2009 Walk Day 8 Shipley - Leeds

The final day of walking did not get off to the best of starts when changing trains at Leeds whilst half asleep I managed to land myself in the sorry hole which is Wakefield Kirkgate. To add insult to injury the next train back Leeds 30 minutes later had a coupling problem so by the time that was sorted and I got the right train I was in Shipley 2 hours late.

Rejoining the canal, via a lovely Victorian wrought-iron footbridge, I saw the largest Cygnet so far and horse with a rather shy youngster.




Passing by Esholt (of Emmerdale fame), the canal runs alongside the biggest sewage plant I have ever seen. I didn't think it worth the effort of photographing, but was a little bemused by the signs warning of 24 hour security patrols - what would anyone want to steal from there.

Once the air was clearer, I could begin to appreciate the nice wooded scenes and after a couple more sets of locks I was at Apperley Bridge, just 9 miles from Leeds now.




Apperley Bridge seems a pleasant enough place with plenty of new properties in evidence as well an interesting bit of tree-art.



After a bit more open country with some cows and calves enjoying the sunshine, I arrived at Rodley for my one and only stop of the day. I later learnt that Rodley is the former home of Rowley Workshop, the birthplace of Dusty Bin and Wizbit.



I got my first sight of the outskirts of Leeds itself via these two highrises just as an angry cloud tried in vain to rain on me (it managed about 3 drops). A little further along, the Airdale (railway) Line cosies up alongside the canal, and - after several failed attempts due to the difficult light and backdrop - I finally got a half-decent shot of Kirkstall Abbey. Sadly the Abbey is just ruins now, having fallen victim to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.






Moving on past Headingley, which was out of view, I managed to get a shot of a duck having a bath before passing the last marina of the canal.





Passing back under the railway, I got my first sighting of the city centre itself before entering the final mile of the mission.




Rounding the final bend, with the train station in sight, the construction area around Granary Wharf came into sight and it was one more lock to pass before reaching the end where the canal ends and the Aire & Calder navigation can be accessed via a lock. Thirteen miles for the day, taking me up to the final total of 127 miles.






So after 127 miles, 95 locks, over 250 bridges, 17 trains and 1 bus my journey is done. In my opinion the canal is thing of wonder, taking me through some wonderful places as well as some whose time has been and will hopefully come again. I am in awe of the skill and vision that went into its creation and the effort that has gone into keeping it alive. In this modern era it is something to be proud of that an amenity of this scale can exist purely for pleasure and I would do it all again without hesitation.

2009 Walk Day 7 Skipton - Shipley

The weather forecast for this Saturday was pretty gloomy but by the time I had arrived in Skipton at 9 the worst of it seemed to be over and the rain thankfully petered out in the first hour.


A swan and her young were out for a early morning swim, but a couple decided they were going to hitch a ride on the back of mum instead.





As the canal turns to the south is the Springs Branch which used to serve a limestone quarry half a mile to the north, theses days it serves to give boaters a chance to see the castle at close quarters.



Leaving Skipton behind, the canal returned to open country with the A6131 in close attendance. Before passing Snaygills boatyard I got to see a heron stretching its wings which is always an awe-inspiring sight.





For the next mile I had a barge for company which made for a handy pacemaker as the rain clouds continued to stalk the valley.






It was a bit of a surprise to across a war memorial by the side of the canal but very appropriate on the D-Day anniversary and I was able to spend a few minutes of quiet contemplation. The seven Polish airmen had died when their Wellington had crashed, shortly after take-off from Skipton, at this very spot on September 23, 1943.


Moving on the rain had finally broken and the rest of the day got gradually brighter.






So far I had not managed to see one of the swing-bridges in action and with this being my penultimate day I feared it would not happen, however my wish was granted.




Passing through a small village called Farnhill, the canal continued to deliver fantastic views on one side and plenty of livestock to entertain on the other.





I was fortunate enough to manage to capture a couple of rabbits before they scampered off as well as a horse which appeared to have to attracted some chickens worshipping it.




Next up was Silsden which also boasts a boat-yard and an encounter with a very photogenic cow who came nice and close for her picture.






After Silsden, Alder Carr wood reaches down the hill to join the canal for a while and at this point I saw the first bit of sunlight to provide some timely colour to the bushes.






At the ten mile mark I reached Riddlesden which seemed good for a pit-stop and, joy of joys, the pub I had chosen was actually open. One refreshing drink later I moved on and passed this barge, I had previously passed it near Chorley and Barnoldswick. The name caught my eye and I'd like to think its the same one rather than 3 boats with the same name.





Plenty to be seen now and with the day much brighter I wass having a lot of fun by now, taking in some goats, the closest I've got to a heron so far and a mill conversion that impressed me.




In the next field there were two cows fighting, which I've never seen before, which involved them pushing their heads against each other in bovine sumo wrestling style. So focussed I was on them I nearly missed the black swan right in front of me.






As I approached the outskirts of Bingley,the height of the canal lookingmn over the valley was at its peak which meant I was approaching thye famous Bingley Five Rise.





The five rise is the largest staircase of locks in the country, dropping the canal nearly 60 feet over a very short space. It is the other Wonder of the British Waterways and I was suitably impressed.







Shortly after that came a three-rise taking me down to the level of Bingley, which looks pretty smart and then onto my second and last pit-stop of the day.




The final few miles gave me plenty to see, passing a pair of geese with fluffiiest chicks I have seen the canal passed over the River Aire which had really grown since I passed over it at Gargrave. The tree-lines here gave the feeling of being in a park and in the distance a chimney gave me the first sight of Saltaire.






Saltaire was founded in 1853 by mill-owner Sir Titus Salt who felt his workers deserved better living conditions and moved his entire business into two large mills and built housing plus all the ammenities they would need here. Its classified as a World Heritage Site and is definately somewhere I want to explore more fully.





Straight after Saltaire came Shipley, which is where the canal used to link to the Bradford canal, which full hopefully be restored one day. There were two warehouses which caught my eye, on which I think would be worth restoring and the second one was the finished article.






Shipley was the final destination for the day, having completed 17 miles. This took the total to 114 miles, leaving me with 13 miles to tackle on the final day on Sunday.