Walk Details
This glorious 16-mile walk along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal starts in the charming market town of Skipton and finishes at the Saltaire World Heritage Site.
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Following the River Aire valley, this popular section of the 127-mile Leeds & Liverpool Canal begins in the ‘gateway to the Dales’ and leads through rolling green hills with a rich industrial past to its conclusion in a beautifully preserved 19th century industrial village.
You may have heard proud locals refer to Yorkshire as ‘God’s Own County’ and it’s walks like that this that make you realise they could be on to something.
The canal-side path is mostly flat for the whole route, making it fully accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs and allowing walkers of all ages and abilities to enjoy the grand scenery it passes through.
You’ll walk alongside steep hills; through woodlands; past pretty villages including Bradley, Kildwick and Silsden (perfect stop-offs for a pint); and on the outskirts of Keighley you’ll find the Bingley Five-Rise Locks. This magnificent canal staircase is the steepest flight of locks in the UK and honoured as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’.
The walk ends in the model village of Saltaire, built in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt for local mill workers. The village, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 2001, is beautifully preserved and still lived in to this day.
This route was voted 81st in a 2017 ITV poll to find Britain’s Favourite Walk.
TOG VERDICT: A stunning walk that isn’t as famous as it should be. Which is great, because that keeps it quiet for those of us who know about it!
Nearest Train (or tube) Station(s):
Skipton, Leeds
