Yorkshire Day 2022

Salts Mill and the Leeds & Liverpool canal at Saltaire, Yorkshire. © J. Ashley Nixon

Happy Yorkshire Day to all Yorkshire folk and all who love and appreciate the people, landscapes and cultural heritage of the broad acres!

When I checked on the last time I wrote an article to celebrate Yorkshire’s day, I realized that it was five years ago. And the one before, that went Spinal-Tap-like and listed eleven, not ten things to do on August 1st, came out nine years ago.

It’s time for another one to let you know about my new film and dog.

Airedale

In April, I travelled from Canada to Yorkshire to film in Airedale. I walked along the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool canal and explored parts of the River Aire from its source on the limestone moors above Malham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to its merging with the Ouse at Airmyn in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I also visited Spurn Point on the east coast, where the river, now part of the Humber passes out into the North Sea. My main interest though was around the mill towns of Shipley, Bingley and Keighley where the Airedale Terrier emerged with that name in 1879.

The short documentary film about the terrier and terrain of Airedale was shown at the start of the RATMA International Film Festival, in my hometown of Keighley in October 2022. This short sequence was made along Malham Beck in April 2022.

Terrier

In my last article for Yorkshire Day, our Arya the Airedale was introduced as “A lovely, yet strong character dog carefully named after the most compelling character in Game of Thrones, Arya Stark.” One month after that writing she suddenly lost her good health and passed away, aged four years. It took me and the family much of that time to get over the loss and take on another dog.

But we did and, naturally, it’s the Yorkshire Dog. Meet Aspen the Airedale, named after the tree because I like the sound of it (both the trembling of the leaves and that nurtured alliteration). Watch out for more of Aspen the Airedale in the forthcoming film!

Aspen the Airedale, ten weeks old. © J. Ashley Nixon

For more photographs please visit J. Ashley Nixon Photography