retiredmartin

July 2026. Bingley, Bradford.

Yes, Day 6. Some folk would have finished the Leeds to Liverpool Canal walk by now, especially with a tailwind.

Like me, Mrs RM knows it’s about the journey, not the destination (even if that is the Azvex Taproom at Stanley Dock), so we booked two (2) nights at the rundown Travelodge in Keighley for Stages 6 and 7.

Usual routine; park up the line, take the train back to our last end point, walk the canal.

Keighley Station is one of the top attractions in town, in fact the train taking you to Bronte Country used to be in the Good Beer Guide with its cask decanted into tea urns or something.

But since you’d have to pay £18 return for the privilege of that half hour trip it’s no longer in the Guide.

Two quid gets you to Bingley, where the wall panel confirms a shortage of genuine tourist attractions,

barring the view of the Damart factory from the Five Rise Locks.

The Five Rise is the centre of canal activity for miles.

Weird boats,

cheery cyclists headed for Burnley’s Travelodge (we laughed, knowingly) and a night watching the World Cup Semi Final at the Royal Dyche.

But none of the boats were attempting to brave the five locks, or going anywhere fast.

“Ain’t not Rushin”, “Time will tell”, “Dunroamin”. Those aren’t Retired Martin mottos.

To be fair, our own pace wasn’t much quicker, just 17.25 miles from Leeds in six days.

I thought about a pint at the closet boozer (ugh) to Crossflats, but the Royal’s sign said 3pm opening and the door was shut, despite obvious activity inside. So I may never know if the Tim Taylor was drinking well.

But the cask was drinking well in the pub we did a detour to an hour later. You’ll never guess what it was.