Tuesday 23 October 2012

20th October 2012 Canal Walk Leeds to Bingley



Canal walk Saturday 20 October Leeds to Bingley
                       
 We had our usual gang of four for our canal walk. We proceeded from Stalybridge to Leeds by train.

It was a glorious autumnal morning. The canal runs adjacent to Leeds station and as with so many city centre waterways, has been much improved over recent years with new bars, restaurants, office and residential development.

However, we soon left all of this behind as we strode out in a north westerly  direction. The canal immediately takes on a rural complexion, with tall trees and verdant vegetation on all sides. The wide canal and well maintained towpath  meant that this was as pleasant a stretch of canal walking as one could wish to encounter.

We stopped at a bench by a staircase of locks for some refreshments with various chocolate treats provided by the girls.

We walked on quickly covering the miles and had nearly reached our final destination at Bingley when we stopped for refreshments at Saltaire. This is a Victorian model village built by the philanthropist Sir Titus Salt to house the workers for his adjacent mill complex. Ironically we enjoyed a beer at the pub overlooking the river; this is a relatively recent addition as Salt was strictly temperance in order to protect his workers from the evils of drink. We had an enjoyable stroll around the village which is now a World Heritage Site.

It wasn’t much further to Bingley where we finished at the famous ‘five rise’ staircase of locks; constructed in 1774 and one of the ‘seven wonders of the waterways’. We had time for a welcome drink in Timothy Taylor’s ‘Brown Cow’ before catching the train back home.

We all agreed that this was one of our most enjoyable walks.  For our the next stage we will carry on from Bingley to Skipton early in 2013; details to follow.

John H