wharfside restaurants. It's all a bit of a shock after the solitude, peace and tranquillity of the past few days.

In the distance, if you look closely, you can see the strange contraption that is Bridge No 17. The whole bridge is lifted electrically upwards when a button is pressed, allowing thenarrowboat to pass underneath. It is then lowered down and pedestrians and cars can use it as before.

Of course, before all this happens, you have to stop the traffic - so it's not a task for the faint-hearted ..........................