A grand day out in Silsden park

Above: the sun shone for Silsden's Grand deParty in the park on July 4 when a variety of events coincided with the Tour de France Grand Depart in Utrecht, Holland, a year after Yorkshire auspiciously hosted the start of the famous race.

 Above: some of the pairs who took part in the relay run for adults and under-11s.  

Above and below: Silsden Town Band entertained in a perfect outdoor setting for brass-band music.   

  

Above: experienced members of Silsden Playing Fields Bowling Club were kept busy introducing youngsters to the game.

 Above: not every wood goes where you want it to.

 Above: novelty equipment proved the ideal way to attract the interest of youngsters.  

Above: the park opened in 1934 and has been a major town asset ever since.

Above: Silsden AFC under-10s took part in the soccer matches. They are pictured here with the age-group trophy they won at the recent Silsden tournament, which has become one of the biggest junior soccer events in the UK. 

Above: Silsden AFC under-8s showed off the kit they will wear as the under-9s squad in the coming season, sponsored by Shaun Topper's TMC Joinery. The new sponsor follows Silsden Opticians' support.

Above and below: families made the most of the fine weather to support what was the first in a series of Grand deParty events in July, capitalising on the great community day last year when the Tour de France came through Silsden.

Above: two of the youngsters who completed the popular Becyling obstacle course run by cycling coach Chris Armstrong, who will be providing summer holiday cycling activities in the district.

Above: a "dogstacle" course organised by Linda Flanagan and friends was a hit. Linda's pet Papillon dog Louis is pictured with a new friend.   

England runner wins Silsden's Murder Mile

Above: England fell runner Tom Adams, of Ilkley Harriers, won this year's Murder Mile at Silsden, in a time of 6 minutes 43.98 seconds -- narrowly outside the record of 6.24 set last year by James Hall, of Wharfedale Harriers. 

Above: second in 7.09 was Silsden's Craig Shearer, who runs for Keighley and Craven. 

Above: Wharfedale Harrier Logan Hargreaves-Madhas (7.54) was third. He was also the first under-14 boy to finish.

Above: Chris Barnes (Blackburn) won a three-way battle for fourth place in 8.02 followed by Chris Loftus (Keighley and Craven) in 8.03, the first veteran 40 to finish, and Sam Smith (Wharfedale Harriers), 8.04, who was the first under-12 boy home. 

The race starts at Silsden Golf Club, Brunthwaite, and provides a challenging ascent of 162 metres (485 ft.) up winding Brunthwaite Lane. 

Just under 200 runners were in the July 2 starting line-up. Conditions were cool and wet and in sharp contrast to the week's heatwave. The night before, Silsden had been hit by a frightening thunder and hail storm.     

Above: the first under-17 girl to finish was Jemima Elgood, of Ilkley Harriers, in 8.36. She was also the first female to cross the line.

The race is a single event that has young and older runners competing alongside each other.

Above: the first senior lady home was Sophie Martin, of Wharfedale Harriers, who clocked 9.05. Alice Jones (9.06), of the same club, was the first under-12 girl home. 

Above: Many of the children competing in the race attend local primary schools.

Conditions improve and highlight

our green and pleasant land

Above: dismal weather in May gave way to gales and downpours at the start of June but warmer and calmer conditions soon prevailed and greenery was seen to striking effect as the sun shone. 

Above: tucked away in a field above Snowden Ghyll is a delightful clump of bugle, which was regarded by medieval herbalists as a cure-all. It is seen here growing with yellow-flowered lady's bedstraw, which in olden times in the north was used to curdle milk.  

Above: a few clumps of water avens can be found on the bank above Snowden Ghyll. 

Above: no apologies for another photograph of the stunning massed ranks of ramsons in Swartha Wood. 

Above: I have been informed that what I thought was a red mason bee, which is like a honey-bee in shape but with red hair on the body, is actually a Ruby Tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa). It is pictured on a lichen-covered wall near Tar Topping waiting for its wings to expand after emerging from its pupal case. I am grateful to "dragon fly" for improving my flawed powers of identification.

Sir Bradley Wiggins rides in as the

Tour de Yorkshire comes through Silsden

Above: a bearded Sir Bradley Wiggins in Skipton Road as the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire came through Silsden on Sunday, May 3. From Wakefield to Leeds, this was the last of the Tour's three stages.

Above: filming the leaders of a field that featured several well-spread packs of riders.
Above: one of the leading groups.
Above: another pack in hot pursuit.
Above: downhill after the climb up Priest Bank Lane at Kildwick.
 Above and below: applause greeted the riders all the way down Skipton Road. 

Above: Anne Kennedy holds her grandson William as they and William's mum Laura Welsh wait for husband James Welsh to ride past in the Sportive, which preceded the professional race.
Above: the Dale Family were out early on Sunday morning to cheer the 6,000 amateur riders in the Sportive, which took place on the same roads as the third and final stage of the Tour.
Above: Madison and Harry Bowness wait with dad Andrew to cheer the Sportive riders.Above: music was provided at the Twisters Club for the spectators awaiting the Tour de Yorkshire.Above and below: crowds gather in Bell Square where the Kings Arms and the Punch Bowl provided refreshment.

Above: after rain in the morning, the sun was shining by the time people started to gather in Bolton Road.
Above and below: as with the Tour de France last year, public support for the Tour de Yorkshire overwhelmed the organisers. Ben Hermans, the Belgian winner of the Wakefield-Leeds stage, remarked that in the Benelux countries crowds throng the finishing line but in Yorkshire there was solid support throughout the 167km-stage.






 

Spring sunshine sets seal

on Silsden's scenic splendour

Above: a circular walk along the canal and back through lanes illustrates why Silsden takes some beating as a place to live. Here, modern homes overlook moorings for the nearby busy canal boating centre.

Above: this imaginative development is in striking but not unpleasant contrast to the sturdy Victorian terraces which housed textile-mill workers. 

Above: colourful gardens are a feature of the canal-side fringes of Waterside.

Above: this willow weeps with a reflective sweep.

Above: the Howden Park settlement has ancient roots.

Above: pylons 'march' across old field systems between Holden Bridge and Alder Carr Wood. Howden and Holden have caused what one historian describes as a "serious confusion of nomenclature". Holden is a Norse word meaning "hollow in the valley".

Above: looking back beyond Holden Bridge towards Silsden.

Above: mother goose takes a bow in presenting her eight greylag goslings.

Above: a landmark house near the towpath at Lower Holden. 

Above: view towards Silsden from the towpath below Alder Carr Wood. 

Above: a distinctive bend in the canal at Lodge Hill, which was called "blood dell" by older Silsdeners who played here as children. The path to Lower Holden leaves the towpath opposite the dell. 

Above: the track from Lower Holden Farm towards Howden House, which was once a farm with an immense corn barn that has been converted into luxury homes.

Above: the track from Howden House in the opposite direction to Lower Holden, which was part of the much larger pre-Norman manor of Holden. The area has a fascinating history.  

Above: Holden Beck nears the River Aire. The beck in Lady Anne Clifford's time powered a corn mill at Howden Park.

Above: panoramic view of the Aire Valley from Hainsworth Road. 

Above: where sheep may safely graze and rest in the shade. The green lane that became Hainsworth Road had served farming settlements for more than 500 years.

Above: Hainsworth Road farmland has given way to housing in recent times.