Shipley to Otley, over The Chevin.

I’m on the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal within seconds from the Travelodge.  It is busy with people heading to work or school. At first, it’s all industrial decay, but then new apartments have sprung up, and soon the countryside comes into view.  At some point, I leave the canal and cross the River Aire by a wrought-iron bridge.

Some squeeze stiles give access to a riverside path.

But it doesn’t feel right, completely overgrown. I escape in time onto the newer path, which comes out into fields heading for Esholt. 

Esholt is a cluster of houses and cottages around a pub. 

Originally called The Commercial Inn, the building was renamed The Woolpack after it was chosen as a filming location for the soap opera, Emmerdale. It served as a location from 1976 until 1997, when production moved to a purpose-built replica set on the Harewood Estate.

I find a little path heading up into the woods. Indicated by a Welcome Way marker, the first I have seen, as yesterday I was doing my own thing. For the rest of the day, these markers were a welcome help in navigating through the woods and fields. 

These beech woods are a delight, with the path meandering through the trees; a hushed silence hangs over the place.

But there are indications that this was once a cobbled carriage way through the estate.

Maybe this is a clue as I navigate my way into Guiseley.

I arrive at St. Oswald’s parish church.

The churchyard has many ornate tombs and two open stone coffins dating back to Medieval times. 

Inside, local ladies are arranging flowers for the harvest festival.

I spot what looks like a decorated Saxon cross.

Round the corner is a little cafe 

Time for a toasted tea cake and a sit-down. I haven’t found anywhere to stay tonight in Otley as yet. The one hotel room is £150, which I’m not prepared to pay. I may catch a bus into Leeds for cheap accommodation. Scrolling on my phone for options, I see the price of the Otley one has more than halved for tonight, so I book it there and then. Hotel prices in Britain have become a joke; see Alan’s comment a couple of days ago.

Where my path leaves the town, there appears to be a series of strip fields enclosed by walls.

The path wanders slowly uphill between horse pastures, with broadening views over Airedale and much of Yorkshire beyond.

A cobbled lane runs straight up the hillside towards The Chevin. I can now pick out the tall transmitter tower on Emley Moor, which I passed on my Dearne walk a couple of years ago. It must be 20 miles away.

I don’t know who planned this walk, but for the second day running I walk straight into a pub’s car park, this time The Royalty, an independent inn high on the road that crosses The Chevin. I have time for a Wharfedale Pale Ale.

A few yards and I’m at Surprise View on the top of The Chevin, now looking back into Wharfedale. This is a popular spot on a clear day, with many benches lined up for views over Otley. I’m pleased to pick out the “Wart of Wharfedale”, the prominent gritstone crag of Almscliffe, where I have had many a bloody battle. Sandy tracks wind down through the woods.

Is my way off the moor into town blocked? I walk on past the offending wall, which is covered in ivy, giving the wasps and bees some late succour. The greenery is alive with the buzzing insects.

Safely into town. Like Ilkley, Otley is stone-built and prosperous. But the traffic is horrendous.

My room at The Horse and Farriers is not ready, so I dump my sack and wander back into town. Just around the corner is a prominent building which turns out to be the birthplace of Thomas Chippendale in 1718. He started woodworking in his family’s Otley business before moving to London and becoming the celebrated cabinetmaker. And there in the grounds is a statue of him.

The shops are all busy; it’s market day. The prominent Jubilee Clock Tower stands in the market square on the site of a market cross. “The inhabitants of the town were exercising their minds to find some suitable and lasting method of marking the Queen’s Jubilee”, 1887. 

I head to All Saints Parish Church, almost hidden in the trees.

Some obvious memorials are on display. 

But I have come to see the carved Anglo/Saxon crosses dating from the  8th- 10th centuries.  The earliest parts of the current church date to the 11th century. The cross remnants are in a glass case and are difficult to photograph.

The same for the Dragon carving.

On the edge of the church grounds is the unusual and unique Navvies Memorial. A miniature replica of the crenellated Gothic-style northern portal of the nearby Bramhope Tunnel: dedicated to the 23 manual labourers who died building the local railways.

That’s just about it for Otley tonight; I buy some food in the supermarket to eat in my room rather than face the noisy bar and rubbish fare. 

Another great day. 

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