Yesterday's weather was far too wet for photography. So I got soaked to the skin taking my grandsons to school. But I had good memories of last week's walk to the nearby village of Thackley.
Setting off from the Windhill area of Shipley, a familiar loud noise draws my attention to the railway line below. As a train pulls wagons of aggregate mined from the hills of upper Airedale. But there's only around 20 wagons. Compared to the 50 or so that we counted as kids.
But as I turn to climb the path into the trees, I hear a second train. And I realise that the engines currently in service probably lack the pulling power of earlier engines. Very much like me!
Woodland Walkway
Turning from the view across the valley of my old hometown, Baildon, I continued to follow the path of the old railway line. Long since closed during the Beeching era, this is now a haven for nature. With an easy uphill walk.
This is one of my favourite local places. And it's hard to imagine that a few hundred yards away lies one of the busiest roads in the area. As I watch birds and squirrels. While eating freshly foraged blackberries.
Monumental Engineering
This is primarily a woodland walk. But there are still occasional reminders of the heroic manual efforts of earlier generations. Intent on driving railways through endless tunnels. And along precarious hills.
Until now, it has been hard to recognise the pathways as an old rail track. But now the route widens and it's easier to imagine trains pulling up this hill.
Thackley
On reaching Thackley, the footpath ends. And though traces of the old railway continue, they are mostly inaccessible. So I continue along urban footways until I suddenly meet…
The Thackley Gnomes
After the quick pause for a photo, I'm back walking for the main event - a refreshing pint of Tetleys in the garden of The Commercial Inn.
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