The River Don At Goole, a.k.a. Dutch River
In preparation for my whole river odyssey, I have begun my survey of the of the River Don (a.k.a. Vermuyden’s Channel, or the Dutch River) at Goole in East Yorkshire. The Dutch River is a deeply unsettling, insidious course of water. It resembles a canal in its straightness, but the flow of water is totally unlike a canal in its tidal forcefulness. So much so, that one gets an instinctive feeling to stay well away from it. Fortunately, it is very difficult to approach the river, as it is well protected from human trespass. In fact, the tidal flow is also unfavourable to shipping. So, despite it being navigable for even sizeable vessels, few use it, preferring the River Aire navigation as an alternative, less risky route inland to South Yorkshire.
However, after a little exploration, I found an area alongside the Vermuyden Hotel, in Old Goole, where access to the river was possible. Against my better judgement, I made my way through the chest high vegetation towards the water, keeping in mind the warning of the manageress of the hotel, who told me to be very careful of the treacherous silt that builds up on both banks. Despite her warning, I almost lost my balance as I neared the edge of the river bank when my leg disappeared into a hidden hollow, almost pitching me over the bank side.
My heart was racing, and I halted there and then, deciding to take my photographs and a short film of the swirling brown torrent from a safe distance. As soon as I had what I wanted, I got out of there and made my way back to the hotel, where the manageress showing obvious relief at my safe return, told me that she had planned to phone the emergency services if I had not returned after an hour. That revelation did nothing to ease my already fragile nerves.
As I drove back to Sheffield I pondered on the experience. I realised that, for the first time in years, I had been properly frightened by that malignant flow of water. The River Don flows energetically along its whole course, but Vermuyden’s channel is an unnatural adulteration of what is, despite its swift flow, a relatively benign river. Vermuyden transformed it into a chilling and lethal flow of water, which is now additionally hazardous through being polluted to the extent that it seems devoid of any biological life. I likened the feeling of edging close to it as being similar to edging towards the precipice of hundred foot cliff. All right, as long as you maintain a distance, but getting too close and falling over means certain death. I know that had I lost my footing and fallen into Vermuyden’s channel, I would not be writing this account.
A surprising revelation was from the manageress of the Vermuyden Hotel, who despite living within sight of the Dutch River all her life, had no idea that it was the really the River Don.