The Canal is managed by the Canal & River Trust

YORK A1079 in consultation with Natural , the Environment Agency, POCKLINGTON the East Riding of Council, the East & North Yorkshire Waterways Partnership and the Amenity Society. A64 • CANAL HEAD RIVER MELBOURNE HEAD Further information about Pocklington Canal is available from: CANAL DERWENT Canal Head Canal • • Bielby Church Bielby BIELBY Canal & River Trust: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk A19 POCKLINGTON Giles Lock Giles CANAL Natural England: www.naturalengland.org.uk BIELBY Pocklington SSSI Canal

Top Lock Top B1228

Sandhill Lock Sandhill N Old Lock Old House Coates Bridge Environment Agency: www.environment-agency.gov.uk POCKLINGTON Coates Lock TO SELBY Silburn Lock Silburn

East Riding of Yorkshire Council: www.eastriding.gov.uk Scale Bielby Arm Bielby 0 1mile DIRECTIONS From the A64 follow the A1079 towards Pocklington Canal Amenity Society: www.pocklingtoncanalsociety.org Pocklington. Canal Head is located just Coates Lock Coates off the A1079, about ten miles east East & North Yorkshire Waterways Partnership: Walbut Bridge Walbut Walbut Lock ALLERTHORPE of York. www.waterwayspartnership.co.uk

9 7 Walbut Bridge 0 TOURIST INFORMATION 1 A Information is available from the Council website, Tourist Information Centres and the Canal & River Trust website. The PCAS THORNTON Church Bridge Common Thornton Lock

Allerthorpe Information Centre at Canal Head is MELBOURNE open on Sunday afternoons and Bank Holidays between April and October.

WALKING The towpath is suitable for walking Melbourne Arm Narrowboat throughout its length, although parts are unsuitable for wheelchairs. There is easy access at Canal Head, Coates Bridge, Picnic Area Picnic Panels Interpretation House Public Office/Store Post Bielby, Walbut Bridge, Hagg Bridge and

Meadow flowers Meadow .

ANGLING Melbourne and Melbourne Thornton Ings SSSI Thornton Ings Rod licences and day tickets are required.

Baldwins Bridge Baldwins Contact the Canal & River Trust for Gardham Lock Gardham B1228 information. Produced by Adrian Bury Associates Designed by FDA Design Ltd BOAT TRIPS Printed on Evolution Satin, 75% recycled post-consumer waste paper, PCAS runs its trip boat New Horizons Canal Towpath Canal Footpath Public Park Car Scientific of Special Site (SSSI) boundary Interest Elemental Chlorine Free. 10M

: from the Melbourne Arm of the canal.

Perch Short trips run on Sundays and Bank KEY

STORWOOD Holiday afternoons from April to October. No booking is required. Longer East Cottingwith Church Cottingwith East

SUTTON UPON DERWENT SUTTON 8 trips for up to twelve people can be 2 2 1

Hagg Bridge Hagg booked at other times. Please see the B PCAS website or signs at the canal for more details. EAST

Wigeon

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Wheldrake Ings Wheldrake n NAVIGATION

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e Information is available from the

COTTINGWITH

ELVINGTON D

Derwent Ings SSSI Ings Derwent r e v i R

Cottingwith Lock Canal & River Trust, the navigation authority for the Pocklington Canal. Navigation notes are available on the PCAS website. Pocklington Canal: waterways heritage and Sedge warbler Narrow-leaved wildlife conservation water plantain

Pocklington Canal is a very special traffic and the last cargo was place with a wealth of heritage and carried in 1932. The canal Curlew fell into disuse and gradually Tufted duck wildlife interest. became unnavigable. Flowering rush Many birds are found here including tufted Mute swan duck, kingfisher, grey wagtail, sedge warbler and reed bunting. Barn owls may be seen For almost 200 years the canal has remained In 1969 Pocklington Canal Amenity Coot largely as it was built, with nine locks, four Society (PCAS) was formed with the hunting over the canal at dusk. Of particular elegant road bridges and seven swing bridges. objective of safeguarding and restoring note is the bittern, a nationally rare bird Over the years, the canal has been relatively the derelict canal. The towpath was soon that is a visitor to the canal most winters. undisturbed and today provides opportunities cleared, but work to rebuild and maintain Mute swan, coot and moorhen regularly nest along the margins and turtle dove for quiet recreation. the locks continues to this day. The restoration Water forget-me-not of the canal has been supported by British and whitethroat use the fringing hedges. The canal is nine-and-a-half miles long, Waterways (now the Canal & River Trust), Grey wagtail Lapwing and curlew nest nearby and the flowing from the foothills of the Yorkshire the local authorities and countless individuals. curlew’s haunting call can often be heard. Wolds near Pocklington, through unspoilt Much of the practical work has been done Moorhen Water vole and otter are known to use these countryside to join the River Derwent at by PCAS and other volunteers. quiet waters. East Cottingwith. The canal was constructed between 1815 and 1818. It carried coal, lime, The canal from Canal Head to Church fertiliser and roadstone for Bridge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest Yellow water-lily use in the market town (SSSI). Melbourne and Thornton Ings SSSI and Derwent Ings SSSI also include parts of Pocklington and Red-eyed damselfly the surrounding of the canal. These ings are seasonally- area. Betony flooded, traditionally managed hay meadows Water vole Agricultural Ox-eye daisy and are of international conservation produce was importance. During spring and summer transported Church Bridge, near Thornton these meadows are a blaze of colour Home to a host of interesting plants, insects, supporting many species of wildflower down the canal, Many of the locks and bridges along the birds and mammals, Pocklington Canal is and providing a home for hundreds of to the industrial route have been restored. Church Bridge, one of the most important waterways for nesting wildfowl and waders. In winter these centres of the near Thornton is particularly interesting, wildlife in Britain. same meadows support even larger numbers West Riding. The with its pronounced humpback and arrival of the elegant curved wing-walls. At one time of wildfowl, birds coming from as far away railway in 1847 it was threatened with demolition, but Unusual aquatic plants such as fan-leaved as Siberia. saw a decline like the other three road bridges it has water crowfoot and narrow-leaved water in canal been Grade II Listed. All nine locks plantain live underwater. Easier to see are the Pocklington Canal is part of the much larger have also been afforded protection as yellow water-lilies and marginal plants such The canal supports an outstanding range of wetland landscape of the Lower Derwent Grade II listed structures. A feature of the as water forget-me-not and flowering-rush, dragonflies and damselflies, including the Valley, which is one of our most important locks is the distinctive paddlegear, operated whose tall pink flower spikes are a striking notable red-eyed damselfly, which can often wildlife conservation areas. Parts of the valley by a large six-spoked wheel. The paddlegear feature of mid-summer. Along the towpath, be seen resting on the leaves of the lilies. are managed as a National Nature Reserve is being reinstated as the lock gates grassland plants such as ox-eye daisy and A wide variety of butterflies and other insects with large areas receiving international Paddlegear are replaced. betony can be found. can also be seen along the towpath. Walkers can enjoy the towpath along its whole length protection.