Liverpool & Leeds Canal - Gargrave to Keighley (★★★★☆)

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 western side of Gargrave - and in my opinion should stay on this canal until it reaches Gargrave.

For those interested in those joining walks along the Pennine Way, click the links for the write-ups for Gargrave to Horton-in-Ribbdlesdale and Hebden Bridge to Gargrave.

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal itself is a long canal - running for 126 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 Canal 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 to 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 northern edge of Gargrave. From here I turn right along the canal and start heading east - already pleased with the quality of the onward path.

Heading out from Gargrave

Hills and boats

This first section is fairly reminiscent of following the Pennine Way through this part of the world. But this spot quite a lot flatter than much of the terrain otherwise to be found in the area, with the valley backed by smaller tree-capped hills.

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.

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 market town that everyone you meet talks very highlight of. It clearly has working class routes, but with a more modern middle class veneer - a bit like Durham in the north of England.

And 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 who knows, maybe I'll be back here more permanently one day. 

Passing through the core of Skipton

The history of Skipton extends back to an Iron Age hilltop settlement in this area, with the town at it's core being an agricultural market town.

However - it's history goes beyond these agricultural roots, with the town originally getting a wooden motte-and-bailey castle in 1090, which was replaced in the 12th century by the current stone-built castle.

Remarkably, this area was at risk from Scottish raids - most notably during the Great Raid of 1322, when Robert the Bruce starting raiding into Carlisle and Northumberland. From here he eventually came down into North Yorkshire, reaching Chorley, Richmond and York - with Skipton Castle surviving this raid by the Scots.

That raid ended up with an English defeat at the Battle of Old Byland - close to the route of the Cleveland Way, near Sutton Bank - that cost Edward II's reputation dearly.

Just before that Great Raid the first mills were foundned in Skipton (the oldest dates back to 1310), but Skipton mostly became prosperous through the sheep and wool trade (Skipton does derive from 'sheep-town' in Old English after all), with only a small milling industry.

These days the town is more focused around tourism, and as already noted, it's location for walkers is pretty perfect.

Heading through the centre of Skipton, the canal is at it's best as we walk through town - and this section hits it's peak where a short branch of the canal turns off on its way up to Skipton Castle.

I have since come here and walked up this stretch jutting off the main canal, past High Corn Mill (the one built in 1310) - before continuing to walk up round on the Dales High Way to Settle, via Gordale Scar and Malham Cover. The writeup for that walk can be found here. 

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.

Heading back into the countryside

We are now walking on the original section of this Canal, with this section between Bingley and Skipton being the first section of canal to be completed, in 1773. This longer section we are walking from Gargrave to Leeds was then completed in 1781 - with the link to Liverpool being completed in 1816.

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.

Hills near Low Bradley

Looking out to the side

At Low Bradley there is a bench by a 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, and 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) - things now get a bit noisier as we are joined by the nearby A629, but it is not a particularly long walk until we reach the town of Kildwick - where we will leaving this road behind for good.

Kildwick

Kildwick marks the start of an excellent section that includes a beautifully presented canal, some lovely historical features and some great countryside.

The name Kildwick hints at a Viking origin story, but after the Norman conquest it was the Norman's who dominated this area. 

After this conquest, the church at St Andrew's was rebuilt in the Norman style, and the choice of name was initially an important one, because it saved this church from being sacked by Scottish raiders in 1314 (St Andrew's was the patron saint of Scotland) - although it got sacked by a different group of Scottish raiders anyway in 1318.

It is worth noting at this point, that the railway has also 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. 

The next best place to do this is at Silsden - which is our next destination along the canal - and I'm really enjoying the walk by the time I arrive in Silsden, where we get the chance to take a look at everyone's gardens.

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.

The name Silsden once again hints at a Viking heritage - with the town being originally known at Siglesdene. 

And again the town has a mix of industrial and agricultural history - with a number of mills having operated in the town during the industrial revolution.

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.

Sat on a bench in the farmed section, sheep in front and cows behind

Riddlesden is a pretty little suburb of Keighley - and here I turn off to find my overnight accommodation, and some food in Keighley, which is probably the least pretty town I have encountered so far on this walk.

This town itself is a bit of a surprise - I had planned to use this town as a base for more walks as it sits in great countryside, and also provides an access point of sorts to the Pennine Way (taking a bus from here to Haworth) - but the town has a bit of an odd vibe to it.

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.

And maybe it's not just me, because looking up Keighley on Google quickly gives up a Bill Bryson quote: "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"

That feels a bit harsh - but doing the same walk again, I'd have continued on a bit, and stayed in Crossflats - which is a nicer village, slightly further along the canal.

Still, I manage to get some food and head to my overnight - ready for the next day of walking. 

Total Distance: 16.5 miles (15.1 miles on the canal)

Total Ascent: 447 feet (381 feet on the canal)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

Click for the write-up for the onward walk along the Liverpool & Leeds Canal on the following day from Keighley to Leeds.

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.