For this walk I would be once again following a canal towpath - and doing a walk that feeds off the Pennine Way. The Pennine Way does in fact briefly follow the Leeds & Liverpool Canal on the far side of Gargrave to the side I would be walking - and in my opinion should stay on this canal until it reaches Gargrave.
For those interested in those joining walks along the Pennine Walk, click the links for the write-ups for Gargrave to Horton-in-Ribbdlesdale (heading north via Malham Cove) and Hebden Bridge to Gargrave (again heading north).
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal itself is a long canal - running for 127 miles across the Pennines, with the canal coming into operation in 1816 - and unsurprisingly it starts and ends in Liverpool and Leeds.
The route of the canal is quite a meandering route, and as a result it is nowhere near as steep as other canals through the Pennines - with the Liverpool & Leeds and Rochdale Canals both having the same number of locks, despite the Liverpool & Leeds being four times as long.
The question for today, is whether this is a canal worth walking - and I hope the answer is yes, because I have two days ahead, walking this canal from Gargrave, along to one of the ends at Leeds.
From Gargrave, I head off the train and the first task of the day is to head through town, stop at the shop to buy a bit of extra food, and join up with the canal as it just about clips the edge of Gargrave to the north. From here I turn right along the canal and start heading east - already please with the quality of the onward path.
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| Heading out from Gargrave |
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| Hills and boats |
This first section is fairly reminiscent of following the Pennine Way through this part of the world. This spot is a bit flatter than much of the terrain otherwise to be found in the area, with the valley backed by smaller tree capped hills.
But the going is very pleasant along this section and slightly steeper hills start to pop into view as we continue on, walking between Gargrave and Skipton (with Skipton meaning sheep town in Anglo Saxon).
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| Some bigger hills appearing in the distance |
From here the route remains very rural, until the canal passes under the A629, and where it starts to head through Skipton.
Skipton is a town I can't fully work out. Skipton - a bit like Durham - has the vibe of a town that was once working class (and retains a strong working class feel to many areas), while also having a lot of gentrification - producing a town that brings many elements together, in a way that I quite like.
As a walker it is an especially interesting town, in that you have endless local and railway-linked walks, whilst being relatively affordable - and also offering the prospect of some trips out on the canal. All in all, that makes it an intriguing prospect as a potential place to live, and maybe there will be a chance to spend more time here in future years.
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| Passing through the core of Skipton - there is a long stretch looking like this passing the castle turn off |
Heading through the centre of Skipton, the canal looks pretty magical - and this section hits it's peak where a short branch of the canal turns off on its way up to Skipton Castle.
Here I should probably have done some exploring, and headed off up to the castle - as it looks quite a short walk to what is quite a well preserved castle - but I plan to return to do Skipton to Settle via the High Dales Way, and here I could probably divert off to follow the canal past the castle, and rejoin the High Dales Way further north.
As it is, Skipton has got high marks from me, and I feel there is plenty more exploring to be done in this area at a later date.
But today, Skipton is now disappearing behind me - and as Skipton starts to disappear from the sides of the canal, it is time of head back out into the countryside.
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| Heading back into the countryside |
From here we continue along the canal, initially being stalked by a busy road, as we head through a pretty section of countryside, before pulling to the left as we head up to meet Low Bradley.
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| Hills near Low Bradley |
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| Looking out to the side |
At Low Bradley there is a bench by the Swing Bridge, and as the bridge is being opened to allow the boats to head through, I stop to watch the Swing Bridge be opened. These swing bridges are common along the canal and ensure that there are frequent canal crossings without the full cost of installing a high enough bridge for boats to pass under, but they are clearly not universally popular, as I leave to the sound of a few hoots from a car upset over how long it takes to get their onward route restored.
Having enjoyed the peace and quiet - aside from the odd hoot (let's just pretend it was an owl) - at Low Bradley, the canal returns to follow the A629, and so the going gets a bit noisier again, but it is not a particularly long walk until we reach the town of Kildwick - where we will leaving this road behind for good.
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| Kildwick |
Kildwick marks the start of an excellent section that includes a beautifully presented canal, some lovely historical features and some great countryside - as the route heads on round towards Silsden.
It is worth noting at this point, that the railway has been stalking us along the full route of this walk - and so if you do fancy doing only a short section of the canal - this is very easy to do. There will just be a small link up section to get from the train line to the canal, as they take slightly different routes through the countryside. For some stations this is a very short walk, while for others you have to go a bit further - but it is generally very easy to get on and off the canal.
I'm really enjoying the walk by the time I arrive in Silsden, which starts a section of canal where you pass by canal-fronted houses - and get to be quite nosy about how they have set up their gardens.
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| Arriving in Silsden - Ilkley Moor behind |
Generally I'm less keen on sections with houses, but although many of these houses are new, it is good to see that they have all been tastefully designed and not just plonked in place - with the gardens also being well presented along this section.
After leaving Silsden behind, the canal enters one of its quietest section, as it winds its way on towards Riddlesden.
Here the path is heading through farmed land for the first half of this section, and then at the half way mark the path heads into a more wooded section.
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| Sat on a bench in the farmed section, sheep in front and cows behind |
Riddlesden is a pretty little suburb of Keighley - but here I turn off to find my overnight accommodation and some food in Keighley, which from what I see of it, isn't quite so pretty.
This town itself is a bit of a surprise - I have planned to use this town as a base for more walks as it sits in great countryside, and also provides an access point to the Pennine Way by bus near Haworth (Bronte country) - but maybe I will find somewhere else to use as a base instead.
I know how great the surrounding area is - and maybe I'm missing something about Keighley - but it doesn't have as nice a vibe as the other towns on my walk - with lots of litter, awkward roads and an apparent lack of love for the general area. Overall the people seem okay and I have no issues, but the town in general feels very badly managed, and a bit sad. This particularly makes it stand out on this walk, having seen so many well loved towns.
To offer a section opinion, Bill Bryson is famous for having said: "I know the army needs some place for gunnery practice, but surely they could find some new and less visually sensitive location to blow up - Keighley, say". This quite feels quite harsh - it is a super location after all - but maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that town isn't on the same level as the other towns along the canal.
Still, I get some food and head to my overnight - ready for the next day of walking.
Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5
Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 103 and 104 OS Landranger maps (links redirect to Amazon). The route is not way-marked, but you just follow the canal so it is hard to go wrong.
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