Places to visit along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Day boat hire from Snaygill Boats, Bradley, near Skipton.THE LONGEST CANAL IN BRITAIN
A day on the Leeds and Liverpool canal offers wide views of hills, valleys, fields and woodland and passes through picturesque villages and historic towns. The Leeds & Liverpool canal is easily the longest canal in Britain, covering 127¼ miles, and the stretch through the Yorkshire Dales is among its finest. The stretch a day boat cruises has no locks to work, so it is an easy, unhurried day whatever your experience — just the swing bridges to open, which is half the fun. It is quiet and uncrowded. You will see an exciting range of wildlife because your boat does not disturb it, and you can moor where you like when you like and relax.
There are many places of interest along the canal and we have picked a few out for you. How far you get depends on the day you have — the boatyard will happily suggest a route to suit your 9:30am to 4:30pm hire.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Skipton
Over 900 years old, Skipton Castle is one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England.
Visitors can explore every corner of this impressive history-rich castle, which withstood a three-year siege during the Civil War. View the Banqueting Hall, the Kitchen, the Bedchamber and Privy. Climb from the depths of the Dungeon to the top storey of the Watch Tower. Well worth a visit at any season of the year!
Keighley
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is perhaps most famous for it’s role in the film “The Railway Children”. Step back in time and experience a steam train ride through the heart of the Brontë country.
Saltaire
Salts Mill is a former textile mill, now an art gallery, shopping centre, and restaurant complex in Saltaire, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built by Sir Titus Salt in 1853, and the present-day 1853 Gallery takes its name from the date of the building which houses it.
Wakefield
The Nostell Priory built in 1733, an architectural masterpiece. Here you can admire a fine collection of Chippendale furniture, art treasures, paintings and an 18th century dolls house. The National Coal Mining Museum offers a great day out with an exciting opportunity to descend 140 metres underground down one of Britain’s oldest working mines.
Leeds
The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds was opened in 1996 to house the national collection of arms and armour.
The monumental ruin of Kirkstall Abbey is Leed’s best kept secret. This massive monastic ruin, just off the Kirkstall road three miles from Leeds’ centre, is one of the country’s best preserved and most haunting Cistercian Abbeys.
Bingley 5 Rise Locks
Considered one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’, Bingley Five Rise Locks are one of the most awesome features on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. They are the steepest staircase locks on the longest canal in the country!