A favourite haunt of houseboat friends is Skipton, known
as the Gateway to the Dales. Stone cobbled ‘setts’ flank each side of the broad
High Street, once housing pens of sheep, cattle and other livestock for sale. Today,
kaleidoscopic stalls sell an array of tempting goods, including quality
Christmas flora. Livestock are now banished to the outskirts of town, but the enterprising
auction market also hosts theatre and other cultural entertainments through the
year.
A popular gathering place is the basin on a bend of the Leeds
and Liverpool Canal, the longest canal in the country. The bronze statue of the
much loved personality, Freddie Trueman, the archetypal plain speaking
Yorkshireman, is poised forever bowling his ball towards the tower of Holy
Trinity Church. Well maintained residential barges, appreciated as indigenous are
licensed by the Canal and River Trust. Barge folk share desirable scenery
with converted waterside mill apartments, each respecting the other.
There is a distinct pride and tradition kept alive on the
canals. A local tavern has illustrations of a large Mid Victorian houseboat,
resembling an Oxbridge College barge, being towed by a rugged horse along the
canal. The cinder surfaced tow paths, using spoils from nearby mill steam
boilers and barges, which made Mum’s socks grubby in the olden days are now replaced
with smart flagstones. It may be good thing that the warehouses and other grimy
trappings of industry are long gone.
Diane, Chris
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