Skipton Waterways Festival 2012

Today I drove to a very sunny Skipton for the Waterways Festival. On the way I must have crossed the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at least 6 times and went under it once. Just goes to show that those canal planners could pick a good route.
Skipton was certainly busy when I arrived but there was plenty of space to park in the large car park by the canal despite there being a farmers market on half of it. There was a lot going on around the junction between the main line of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the short Springs Branch which passes below the castle walls. The farmers market had all sorts of food, honey, cakes, pork pies, brownies and any bit of a pig you would care to eat. There were some rather nice engines on display with a very proud man stood hoping someone would ask a question about them. I didn't have a question but did take a photo or two. I do like the smell of a steam engine. It's a man thing.

Skipton is one of the few places along the whole 127 miles of the canal that makes a feature of it. There are the trip boats, and hire boats, the canal shop and cafe, and the chippy has nice big windows facing out to the water. Today there were lots of shiny narrowboats about but sadly only a few examples of the classic leisure boat, the fiberglass cabin cruiser. I walked along the towpath up to the railway station. Some boats had their bunting up and there were quite a few with union jacks and pictures of the Queen on this Jubilee year. What a patriotic lot boaters are.

Skipton

As well as their love of the monarchy boaters of a certain type have a fondness for two ragdolls, Rosie and Jim. Rosie and Jim are characters from a children's television show from the 1990's. In the show they traveled about on a narrowboat called the Ragdoll in the midlands. These sinister creatures would pretend to be regular rag dolls but would come alive when the boat's owners were not looking. Maybe it was growing up in the era of the Chucky films but I have always found these dolls a bit creepy. Between the Springs branch and the station I must have seen half a dozen sets of Rosie and Jim dolls, staring at me with their apparently dead eyes. One set was huge, bigger than a niece. If the knitted dolls weren't enough to give a man nightmares the three lifesize models of old men on one boat roof certainly were. If any one of them had come to life i would have soiled myself.
At the station I met up with the other half of today's towpath treks team. One of her first jobs was to spell check the boats. Only one crime against apostrophe's was found, on the NB Bee's Knee's.
We had a quick look around the farmers market and the marquee that had some very nice birds of prey in it. One tiny black and white owl was particularly cute. I have no idea what type of owl it was but it was very odd looking with its tiny head and massive eyes.
After wandering about we headed to Skipton Castle and after side stepping the introduction by the enthusiastic old man at the gate we unerringly followed the tour route on the leaflet. We saved the best till last, the little shop. I love the little shop. After the castle we walked up the Springs Branch of the canal and up and around to the town again.

the Spring Branch

Skipton has a lot of charity shops so we had a look at the books. I had a look for shops selling Golly Wogs but we only saw one racist doll in the whole town.
As well as steam engines I like the smell of chips and it was this smell that took us to the canal side chippy. The chips are nice and crunchy but not cheap.
We didn't visit any of the towns pubs but they all looked like they were making the most of the sunshine and the Bank Holiday crowds. One day I will have a weekend here. Maybe one day Albatross will get this far along the canal.
After the chips we headed back to the carpark, stopping off to buy a postcard of the Five Rise at Bingley. 35p for a branch new one, a bit cheaper than then £17 I have just paid for an old canal postcard on Ebay.
On the way back to the right side of the Pennines (Lancashire) we stopped off at the Cross Keys in East Marton. It is next to the famous double arch bridge and serves a very nice pint of Copper Dragon.
It is nice to see a town celebrating its canal, Burscough also makes an effort. it would be nice if some other towns and cities did the same.

Pub Reviews: Salterforth to Snaygill

Time to add some new pubs to Towpath Treks Canal Pub Guide. You would think that going to a pub, taking a photo of it and having a pint would be top of my list of things to do but it seems to have taken years to get some new pubs on the guide. Too much time spent in other pubs probably. Anyway if we were going to do it we may as well head off to the wrong side of the border and look at the pubs on the Yorkshire side of the Leeds & Liverpool canal. 

The plan was to drive up to the Anchor Inn, Salterforth (not sure if this is in Yorkshire but its close), the Cross Keys at East Marton, the Anchor Inn at Gargrave, the Bay Horse at Snaygill, the Copper Dragon Brewery, and then to Skipton and the Royal Shepherd and Narrow Boat. 

After a look round the Astrid Kirchherr exhibition at the Victoria Museum and Gallery in Liverpool we headed off up the motorways, following the canal to Salterforth. After some minor disagreements with the SatNav we arrived. Kate the towpathtreks.co.uk official (and still undefeated) beer and pub reviewer was on board and it was time to get to work. 

The Anchor Inn was the only pub on the days list that I have been in before. It is most famous for its cellar of stalactites and stalagmites. Maybe we were a bit early, it was only just gone 12noon, but the pub was anything but busy. The pub has some black and white photos of the canal on the walls. We had planned to ask to have a look in the cellar but this being the first pub and therefore the first pint, we were feeling a bit shy so after our drinks we crept out and back to the car. 

The plan was to eat in the next pub which was luckily only a 10 minute drive away. The Cross Keys is near enough to the Double Arch Bridge to count as a canal pub in my book and besides it gets good reviews and we were hungry. I think we timed our arrival just right. Not long after we had sat down the place was full. This was our first pub selling Copper Dragon, the Skipton brew. 

