EVER wondered where the Spite pub in Otley got its name? Or why the Otley Bridge was built in two halves?

Both these questions and a whole lot more have now been answered - in a soon to be published booklet. Put together by John Morgan, the Kell Beck Walk covers a four and a half mile stretch from the bridge to Clifton and back.

And along the way it gives details about many fascinating snippets of both modern and more ancient history.

Mr Morgan, of St Richard's Road, said: "There is an awful lot of history on the way. There are the remains of a Medieval forest and at Clifton there's where the tanning industry used to be."

And people who buy a copy of the booklet will also be able to find out who gave Wharfemeadows Park to the town and where the original source of water for Wharfedale Hospital came from.

Nature lovers will be shown how to tell the age of a tree and how a tree can be used as a compass, and discover the mark showing the highest ever level of the River Wharfe in flood.

With photographs, sketches and maps, the booklet also updates the fitness conscious on how many miles they have walked.

It had been hoped to have the book published in time for the Otley Walking Festival but has now been put back because of the probable cancellation of the festival as a consequence of the foot and mouth crisis.

As one of the Friends of Kell Beck, Mr Morgan has spent the last five years improving the quality of the beck which runs from Bridge End cattle market to Green Lane and Chippendale Primary School.

He decided to write the book as a way of telling people what the group did and also as a way of raising money to finance future projects.

He has been helped to put the book together by Raul Guise, of Otley Community Council, and is getting funding from the Mental Health and Shell Better Britain - which was so impressed it intends to use the walk in a future newsletter.

The group, which was out at the weekend carrying out a spring clean of the beck, is about to start planting a butterfly garden near to the Weston Lane youth club.

They have already received funding from Leeds City Council and will be making a start soon.

"We will be getting some advice, but it's basically a case of clearing an area of land and then planting the kind of habitats that butterflies like, " said Mr Morgan.

Meanwhile, the group continues to work on the beck.

"The overgrowth of verges and nettle beds are regularly cut back and litter picks and wild flower planting take place. We also dig out and dredge the beck to prevent flooding and with the help of Leeds City Council we now have a machine to help."

l Once the booklet is published it will be available from shops in the town.