‘Gateway to the Dales’ hope for £2m canal path transformation

CANAL PATHS forming a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales will be transformed as part of a £2m scheme to make the waterways more accessible for visitors as a year-round destination.

Towpaths along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, linking communities to the north and south of Skipton, can become boggy and impassable in wet weather, campaigners have said, with plans commissioned for their reform over five years ago. Now, as government grants of £1.4m have been secured, campaigners say work can finally begin to transform one of the area’s best-loved scenic routes into something that is accessible for all visitors.

“This is very good news indeed,” said Coun Simon Myers, Craven District Council’s lead member for Enterprising Craven.

“It’s a fantastic bit of underused infrastructure, that can take people away from roads and traffic which is exactly what we should be doing.

“This project will be a huge benefit to our local communities and will also allow more visitors and businesses to make the most of the historic Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

“It will create a family-friendly route that balances the needs of modern day visitors against the 200-year heritage of the canal.”

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, at 127 miles, is the longest canal in Britain built as a single waterway. Completed in the mid-18th century, it had flourished as northern industry grew, forming a key rival to the railways for trade and coal transportation.

Its use has changed over time, and the canal route is now popular with walkers, cyclists and canoeists, particularly in the summer months.

In winter though, campaigners have long warned that it can become inaccessible in parts due to muddy conditions, and Craven Council commissioned an access development plan, drawn up in 2013, looking at improving accessibility.

With funding of £1.46m now agreed from the Government’s Rural Development Programme for England, alongside £500,000 set aside by the council and the Canal and River Trust, it is hoped that work can begin this year to transform 11km of route, between Skipton and Gargrave and from Bradley to Kildwick.

It comes alongside improvement works totalling a further £320,000, agreed in July, to bring the canal waterfront in Skipton back to its best, following years of decline. Together, Coun Myers said, it will enable the canal to be transformed as a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.

He added: “It’s taken a fair bit of time, but if we get there in the end it will be worth it.”

Sean McGinley, regional director at Canal and River Trust, said the improvements “will ensure locals and visitors can enjoy their local canal towpath throughout the year”, from early morning dog walks to weekend strolls.

This project will be a huge benefit to our local communities. Coun Simon Myers, Craven Council.