It was always a great adventure in my childhood to visit family in Silsden. We loved climbing Ilkley Moor, playing on the stepping stones at Bolton Abbey and visiting Haworth, the home of the Brontes so when I got the chance of a weekend narrowboat trip on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal between Silsden and Skipton I was thrilled to be returning to the area.
I had been told that there were no locks on this particular stretch only swing bridges so I thought it would be perfect for my husband and I to manage on our own having only done this sort of thing before with energetic grandchildren to do all the hard work!
Approaching Silsden all my childhood memories came flooding back - there was Cliffe Castle where I had visited so often with my aunty, and the signpost to Haworth where my love of the Brontes had begun.
Arriving at Silsden Boats we soon got our belongings stowed away on ‘Gwen’s Drum’, our home for the next few days and we loved how cosy and well equipped it was. A quick bit of training about the swing bridges and we were off.
We were so lucky to have chosen a warm and sunny weekend and had just begun to relax and enjoy the scenery when the first swing bridge loomed up in the distance. I had been given the task of jumping off and dealing with these. Why do men think that they are the only ones capable of steering a boat?
The bridge was quite hard work to push on your own, but I soon got the knack and from then onwards I got quite good at it. I particularly enjoyed the automated ones where you just pressed a button, and the barriers came down and the bridge opened automatically. It gave me a huge sense of power to be able to stop the traffic.
Having ably manoeuvred what felt like hundreds of swing bridges we arrived at Kildwick where I had heard there was a good pub, however as much as we could have done with a pint and a G&T we decided to keep going to Skipton for the night. Another memory popped into my head at Kildwick. My aunty had taken me to Kildwick Hall to watch Wuthering Heights being filmed with Ian McShane starring as Heathcliff. She certainly gave us a good time when we were visiting.
There didn’t seem to be so many bridges to contend with on this stretch, so we got more chance to enjoy the view and notice the wildlife. It’s a weird sensation when you are washing up in the galley and there are cows peering at you through the window.
In between Farnhill and Low Bradley there was wonderful woodland and we moored up to open another swing bridge. Here is a memorial to seven Polish airmen who lost their lives when their aircraft crashed into a nearby field.
We were approaching Skipton by now and we thankfully got moored up very near the town centre right opposite a bar where people were enjoying the long-awaited sunshine.
Next morning we opened our curtains to see curious dogs staring in at us as they were walked along the busy towpath. Breakfast over, we headed off to explore Skipton properly.
I had visited Skipton Castle many years ago but like many children all I could remember was the medieval toilet!
Visiting it again I took a lot more in and really enjoyed it. It really is very well preserved and has a fascinating history. We found Skipton a bustling little town with a large market and a good selection of shops and cafes and a brilliant new museum.
READ MORE: The looping boat on the canal near Meadowhall in Sheffield
Back at the boat we admired the life-sized statue of Freddie Trueman on the opposite bank to us. In the evening, we went out to find somewhere to eat again. We had decided to stay where we were overnight and start our return journey in the morning so we could take our time and enjoy it.
Next day the journey back to Silsden was relaxing and uneventful. We were now old timers as far as the bridges were concerned and were getting very efficient at it. This time we did get to stop at the White Lion at Kildwick .
We had a great time, and it was wonderful to be back in Yorkshire. I would thoroughly recommend this short trip as a taster for people who have never been narrow boating before.
silsdenboats.co.uk Tel 0117 304 1122
Anglo Welsh offers canal boat hire from 10 locations in England and Wales, including Silsden
