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Here are some pictures from a short walk from Letcliffe Park on a sunny May Sunday.

We left Letcliffe by the stone style in the eastern boundary wall of the park and crossed to the end of Hodge Lane. The main picture shows the single tree atop the hill looking east.

Above Eastcliffe, we passed the ruined cottage and viewed the Barnoldswick vista before contouring along the hillside and crossed the lane which leads to Moor Side.

Following the wall side path, our walk took us through a buttercup filled meadow, then pasture with grazing sheep and their lambs.more

The beck in the shady tree lined gill was deliciously cool and refreshing. Only a few weeks previously, this would have been a raging torrent of water coming off Weets Hill.

Our return to Letcliffe took us by Folly Lane, Forty Steps and the newly refurbished sett paved path to the bottom entrance to the park.

Photos by Tom and David Whipp.

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Greenberfield Locks are nice and handy to go for a short walk.

The Lock Stop cabin is a good spot for refreshments at the beginning and end of a walk.

Beyond the locks, quiet countryside takes control of the towpath.

Dairy cows, sheep and horses graze and birds skim the water taking their fill of insects.

A good circuit takes you northwards along the towpath. Past bridge 158 and round the bend, a style on your right skirts you around the Rolls-Royce Ghyll Brow plant over the fields. (This can be a muddy trod especially at the gate holes.more..).

You can complete a short circuit by turning right when you reach the road or add some length to the route by going left down the hill (Ghyll Brow) and crossing the road to find the gate taking you on the path past Ghyll Hall Farm to Ghyll Church. Ghyll Lane leads you back towards town.

Crossing Skipton Road and bearing right brings you back towards the canal and locks.

These photos were taken during a rare sunny day in September 2012.

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The Greenberfield area was a good location to view an August Bank Holiday sunset.

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Barnoldswick blossoms in spring with trees in parks and open spaces bursting into bloom.

Cherry and other trees make a colourful contribution to the town amongst terraced streets and industrial areas, as well as Barnoldswick's greener spaces.

The main picture shows the avenue of trees planted on land between Bank Street and Valley Road to commemorate the millennium.

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When the Act of Parliament was passed to allow the construction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal through Barnoldswick and into Lancashire, it included a requirement for the canal to be bridged with permanent structures where its course cut across highways and byways, rather than the swing bridges used along much of the canal's length.

The bridges constructed were hump backed with a masonry arch spanning the waterway and the canal towpath.

Some of the original bridges remain and several can be seen on the canal as it passes through the Barnoldswick area.

Bridge 158 is a bridge which has been rebuilt with a concrete arch.more

The bridge is just to the north of Greenberfield Locks and carries the towpath from one side of the canal to the other.

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The Centenary Gardens on Fernlea Avenue were developed in 1990 to commemorate 100 years of local government in the town.

Positioned next to a busy road and pedestrian route in the town centre, the gardens are often overlooked by busy passersby, but contain intriguing features for avid Barnoldswick explorers.

The gardens were the idea of Dennis Cairns who was a member of Barnoldswick Town Council, the organisation that commisioned the work.

Stone paved, with stone walls enclosing planting areas, the gardens are constructed with Barnoldswick's traditional building material.more

Several stone reliefs were built into niches in the walls of the gardens. The carvings refer to Barnoldswick's historical characters and key events in the town's history.

Famous local sculptor Fiona Bowley designed and carved the reliefs. Fiona's career as an artist has taken off in the years since she did the carvings for Barnoldswick. She has gained international recognition and is famous for her carvings of sheep. There is space to add additional carvings, if anyone would like to sponsor a new one!

The benches in the gardens have a fine view along Albert Road to the Town Square.

Barnoldswick in Bloom volunteers adopted parts of the gardens last year, planting out summer bedding and daffodil bulbs.

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The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through tranquil countryside north of Barnoldswick as it meanders around the drumlin field.

Big skies can dominate the landscape and the canal is sometimes full of clouds.

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Cockshott Bridge is a surviving original bridge over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal's summit section.

The bridge carries the footpath which runs from Kelbrook Road to Salterforth Lane. The bridge is on the route of the Pennine Bridleway. Interesting blocks of recycled stone are positioned at each side of the bridge to allow horseriders to dismount as they cross over the bridge.

After crossing over the bridge, walking towards Salterforth Lane takes you up 'Bob Preston' (or at least close by following a recent diversion of the route). Lower Park Marina extends alongside the canal at either side of the bridge.more

There's boat building activity immediately next to the bridge and a canal shop. Tow path users can use the bridge to get to the shop where they can buy refreshments. Alongside the bridge you can see a water main which carries water from Elslack Reservoir and Yorkshire Water's grid into Barnoldswick.

Looking towards Salterforth from Cockshott Bridge, you can clearly see the surviving abutment of the former railway bridge which carried the Barnoldswick branch line into the town from the junction at Kelbrook.

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Barlickers have been planting daffodils in Barnoldswick's roadside verges for many years.

In 2011, volunteers planted a few thousand more!

The town's chamber of trade bought 12,000 daffodil bulbs and the town council bought another 1,200. These bulbs were planted out during successive Sundays, with scores of people helping to get them into the ground.

With established flowers and newly planted bulbs, Barnoldswick has a golden glow in March and April.

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From time to time, residents and visitors to Barnoldswick are confronted with an astonishing sight; dragons on the streets of our town!

Though they look very fierce, the colourful creatures are friendly and like playing with Barnoldswick's children.

Often, the dragons are seen when the town has a special event. They are sometimes seen taking part in November's Switch On Parade; the dragons like all the excitement of the sounds and sights when thousands of people visit Barnoldswick.

It's always worth having a look round Barnoldswick to see if you can find any dragons.more Although they are very big, the dragons are very good at hiding.

Some people think they fly far away, but they probably like Barnoldswick too much to go somewhere else.

In 2012, the theme for autumn events in Barnoldswick is 'What the Dickens?!!'.

If you saw a giant dragon in Barnoldswick, you might say 'What the Dickens?!!', so there's a chance that you could see dragons in Barnoldswick this year.

Photos by Andy Ford and Jane Warman.