A miscalcluation... but all's well that ends well

One of Sheffield's lesser known attractions is an underground visit to the 'Megatron' - the network of culverted rivers and water channels under the city that deal with rain and river water.  Much of this civil engineering dates back to the Victorian era. More info here:

https://www.sheafportertrust.org/

You can probably guess what comes next. A little while ago I booked tickets for me and Richard to do this tour. Several friends of ours have done it, and come back with good reports. The ticket money goes to the river trust, and is invested in environmental improvements in and around the Sheaf and Porter rivers.  It's one of the things that was out of action during 2020, for Covid reasons - so hey! A chance to make up for lost time.  We knew it would be 90 minutes of largely underground walking, with guides, and some of it through welly-deep water. That all sounded fine.

We duly turned up at the meeting point close to the River Sheaf, which runs near (and then partly under) Sheffield railway station.  See main photo.

What we hadn't taken in properly was that the early part of the route involves a stretch through a low, arched tunnel. Low, as in you're crouching at best, and on your hands and knees for the last part. OK for me; not so OK for Richard, whose long-term sciatica woke up and gave him hell after the first few yards.

Huge credit to Richard for getting through over 100 yards of that without panicking or seizing up completely. There were moments when I thought we might need to call out the local mountain rescue (who undertake rescues in all sorts of locations, as well as in the Peak District near here). Huge credit, too, to the guides and accompanying volunteers who looked after us.  "Accept the wet, and get into the deeper channel", I remember one of them saying; this would have meant being able to stretch up a bit, but at the cost of wading in thigh-high water. R declined that option. 

Once we finally emerged from the tunnel, we knew it was time to opt out; we would have been a liability to the rest of the group otherwise, even if R had felt able to continue.  I don't think we were the first to make this decision, as there were ladders available near the tunnel exit, and a way to climb up the bank and scale the fence. This we did, with little dignity but much gratitude. It was then just a 10 minute walk back to the car.

Richard was not in a good way after all this, which is why I'm back-blipping on Monday rather than getting it uploaded yesterday. He's fine now; rest and painkillers are helping.  But we both learned something... about living with and working within the realities of ageing bodies.  And about how good it feels when people help each other with kindness and without patronisation.