Bingley Five Rise Locks
Just four miles from Bradford city centre, the Bingley Five Rise Locks on the Leeds–Liverpool Canal are an 18th-century engineering masterpiece so spectacular they are listed as one of the 'seven wonders of the waterways' — a staircase of five interconnected lock chambers climbing 59 feet in one breathtaking flight.
An Engineering Marvel Still in Use
Built in 1774, the Five Rise Locks lift the Leeds–Liverpool Canal — one of the longest canals in England — up the steep Aire Valley escarpment in a single dramatic staircase where each lock gate opens directly into the next chamber below.
Watching a narrowboat work its way up or down the flight, with lock-keepers and boaters hauling heavy wooden gates by hand, is a living piece of industrial history that takes around 30 minutes to complete — pull up a spot on the towpath and enjoy the show.
Canal Walks in Every Direction
The towpath stretching south from the locks leads through Saltaire and on toward Shipley, offering a flat, traffic-free walk or cycle of around four miles that links two of Bradford's most rewarding destinations in a single outing.
Head north instead and the canal winds through the wooded Aire Valley toward Skipton, passing the pretty estate of St Ives at Harden with its lake, woodland and wildlife — a gentler, greener alternative to the locks themselves.
Bingley Town & Local Pubs
The market town of Bingley sits immediately beside the locks and rewards a short wander: its cobbled main street retains a workaday Yorkshire charm, and the Bingley Heritage Trail links the town's most iconic landmarks in a self-guided walk.
Several canal-side pubs cluster around the Five Rise, making this the natural place to end a towpath walk with a pint of Yorkshire ale — the Old White Bear on Bingley's main street is a long-established local favourite.
Bingley Five Rise Locks on video
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