Out and about: Shipley Glen

On Sunday 17th May 2009, 10.30am, the Out and About group and their guests will be taking a 4-mile walk in Shipley Glen, Saltaire and by the canal. The bluebells seem to have come early this year and will probably be finished by then, but the walk is still lovely. Adults and children are welcome. This is one of a number of options on the third Sunday.

In order to get a walk in before lunch, and avoid too much hanging around, we'd like everyone to meet at Salts Mill at 10:30am, which probably means leaving Leeds by 9:50am. Leave a comment below if you'd like to share lifts.

Bring a picnic lunch to carry. Wear strong walking shoes or boots and bring waterproofs etc depending on the weather. There is no charge for the car park.

To get from Leeds to Salts Mill, take the Ring Road to Rodley, then the A657 to Shipley for 5.5 miles. Then follow the brown signs to Salts Mill. We'll meet in the large car park 100yds from the Mill itself.

The main walk is 4 miles long. We will cross the canal on the tubular metal bridge and walk up the hill beside the famous Shipley Glen tramway, which unfortunately is out of service at the moment.

SaltsMill

The route follows the valley through the woods, which may well be full of bluebells, by the rock-strewn plateau to the bridge over the beck. After visiting the old dam, we cross the river and walk along the canal towpath to return to Salts Mill.

For those with very short legs, there is an easy shortcut which takes the walk down to about 2.5miles. Apparently there is a fallen tree which is making the route less suitable for buggies at the moment.

Afterwards, it is interesting to visit Salts Mill, which has free entry and a large collection of art by David Hockney - open until 6pm.

It should be a great day out!

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I'm planning to come to Shipley Glen on Sunday 17th May. Please let me know if plans change at the last minute due to weather.

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David and Sally Wallace, 14/05/2009