There was an impressive menu, Kate had a psychic knack for picking the items off the chalk board that were sold out but eventually she went for the Keys Burger and we could all move on with our lives. The burgers when they arrived were excellent and more than either of us could finish. This pub is one of the best for food on the canal. It is well worth the short walk up a busy road from bridge #161, but you may end up waddling back full of food. And so waddle on we did. 

There isnt much to say about the Anchor Inn at Gargrave. Its a Brewers Fayre pub with a Premier Inn on the side. If you want a cheap hotel room in Gargrave this could be the place for you. If you are looking for a pub with interesting beer or character then this is probably not the pub to head for. 

On the way to the next pub I stopped at Higherland lock to see how the water level was. The levels are down a foot or so but not as bad as they have been. 

the canal at Gargrave

From Gargrave we drove to the Bay Horse in Lower Snaygill. This is a chain pub but nicer than the Brewers Fayre. Its the sort of pub that you would go to for a meal rather than a drink. Kate had a Timothy Taylor while I had yet another J20. A purple one this time. We read the Towpath Talk and sat back while through the window the hire boats headed back to Skipton. 

Before we headed into Skipton we stopped off at the Copper Dragon Brewery, a building as far removed from the Cains brewery in Liverpool as is possible. Unfortunately the shop was shut and the bistro just too strange for me to drink in.  I dont know why anyone would go to a side door of a shed on an industrial estate for a meal. 

In Skipton we walked up the Springs Branch, beneath the castle walls. The Kennet is moored in Skipton at the moment. Run by the Leeds & Liverpool it is a floating promotion for the canal and a reminder of what a real boat looks like.  It started to rain so we headed to the penultimate pub. 

The Royal Shepherd is a traditional pub. I guess that is short hand for saying it hasn't been done up for 20 years. Like all pubs it does food and the chips looked good but you can imagine a microwave and a sandwich toaster out the back. Worn seats and dodgy carpet is not retro chic. Still the pub was full of drinkers so they must be doing something right. The beer was good, I managed a pint of Copper Dragon Scotts 1816 which was nice, Kate had the Best Bitter. 

With time ticking on we wondered about missing out the last pub but to have done that we would have missed out on the best pub of the day. 

The Narrow Boat is just round the corner from the Royal Shepherd but is a million miles away in terms of style and décor. Its a spacious clean pub with roses and castles decoration alongside beer advertising on the wall. The range of beers is something like The Fly in the Loaf or Ship and Mitre in Liverpool, and for those who dont know, thats very good. If I was trying to create a pub that was aimed directly at me, this would be it. Its just a shame it was over 100 mile round trip for a pint. As it was the last pub before driving home I was back on the coke while Kate had a Midnight Bell, from the Leeds brewers. Looking through the drinks menu I noticed an alcohol free beer, perfect for the driver. Sadly it smelt so bad I couldnt finish it. With no booze in the bottle it wasnt worth holding my nose and pouring it down my neck. Still, not the pubs fault. 

We finished our drinks and went for chips by the canal. It rained all the way back to Liverpool. 

Canal Walk: Gargrave to Skipton

We parked the car at the free carpark on North Street in Gargrave; the canal is just around the corner at Higherland bridge #170. At the bridge we turned right and headed towards Skipton. Not far from Higherland bridge is Eshton Road Bridge #171 and Eshton Road Lock #31 which was being used by a hire boat. Past Holme Bridge and the lock and aqueduct named after it the canal passes open fields. What should be a quiet country walk is spoilt by the A65 which follows the canal. It might have been the wind but the noise of the road never went away making this stretch noisier than the M65. There isn’t much for the industrial amateur archaeologist to look at on this bit of canal, just fields with sheep and cows. There was one good thing to spot and that was the mileposts, there were almost a full set. Along with the metal mileposts there was one milestone. It was near the stump of a tree and had been turned around over the last couple of hundred years but other than that it was in good condition and had a benchmark on top.
Other than the mileposts there wasn’t much of interest until we got to Skipton. Skipton has some impressive industrial architecture and is also the most vibrant town along the canal. Other towns and cities ignore the canal but Skipton has embraced it. Around the junction with the Springs Branch there is a lively canal scene. You can hire a boat, visit boating and outdoor shops or have something to eat and drink at the bars and cafes. A complete contrast to Blackburn or Burnley.
We walked up the Springs Branch. It is a short branch, just a quarter of a mile long, which was once a limestone quarry with the stone being loaded to the barges below. Boats up to 35foot can go up the branch and there is trip boat for those who want a short cruise. Walking along the raised boardwalk you get a view which is unique on the Leeds Liverpool (as far as I know). There are plenty of mills and factories on the canal but this is the only castle. Skipton Castle was built to defend England from the rampaging and murderous Scots. It was besieged by Cromwell’s Parliamentarians during the Civil War and is now open to the public. It’s well worth a visit and has a nice gift shop, the most important part of any historical site.
After the Castle we looked around the shops then walked back to Gawflat Swing bridge #176 which is very close to Skipton station. It was £1.60 for a single to Gargrave and took 6 minutes.