Lyra's Travels

Tuesday 20th September
After a couple of days travelling some of the most boring bits of canal we've arrived in Doncaster.
The journey here was through almost entirely featureless, straight navigation. First was the Aire & Caulder (Knottingley and Goole Canal) to Southfield Junction, then south on The New Junction Canal joining onto The River Don Navigation as far as Doncaster.
The views were almost entirely featureless and flat, the only thing worthy of note was watching wind surfers on Southfield Reservoir.
However, the night was a little more exciting. About midnight the boat started to rock and bump the side quite heavily so I got up to see what was going on. I reckoned that it must to a BIG boat passing. Looking down the canal I saw two huge, powerful lights, with navigation lights on either side, approaching us. As I watched, when the the lights were about 600 yds. away they went out, and nothing else happened, he must have moored, so I went back to bed. About 4 o'clock the rocking started in earnest, so once again I got up to see this enormous 600 tonner creeping up to the lift bridge, he stopped, just close enough for a crew member to jump onto the bridge in order to operate it. Quite a feat of driving to do that without nudging the bridge with your 600 tons.
The New Junction Canal is 'blessed' with several lift or swing bridges and one lock to stop us getting too bored.
I've already taken a walk into Doncaster and it looks interesting so we'll spend a day of two here.