Birch

Walking from Saltaire up to Shipley Glen takes you from the urban sprawl, across the canal, river and park, up through the wooded hillside and out onto the heather moorland. The glen moorland is merely a staging post on a climb that ultimately crests Hope Hill, out onto Baildon Moor. It seems 'wild' but in fact has been shaped by hundred of years of man's activity. There are stones with ancient cup and ring markings and the glen area was at one time a huge Victorian funfair. Heather has reclaimed the rocky plateau and a few spindly birch trees have gained a hold here too. I find them so delicate and pretty with their silvery bark and cascades of little leaves.