In lock step

The Leeds-Liverpool Canal between East Marton and Gargrave must be one its prettier stretches, with far ranging views and lots of canalside interest. There are numerous bridges and no less than ten locks, six of them within a very short distance at Bank Newton. My photo above shows Bank Newton Top Lock, with some old canalside cottages alongside.  A little further on there are some wide pools or winding holes where boats could turn. This area was the site of a boatyard and a carpenter's yard that made and repaired lock gates. In years gone by, apparently, the canal company provided deceased employees with a free coffin, made here in these workshops! The buildings are now converted to residential use, very attractive but perhaps a little too exposed to view on all sides for my liking. 

Nearer still to Gargrave, the canal crosses the River Aire on a short aqueduct and there is a railway bridge over the canal too. The railway (Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line) crosses the river on a viaduct, making an attractive view - though I just missed a train passing over! 

East Marton

The farthest point on my walk from Gargrave was East Marton, where my route picked up the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal to take me back to Gargrave. East Marton is a cluster of farm buildings, cottages and a pub, with a newer residential area on the lane down to the church. There is a short stretch beyond Williamson Bridge (above) where narrowboats moor and there is a water point. One of the bridges, below, is double-arched. It was initially a packhorse bridge but was raised when the Skipton-Gisburn turnpike road, now the A59, was built. 

The towpath is on the inside of a bend in the canal here, and  I noticed this wooden roller, designed to prevent the towropes of horse-drawn boats from rubbing on the wall. Either the roller hasn't always been there or it is not entirely successful, since you can see grooves in the stone worn by ropes rubbing. 

Some of the buildings in the hamlet looked pretty old. This cottage had a datestone of 1698 above the door, though you can't always tell if that is original or simply added from an earlier building. It had nice detailing in the wall and round the windows. 

Gallivanting round Gargrave

A crisp and sunny winter day seemed a shame to waste indoors, so I drove over to Gargrave and took a circular walk of about 6 miles from the village, along the Pennine Way to East Marton and then back along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. It's a lovely scenic walk, which I've done before the other way round. Somehow things seem very different viewed from the opposite direction so it felt like a 'new' walk. 

Recent dry weather had reduced the water level in our rivers. The Aire through Gargrave, viewed from the bridge near the church, looked very benign in the sunshine.

Fields near the village were full of very pregnant and rather sleepy-looking sheep, who didn't move despite my close proximity. There are signs everywhere saying 'Lambing time; there are penalties for worrying sheep' - so I was careful not to mention climate change or the war as I walked past. 

Once away from the village I had to concentrate. It was difficult to tell the Pennine Way path from sheep tracks, apart from a few finger posts pointing the way - and the recent dry weather hadn't diminished the mud in the fields. Looking back, you can see Gargrave church and Flasby Fell in the distance, a lovely view though visibility was was a bit hazy.