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Canal boat holidays on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Silsden holidays

Canal Wharfe, Elliott Street, Silsden, Keighley, BD20 0DE

Canal boat holidays on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Silsden Boats are now part of the Anglo Welsh fleet, offering wide beam boats as well as narrowboats for hire.

At 127 miles, the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is the longest single canal in the country. It crosses the Pennines and links the wide waterways of Yorkshire with those of Lancashire and the River Mersey.

The scenery of this historic waterway varies dramatically. It takes canal boat holiday-makers into the heart of the vibrant centres of Leeds, Liverpool, Wigan and Burnley.  And through awe-inspiring vast areas of open space, including the moorlands at the canal’s summit, and the woodlands of the Aire Valley.

Your holiday starts in the small Yorkshire town of Silsden, which dates back to Saxon times, with its duck pond in the centre of the main street.

Going west from Silsden, the canal passes through the typical Yorkshire stone built villages of Kildwick and Farnhill and on into a dense wooded area famous for its bluebells and deer.

Through Bradley – a typical ‘mill village’ with a cricket field and a very nice country pub. Then on to Skipton, the ‘Gateway to the Dales’ with a market four days a week, and a Farmers’ market once a month.

The canal continues through countryside to the delightful village of Gargrave, where it runs close to the river Aire. It’s also the start of a flight of six locks, followed quickly by another six locks at Bank Newton, hailed by many as the most beautiful locks on the whole canal system.

These take the canal up into the Dales with stunning views, until you reach the hamlet of East Marton, with its famous double arch bridge. From here, continue into the countryside to the three locks at Greenberfield, also in a very picturesque setting.

These locks take the canal onto the summit, and through Salterforth, then to Foulridge, and the famous mile long tunnel.

If you have longer on the canal, and are feeling energetic, you can carry on through the Lancashire cotton towns, over Burnley embankment and onto Wigan with its flight of 21 locks.

If you decide to travel east from Silsden towards Leeds, then, along with swing bridges, you will encounter the famous Grade 1 listed ‘Bingley Five Rise’ locks, which take you down 60ft followed by ‘Bingley Three Rise’ which drop a mere 29ft. There are a few more locks before you reach Saltaire, a World Heritage site built by Sir Titus Salt for his mill workers.

Leaving Saltaire, you travel parallel with the River Aire into the centre of Leeds.

For more information about our canal boat holidays on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal click here
Seven reasons to take a canal boat holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, click here
To read Stan Cullimore’s review of his wide beam canal boat holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, click here

For further information please consult the Pearson (P) or Nicholson (N) Guides indicated above and found here.

Bookings on Silsden Boats carry their own Terms & Conditions, please click here to view them.


Routes: Pennine Circuit
Waterways: Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Rochdale Canal, Huddersfield Narrow Canal

Below is a selection of Narrowboat routes that we have hand picked to help you decide which holiday you would like to take.

So why choose Anglo Welsh?

Over 55 years providing unique canal boat holidays in England and Wales.
Modern and spacious narrowboat and wide beam barge hire – from 2 to 12 berths.
Wide choice of narrowboat hire locations and canal boat holiday destinations.
Canal boat holiday routes for novices & experienced boaters.
Flexible holiday booking, no hidden costs.
Family friendly and pet friendly holidays.
Great days out on the water.
Luxury canal boat hire and Thames boating holidays.

Anglo Welsh. So much more than narrowboats

...but don't just take our word for it

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