In Praise of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal

[Gerry Attrick]

Had occasion last week to cycle 31 miles from Barnoldswick to Baildon on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal with a (usually) non-cycling pal and his very fit collie dog trotting alongside.

It was a most pleasant ride, the canal being mosly rural with a deal of interesting (to me at least) industrial archaeology in the towns. Well recommended for those with an interest in our transport and weaving industries.

I was a little disappointed with Salt's Mill, as I expected to see more than art galleries and shops, but All Terrain Cycling's shop is worth a visit.

 

[MarkF]

Yes, it's a very nice ride, can get very muddy around Silsden tho', I usually take to the old Airedale Rd around there which is very quiet since the bypass opened a few years back.

Saltaire, great place to live and tremendous architecture but........boring. I like to see tourists wandering around this World Heritage Site, half an hour after leaving their coaches, with a puzzled "Is that it"? look on their faces BTW what did you expect to see in a renovated mill?

All Terrain has a fantastic stock range, I can spend hours in there, good job too, cos it can take hours to get served

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Yes, it's a very nice ride, can get very muddy around Silsden tho', I usually take to the old Airedale Rd around there which is very quiet since the bypass opened a few years back.

Saltaire, great place to live and tremendous architecture but........boring. I like to see tourists wandering around this World Heritage Site, half an hour after leaving their coaches, with a puzzled "Is that it"? look on their faces BTW what did you expect to see in a renovated mill?

All Terrain has a fantastic stock range, I can spend hours in there, good job too, cos it can take hours to get served

Mud wasn't a problem as it has been dry for a good few days, though I accept it must get a bit claggy in the damp.

As for the mill, I did expect it to retain a few of its internal gubbins, maybe the odd loom or steam engine and boilers. Still, I do appreciate the architecture and quality of the building. Unless Bonj collides with it, I reckon it will be around for another hundred or so years.

All Terrain is huge as you say, and it was odd that my pal and I were left alone to browse at will. I had to ring the bell to pay for an item I eventually purchased. I did think their prices were a little high for some things though.

Mind you, to put that in perspective, we went to one of the feeding stations in the mill intending to eat with gay abandon. The price for a single scrambled egg on toast (£5.25) saw us order a cup of tea!

 

[Archie_tect]

Sounds great- full of nostalgia... I was born in a house overlooking a lock on the Aire Calder Navigation extension SE of Leeds which had a very dodgy towpath.

 

[MarkF]

As for the mill, I did expect it to retain a few of its internal gubbins, maybe the odd loom or steam engine and boilers.

All Terrain is huge as you say, and it was odd that my pal and I were left alone to browse at will. I had to ring the bell to pay for an item I eventually purchased. I did think their prices were a little high for some things though.

The mill was in a terrible state prior to renovation, it would have been ransacked for anything of value, a shame. Salts Mill. The cafe's are nice, prices Wembleyesque!

All Terrain, prices are high but they hold an awful lot of stock in premises that will be expensive. You don't have to browse to be left alone, you can stand at the counter and ring the bell to experience the same levels of customer service. It's a standing joke locally, they need a counter boy to serve because it is obsviously beneath every other employees dignity.

 

[Alan Whicker]

There's a good cafe at the top of the Five Rise Locks in Bingley. It's easy to miss if you're concentrating on the towpath, 'cos it's on the other of the footbridge.

A nice detour in Saltaire is to take the "toboggan" Tramway up to Shipley Glen - and I think they take bikes on it!