From Silsden to Kildwick

I had to take my car for its first annual service recently. I can't believe I've already had it for a year! I went back to the garage where I purchased it, in Silsden, which is a small town about 10 miles away. To while away the time while it was being looked at, I decided to walk in a westerly direction along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal towpath, since it passes through the centre of Silsden on its way to Kildwick and eventually to Skipton. It's not a stretch I know very well and, even on a fairly dull day, it proved to be a pleasant walk. The river Aire runs in the valley bottom, which tends to get flooded and boggy in this area, and so the canal is constructed part way up the valley side. There are lovely views from the towpath.

The small village of Kildwick is to the right of my photo. It has a long history and some quite old buildings. The stone bridge over the river was constructed in the very early 1300s when Kildwick was part of the Bolton Priory estate.