THE start of this walk is in the village centre car park.

Begin by crossing the bridge over the Aire and turn right on an access road, which quickly becomes a path upstream.

This runs past several houses, away from the river and alongside an old mill-cut, to leave the green at a corner and emerge onto a suburban street.

Turn left to join Marton Road. Go briefly right, then left before the houses end on an enclosed drive serving Scaleber Farm.

This runs for some time, largely between hedgerows and bridging the railway before emerging into an open field.

After climbing to a bend after a cattle-grid, take a gate/stile on the left and bear gently right up the field.

A track comes up from the right to run parallel as far as a marker post on the brow.

Leaving the track to swing left, advance straight on, with Pendle Hill in the distance as a guide.

Cross to a kissing-gate then head away with a fence to a stile at the end. Bear left over the field to the next corner stile, then head away with the fence again.

Dropping gently down, when the fence bends left continue down to a gate at a bridge on tiny Crickle Beck.

Head away, keeping a short distance from the fence shadowing the stream, and on through an intervening gate and on again to cross a track.

Advance on yet again to a stile, and just beyond the next gate/stile you will finally cross the stream on a new footbridge.

Bear left up the field, over the brow and down to a bridle-gate just short of the far bottom corner.

Joining a rough lane, go left over the bridge, and just a few paces further an enclosed path rises right to a sharp bend of the canal towpath.

Here the route description effectively ends, as all that remains is to turn right and follow the waterway back to Gargrave.

Its meanderings make this a longer return walk, as a glance at the map confirms the canal’s dogged attempts to maintain its contour.

Approaching Bank Newton the now surfaced lane is briefly rejoined before it crosses the canal.

At this point double back under the road bridge to regain the towpath just short of Bank Newton’s splendid string of seven locks.

This section is full of interest, and weekends see much activity by the boating fraternity.

Beyond the locks another short road section is forced until the next bridge.

Doubling back underneath Priest Holme Bridge, the bank offers further interest, first in an aqueduct above the River Aire, then under a railway bridge. The final section passes Gargrave’s scattered locks, the third being alongside the Anchor Inn.

The canal then takes you under the main road to conclude round the back of the village.

At the road bridge at Higherland Lock, finally abandon the towpath and turn down the road to re-enter the village by the main car park.