To Baildon

There are basically two ways to get to Baildon on foot from Saltaire. The more intrepid route involves walking up the steep path beside the Glen Tramway and then negotiating a series of narrow paths around the crags and up into the village above. In this time of 'social distancing', I decided the chance of meeting someone coming the opposite way on the path and having no way to avoid close contact was too risky, so I chose the longer route round the bottom of the cliffs. It is scenic in its own way, a weird mixture of suburban, semi-rural industrial, woods and moorland. The escarpment saw quarrying for its gritstone in the past, which is what has left it so craggy and rough. I guess many of our older houses have sills and lintels made from the stuff. Then there's the hamlet of Baildon Green, originally a farming community that expanded in the 19th century around a small textile mill. It sits overlooking an open area of ancient Common Land that used to host a large annual gathering of gypsies in the past, though that tradition appears to have died out.

A little further east, the track climbs towards the centre of Baildon on the hill above. There are some interesting old houses, all perched precariously on the hillside.

It's a nice walk, especially on a lovely sunny morning.