One weekend we decided to travel to Saltaire to take a ride on the oldest functioning funicular railway in the United Kingdom. Getting there by public transport was relatively easy, Saltaire having a railway station on the Airedale line with links to Leeds, Bradford and Skipton.
Leaving the station by a short flight of stone steps we turned left onto Victoria Road passing the historic Salts Mill on our way. Saltaire has had UNESCO world heritage status since 2009 and will be the subject of a future trip. Arriving at a pedestrian footbridge we crossed both the River Aire and the Leeds Liverpool canal where we paused briefly to admire the brightly coloured narrow boats tied up alongside the towpath.
The path leads into the English Heritage listed Roberts Park which was opened in 1871 by Sir Titus Salt. The Shipley Glen Tramway bottom station is easily accessible just across the park being signposted from Higher Coach Road.
The tramway is only open from 12.00 noon during weekends and public holidays, further details of which can be found on its website here. We bought single tickets costing £1 each.
The bottom station ticket office contains a small shop and has some interesting displays of old food packaging including biscuit tins and chocolate boxes for visitors to look at whilst waiting to board the tram. Adjacent to the bottom station is a small museum which recently re-opened after extensive refurbishment.
We took the first journey of the day, managing to sit on the front seats giving us an uninterrupted view through the steeply wooded glen. The tramway opened in 1895 and was built to carry people up the steep slope to a fairground and wooden toboggan ride which has been closed for some time. Originally the tramway was powered by a gas engine but since 1920 it has run on electricity.
Reaching the top station, this ticket office sells traditional boiled sweets and humbugs in glass jars which are then weighed out at the counter as used to be the case in bygone days.
Leaving the tramway along Prod Lane, a modern housing estate has been built over what had once been the original fairground. Next to the former fairground we came across an old country pub called the Old Glen House with a tearoom next door.
Continuing a little further up the lane we arrived at the broad expanse of Bracken Hall Green an exposed hilly outcrop on Baildon Moor where a stiff wind was blowing. A short walk across the moorland brought us to a car parking area and the Bracken Hall Countryside Visitor Centre.
The visitor centre, formerly operated by Bradford Council, is now run by a team of volunteers known as the friends of Bracken Hall. The centre has been downsized but still contains historic memorabilia relating to the Shipley Glen tramway and old fairground in addition to a small exhibition on the local flora and fauna. The volunteer staff were very enthusiastic and showed us a clip of some old black and white footage of the tramway crammed with people, enjoying a day out riding up the tramway and having fun at the fairground in 1912.
Leaving the visitor centre we retraced our steps back to the tramway but instead of returning downhill on the old funicular, we decided to walk down the steep path running alongside it which didn’t take us very long. We then felt it was time to find a cafe in the village centre for tea and cakes before returning home by train. A visit to the tramway can easily be combined with a visit to the local Salts Mill and a canal side walk.
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An interesting visit Marion. What a tiny funicular. Always good to find these little gems. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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The funicular is really tiny Allan but a fun experience if you are in the area. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Marion.
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Excellent photography!
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Thank you for your kind words about my post. I’m pleased you enjoyed it.
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That’s it. Must get off my backside and get to some of these places you have been to.
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I hope you get a chance to visit some of these places Richard.
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I’m not familiar with the Ilkley walks either. I seem to be accrueing an awful lot of places I’d like to visit this summer 🙂 🙂
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It’s nice to be able to find new places to walk alongside old favourites!
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And now I know a new meaning for “humbug.” Thank you. An amazing language you have there. Sometimes it resembles English, and then you spring things like that on me.
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So pleased I have given you a new meaning to ‘humbug’. It made my day reading this Brad!
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The visitor’s center is very quaint. =)
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Thank you Brenda, it’s a typical stone cottage from the district.
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How cute! I love little adventures like this!
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Thanks Dani, t really was a fun trip out!
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You go on the most fascinating journeys Thanks for taking us along with you. 🙂
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It’s my pleasure Ian. The Shipley Glen Tramway can’t quite compete with Moscow but it was a lovely little trip n the countryside. It’s snowing here in northern England today and feels colder than when I was in Moscow as it’s such a damp cold!
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….. it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon!
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Aw lovely. I have been to Saltaire but never on the tramway. Must remedy that this year!
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Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts. Hope you manage a ride on the tramway this summer, it’s not very long but
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I want to ride the tram! Looks like a fun day there. ❤️
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Thanks John for your much appreciated thoughts. I do hope you get an opportunity to visit West Yorkshire and ride on the old tramway.
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Sounds just perfect, the tramway looks quite enchanting
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Thank you Andrew for your much appreciated thoughts, we had a lovely day out.
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What an adorable outing
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Thank you Robert, we had a lovely day out in the countryside.
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It sounds like a fun outing! I think you took the right approach, riding the tram uphill and then walking back down.
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Definitely! It was a pleasant way to spent a few hours in the countryside. Hope you are keeping warm! M.
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Wonderful – this was new to me! I enjoyed Your photos very much. Funicular brought to my mind our trip to the top of Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro in the 70ties.
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Thank you Matti for your interesting thoughts on my tramway post. How exciting that you have visited Rio de Janeiro – perhaps I’ll also manage to get there one day too!
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Such a pretty trip! It looks like it was a pleasant way to enjoy a day!
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It was a lovely little trip on the tramway which we combined with a nice walk at the top. Thanks for your much appreciated thoughts.
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Sounds like a fun ride! It’s now on my to-do-list for the next time I visit the UK 🙂
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Thanks Caterina, there’s lots to see and do in Yorkshire so I’m certain you will enjoy it.
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Oh, I remember that! We rode on it back in the day, when we did a series of walks called the ‘Ilkley Moor Bar T’at Walks’. Some of us rode the tramway, and got sneers of ‘cheating’ from the real purists!
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Oh, how lovely that you remembered taking the tramway ride. The walking trails over a Ilkley Mor are beautiful. Thank you for your ever welcome thoughts on my posts.
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Agreed! The ‘Dick Hudson’ts to the Cow and Calf’ is a classic … although badly worn in places; they had to put duckboards down (presumably, to prevent t’ducks from eating up t’worms 😀 )
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I haven’t actually done that walk but I think I will this summer then I can reward myself with a tasty bar meal at the end of the walk.
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