Thackley and Esholt 7

We're doubling back now to cross the River Aire again. Here it flows through a man-made cutting skirting the sewage works, with all the hallmarks of early 20th century municipal 'works', including a very elaborate metal footbridge that looks as though it has pretensions to being the drawbridge of a castle. Luckily I am quite slender but even so I had a struggle to squeeze past the metal post!

In contrast, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal on this stretch has a gentle, rural tranquillity.

Spring is on its way and the cheery yellow gorse is bursting into bloom.

Thackley and Esholt 6

Just outside Esholt village there is an attractive railway viaduct. It carries the train from Shipley to Ilkley; a pleasantly scenic route, although I can't remember being aware of the viaduct when you're actually on the train.

Esholt also has an educational farm park that schools and groups can visit to see the animals and learn about farms. Unless you've booked a group you can't just wander in, but there was a pony fast asleep in a field (so fast asleep I didn't like to wake him by clicking my camera!) and lots of hens and geese gaggling around.

Then a walk through the woods... It was quite hard to follow the track and I need to hone my map-reading skills.

Once out of the woods, so to speak, you enter the area of Esholt Sewerage Treatment Works. It's a huge enterprise, dealing with the waste from 750000 people in Bradford and North Leeds. The filter beds are spread over a large area that used to be the Esholt Hall estate.  When Bradford's population exploded during the late 19th century as a result of the Industrial Revolution, waste poured into the little stream called Bradford Beck and led to a stinking and disease-ridden city. An embryonic sewage system was begun in 1862 but the Esholt site wasn't conceived until the 1920s. It has had several modernisations since and now produces biogas which is converted into electricity to run the plant and power about 7000 homes. Even walking around the edges of the site, it is quite well-screened, so you don't really get any idea of its size and complexity.

Some of the old Esholt Hall estate buildings have been attractively converted into a business park and educational centre.

Thackley and Esholt 5

The village of Esholt is mostly famous these days as being the original film location for a popular and long-running TV soap called 'Emmerdale Farm'. Outside shots were filmed here for 20 years, from 1976 to 1996. The landlord of the village pub eventually changed its name from The Commercial Inn to The Woolpack, to save having to keep changing the name board! It remains The Woolpack to this day, although the village is no longer used for filming. Eventually, to spare the villagers the inconvenience of TV crews and tourists, they built a replica of Esholt on the Harewood Estate nearby, which continues to be used to make the TV programme. Many tourists, however, still end up in Esholt. Not surprising, as it is quite an attractive village with some very old buildings - and you can have still a pint in The Woolpack.

Thackley and Esholt 4

We arrive in the village of Esholt and make a little detour to see Esholt Old Hall and the church. The Old Hall (on the left) is a Grade II listed medieval manor house, dating back to the 16th century. Adjoining it is an old barn, now converted into an attractive home with its main entrance through the huge arched barn doors.

The little church of St Paul is tucked away at the bottom of the lane, overshadowed now by a huge old yew tree. We often find yew trees in church yards and some of them may be over 1000 years old. These long-lasting evergreens had pre-Christian spiritual significance, linked with life, death and protection of the soul on the journey to the next life and this then became linked with the Christian concept of resurrection.

The church was  built originally as a private chapel for the family who owned the Esholt estate. It is now a parish church. It is unadorned inside, apart from some simple, patterned stained glass.