Two from one, plus a bonus

Photo blogs are a bit like the London Underground, I always think... You can travel on the Underground and 'pop up' at various points in London, without having any real idea of how those points all mesh together. Some places I always thought were miles apart turn out to be next-door neighbours, quicker to walk than to take the Tube between them!

In a similar way, I'm sure regular readers of my blog, even those who have never set foot in Saltaire, have a pretty good idea by now of the local scenery and my habitual walks but perhaps haven't formed an idea of where all the places are in relation to each other. So I suddenly had the idea to take two (or more) photos from one spot, just shifting my viewpoint, and that way you can see a little more of how things fit together.

The picture above is taken looking back in the direction of Saltaire, at the point where the Leeds-Liverpool Canal (seen on the right) passes on an aqueduct over the River Aire (glimpsed centre left). This is the furthest point of my favourite circular walk, along the canal and then back along the river. There are steps down to the riverbank just where the girl is standing. It's a walk I do at least every couple of weeks, but there is always something new to discover. This time I noticed that a new hedge has been planted behind the bench. The sign said it had been done by the Hirst Wood Regeneration Group. Good idea - but it might mean that one day you won't be able to see my two favourite trees so well...

My two favourite trees, in the photo below, are on the hill up above the canal. I was standing on the same spot to take both photos, just moving a quarter turn between the two views. The girl had seen me taking the trees and must have decided to take a similar picture herself. They did look quite dramatic, lit by the sun against the dark storm clouds.

And a postscript, a photo taken on a different day: I noticed that, now the leaves are off the trees, it is possible to see a good bit of the aqueduct from the river bank. I don't think I've ever really shown the arches before as they are usually so obscured. The Dowley Gap Aqueduct is 30 feet long and actually has seven arches. Designed by the famous engineer, James Brindley, it was built in the 1770s. Nowadays the river mainly flows under the first two arches, turning back on itself in a huge curve. The others are silted up and only really fill when the river is in flood.