YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER
07 Saltaire, West Yorkshire
Distance: 2.9 miles/4.7km | Time: 1.5 hours | Grade: Easy | Ascent: 55m (one way)
The longest canal in Britain built as a single waterway, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal runs 127 miles from Liverpool, through East Lancashire and the Pennines, skirting the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, through Bingley and the model town of Saltaire to Leeds.
This three-mile, stile-free family walk begins in the West Yorkshire urban village of Saltaire and follows the towpath to Bingley and the Five Rise Locks. Now a World Heritage Site, Saltaire is an outstanding and wellpreserved example of a mid-19th-century industrial town. It is an easy place to reach both by train or car and is just a 15-minute drive from the city centre of Bradford.
1. START
Sir Titus Salt had a vision to create an ideal community, which would hold all his businesses under one roof and provide houses for all his workers. After building the mill in 1851, he began to construct the village of Saltaire. Soon he moved his entire woollen industry and his workforce out of Bradford to the rural site near Shipley. Today the Salts Mill is a place for art, shopping and dining, with free entry. It’s worth visiting to see the permanent Hockney collection.
Head down Victoria Street and over the bridge that leads into Roberts Park, which was opened in 1871 to provide leisure facilities for millworkers and their families. Today there is a large play area, skate park and beautiful bandstand where concerts are staged in summer. It’s the perfect place for a picnic.
2. 0.1 MILES
Follow the towpath towards leafy Hirst Woods, with its mix of alder, rowan, hazel, and sycamore. Woodland birds flit among the trees. The nature reserve on the other side of the canal towpath is a haven for wildlife, including waterfowl and otters, which have made their home on the canal banks. Watch out, too, for the heron who patiently waits for the carp to appear.
3. 1.3 MILES
The route passes Hirst Lock and the aqueduct over the river at Dowley Gap, where the towpath moves to the other side of the canal. The Fisherman’s Inn is a good spot for liquid refreshment. The terrain becomes less rural now as the canal approaches Bingley and the chimney of the Damart factory comes into view.
4. 2.3 MILES
The canal, road and railway run close together for a bit in the centre of Bingley before emerging at the three-lock staircase.
5. 2.9 MILES
Further on is the five-rise locks, one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’. This aweinspiring sight rises 18m over a distance of 98m. It is a fitting grand finale. Either return the way you came or catch the bus or train back to Saltaire.
USEFUL INFO
Starting point
Car parking at Caroline Street, BD18 3LF (fees apply). There are three blue badge parking bays. A regular bus service runs from Bradford to Saltaire, returning to Bradford from Bingley. Trains run from Forster Square, Bradford to Saltaire, returning to Bradford from Bingley station.
Terrain
Varied surfaces, including loose gravel, paving stones and cobbles. The towpath narrows at points underneath bridges. Paths up to the locks are steep.
Map
OS Explorer 288
