Walking back to Silsden

Walking back from Bradley to Silsden in the sunshine was most pleasant. It's odd, I think, that often a return journey seems to feel much quicker than the journey out, even when the distance and time taken are actually similar. Or is that just me? The route passed through Farnhill wood, then under the Farnhill bridge:

and into the village of Kildwick, with its unusual houses along the canalside. The sides backing onto the canal have four storeys but the road on the other side is higher so that they appear to be only two storey houses from that side. In my photo below, an old chapel was being converted into a residence, with new balconies overhanging the canal.

There's another pretty footbridge by Kildwick church, with a glimpse of part of the graveyard through it, full of daffodils and blossom trees.  

The church itself is huge, one of the longest naves in the county. I wrote about it here. Once again, it was all locked up so I couldn't go inside.

Between Kildwick and Silsden, the views from the towpath sweep right across the valley. The buildings in the middle distance (below) are the Airedale Hospital. It's the largest hospital in the area, with a busy A&E department.

On the towpath, you feel a world away from the busy life going on in the valley: the hospital, the railway and the busy trunk road. You can, however, hear the hum of the traffic and the occasional sirens of emergency vehicles.