WHEN driving into Ripon, my husband and I often noticed people walking alongside the canal.

So we pledged to one day do it ourselves, and were pleased to come across a leaflet in the city’s Tourist Information Centre, produced by Ripon Civic Society, with a route mapped out, ready for us to enjoy.

Called Navigator’s Walk, the four-and-a-half mile ramble was full of interest, taking us through urban and rural areas, past Ripon Racecourse and alongside boatyards and wetlands.

Setting off from the city’s Market Square, we crossed the River Skell in the shadow of Ripon Cathedral, and soon came across the still waters of the canal basin.

Here, new-build homes border the waterway, giving way to a mix of older properties, from Victorian terraces to grand 18th century townhouses.

The path is tree-lined, the branches casting shadows across the water. Ducks scudded across for food, spying my backpack, but, unusually, we did not have anything to offer them.

Heading out of town, we passed a pretty white-painted former lock keeper’s cottage beside Rhodesfield Lock. Further along, boats were moored alongside the canal.

The waterway was planned in 1766 to link the city of Ripon with the navigable section of the River Ure at Oxclose lock, from where boats could reach York and Hull. Engineer John Smeaton presented a proposal, public subscription raised £15000 and a petition was made to Parliament in 1767 where a bill authorising the navigation received Royal assent. It was built by canal engineer William Jessop.

The canal opened in 1773 and carried flax for the Knaresborough linen industry as well as timber and coal. Coal traffic to Boroughbridge was seriously affected when the Great Northern Railway opened from Darlington to York in 1841. In the later part of the 19th century the canal completely was superseded by rail.

Abandoned in 1956, it reopened 30 years later for navigation as far as Littlethorpe road bridge. Members of the Ripon Motor Boat Club formed the Ripon Canal Company to head its restoration.

The canal was officially reopened by British Waterways into the centre of Ripon in 1996 with help from Ripon Canal Society and local authorities, with funds from English Partnerships.

Beyond Rhodesfield Lock, the canal runs alongside a large expanse of wetland, harbouring a wide array of birdlife. The noise they made filled the air.

We watched greylag geese, Canada geese and a number of wading birds that we could not identify, from a sturdy wooden hide, one of a number positioned along the towpath.

Information boards beside the canal give details of the waterway’s history and the wildlife that inhabit it.

We learned that the canal and wetland area forms part of a much larger wetland landscape within the Ure Valley, one of North Yorkshire’s most important wildlife conservation areas.

Because of its unique ecology, the canal, from Oxclose in south to Rhodesfield in north is a site of importance for nature conservation (SINC). The wetlands have been formed over the last few years by sand and gravel extraction and feature shallow lagoons.

During spring and summer the canal , grassland and wetland areas support many species of wildflower and provide a home for hundreds of nesting wildfowl and waders. In winter the wetlands provide home to even larger numbers of wildfowl with birds coming from as far away as Siberia.

Many species of bird can be found here, in particular the little ringed plover, a rare migrant wading bird, noticeable for its yellow eye ring.

From here, the path travels to a second lock, Bell Furrow’s Lock, beside Ripon Racecourse Marina, which opened in 1999. The 140-berth marina is home to a wide range of moored boats including Dutch barges, gaily-painted narrowboats and motor cruisers.

The next stretch of the walk took us to Nicholson’s Bridge - a neat stone and brick structure. This marks the furthest limit of the wheelchair and pushchair-friendly section of the towpath. Beyond, the route remains flat and wide, but, we were warned, it can become very muddy in certain weather conditions.

As you stroll along, the views open out - to the left is the wide expanse of the racecourse, with farmland to the right. We were lucky to have blue skies on the day of our walk, which was a bonus.

In summer, one of the information board told us, a wide variety of butterflies and damselflies can be spotted including the banded demoiselle, azure damselfly and the migrant hawker dragonfly, all of which can be seen resting on leaves during the warmer months. Butterflies include peacock, small tortoiseshell and orange tip.

The return walk takes you to the village of Littlethorpe which has been a centre for pottery since 1831. Pots are still made here from the good local clay. Visitors can watch the process at Littlethorpe Potteries, a working heritage site and oldest continually working pottery in the country. You can also see Littlethorpe Manor, and 18th century manor house on the banks of Ripon Canal.

During the First World War there was a railway junction in the village where thousands of soldiers changed from the main line through Ripon to a branch line that served the huge army camp around the west side of the city.

The walk is just the right length for a morning’s stroll before heading back into Ripon for lunch.

INFORMATION

Ripon is around 30 miles from Bradford and takes about an hour by car. The leaflet, costing 50p, is available from the Tourist Information Centre in Old Market Square, Ripon HG4 1BP 01765 604625. Also see riponcivicsociety.org.uk and canalrivertrust.org.uk.