Shipley Glen - From Victorian tourist attraction to country park
Shipley Glen - a circular walk
Back in the day Shipley Glen was possibly THE tourist attraction in West Yorkshire. You
wouldn't believe that from visiting nowadays because there's nothing left, but
on a bank holiday wekend this place would be teeming.
And just to prove it here's a film from Easter Weekend 1912
The walk starts from anywhere in Saltaire, and it makes a nice way to finish the
day after looking round the village. Hint - it's a lot easier to park at the foot
of Shipley Glen than it is in Saltaire.
From Saltaire, cross the pedestrian bridge over the Aire. The mill on the right
is New Mill, which is now partially occupied by the NHS and partially converted
into posh flats. I've been to meetings there a couple of times, and I have to say
the NHS really know how to choose offices.
From the bridge, walk through Roberts Park, or better still have a good look round
it as there's a major refurbishment programme going on and it should look brilliant
by the time it's finished. Admire the Holly Trees (Titus Salt was a collecter) and
emerge on the far side of the park.
Opposite is a very large school. And to the right of the school a large cream coloured
wooden shed which is the terminus of the Shipley Glen Tramway. Wander over to this,
and then decide if you want to walk up through the Bluebell woods or catch the tram.
The tramway was built in 1895 and travels for nearly a whole 400 yards. There are two cars
linked by an endless steel cable, so as one car goes down the other goes up - just like those funicular railways they have up the cliffs at Scarborough and
Whitby. Last
time I visited it had been closed for "elf n safety" reasons (I gather the insurers
were demanding brakes were fitted) but was targeted to reopen in early 2010.
I hope it does because it's a lovely ride. Support it if you can, because
it's run by volunteers and they always need money.
At the top of the tramway is where the pleasure ground used to be. All that's left
now is the Dodgems. This funfair was the remnant of the Victorian funfair, and I
remember as a child being terrified by the chair ride which went over the side of
the glen. Even back in the 1960's it looked rickety, but it survived until the late
90's. My own kids went on it shortly before it closed and they too were deeply worried
by it - not least because of the instruction yelled to all the riders "duck when
you get to that bend or you'll bash your head on the steel girder". The same scary
instruction I remembered from years before. Small wonder it closed - but such a
shame it couldn't have been saved.
But it's all gone now, so turn left and walk up Prod Lane for a couple of hundred
yards until you reach open countryside.
This is Shipley Glen, the entrance to which
is marked by The Old Glen House pub. Apart from being a pub, they also have a tea room in the car park,
so all tastes catered for. It's quite an upmarket foodie pub nowadays - and while I've never eaten
here the menu looked very promising and they had a couple of hand pulled beers on.
On a hot afternoon it's a godsend, though you'll usually
find an ice cream van parked a little further up the road.
Just at the back of the pub is a green lane which goes straight back down to Airedale.
If you want to cut the alk really short, take this and then walk back along the
road to Saltaire.
From here the Glen stretches away in front of you, with a flat bracken area in front,
and the woods off to your left. The meeting between the two being marked with rocks
all along the edge of the escarpment. There's great views out over Airedale.
Wandering along the top of the Glen, about halfway there's a building on the right
which is the Bracken Hall Countryside Centre. Run by the council this is only ever
open on an afternoon. In Summer it's open Wednesday to Sunday, in September, October
and April it's Wednesdays and weekends, and in Winter, Wednesdays and Sundays. Naturally
I picked a day when it wasn't open, which is a shame because it's quite good as
I recall.
Last time I went there were good displays about the natural history of the area,
and a lot of information about the Victorian era when it was the workers' playground
for Bradford and the surrounding areas.
Opposite the hall was an information board about The Dales Way which quite surprised
me. I always thought it went from Ilkley to Windermere, but apparently there are
extensions to Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate. You learn something every day.
To continue the walk, amble along the escarpment enjoying the views, and towards
the end of the Glen, there's a path going back down towards the valley. There's
several paths in facty, and it doesn't really matter which you choose because they
all lead through Trench Woods into the valley bottom. In the valley bottom is a
beck. Follow this until you come to an old Mill Dam.
From here there are two choices:
1. continue following the beck through the woods, which eventually joins up with the
green lane from the back of the pub. Then follow the green lane downhill to the
road.
2. Cross the front of the dam, and go up the lane opposite until you get to the elaborate
iron gate, then turn left and keep going downhill until you come into an unmetalled
road and then follow that until you get to the metalled road
So, and whichever route you took, you're now on a proper road along the valley bottom
with the woods on the left and a council estate on the right. The easy way back
from here is to walk along the road to Roberts Park and then cut through the park
to Saltaire.
Alternatively, walk along the road to the bus turnaround and then go right down
Bowland Avenue towards the river. Cross the river (fear not for there is a
bridge) and then walk back to Saltaire along the canal towpath.
And as the Boathouse pub has now reopened, that's a great place to finish.
And, to finish, a few pictures of Shipley Glen