There was supposed to be another trip out to Mallerstang on the 14th, but I woke with such an intense feeling of indifference to the idea of walking that I decided that it was best to not try to go out, it's probably not a good idea to try to walk when you are not feeling it. But hey, don't you think I might have earned a weekend off? And so the Leeds Country Way seems to roar up to its conclusion, but there had been a bit of a wait for this last day, and this is the day where the route description seemed vaguely written and the path felt circuitous just to fulfil the 'Country' part of the equation. Notably, the start point of today was only 3 miles or so from where I live, but I'd go on to walk nearly 13 miles before I got back home again.
Active April: Day Three
Leeds Country Way #6: Robin Hood to Bruntcliffe Crossroads 11 miles
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| Self at Robin Hood, below the M1 bridge |
Hop off the 110 bus in Robin Hood and wander to the M1 bridge for a 9.30am start, aiming for a 3pm finish, and set off under the motor way and immediately into the fields for a bit of forced countryside walking. The map and route description don't seem to match here, and that is because the path has been ploughed out and moved, and that's all it takes to make you feel lost. Evidence aplenty of coal mining around here, such as overgrown spoil heaps and Thorpe Hall looking blighted and forgotten about (surely another one for the Grand Designs treatment?). Join a raised path, which is flooded, oddly, and then find the only sight of fly-tipping that I've seen on the whole route so that must count for something(?) and soon enough we're back on the A654 for a while before crossing over and have another field walk, catching sight of Ardsley Mill, which makes me think that we're almost home, but no, still 10 miles to go. Arrive in Thorpe on the Hill, where the school seem to have been separated from the rest of the village by the M62 carving across the landscape, and the footbridge over has bee encased in perspex to prevent kids being kids when high speed traffic is nearby. The village itself is another mining settlement where the industry is now long gone, and our countryside trail takes us on a long circuit back towards the M1, through the thankfully un-churned-up paddock of Owlett Hall Farm, and then onto the worst path of the day. Only 18 inches wide, extremely soft and new growth vegetation everywhere, and it claims to be a bridleway too! The sound of someone firing a air-rifle nearby isn't very encouraging, and I'm glad to get out of that section to join the field for a walk down to Lingwell Gate Lane. There seem to be an under-sized go-kart track down here, maybe it's for model cars? Pass The Nook, a singularly named pub, and pass under the mainline railway from Leeds to Doncaster, and then back westward into another post industrial landscape, looking like the site of another former colliery, now reclaimed and available for kids to tear around on their scooters. The fact that the nearby housing is called The Fall amuses me no end-uh!
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| Reclaimed land, near The Fall |
The path leads to Cave lane, then into fields, featuring quite the most missable corner as I'm busy trying to get pics of Wakefield appearing in the distance, and noting that the dog-walkers are much less friendly in this part of the world, before arriving at the bottom corner of East Ardsley. Wandering down to the Thorpe Road corner of the A650 and again feeling like you are almost home, but no, it's a short stretch along here, before you head down Pinfold Lane, another of those roads that just seems to peter out, before you wander around the cricket ground and again the paths start to get vague on the ground and poorly described on the map. Somehow find my way before I start towards Wakefield, and enjoy how Emley Moor transmitter and the spire of Holy Trinity, Ossett loom up in the landscape, and the going west meet a pair of horse riders who seem to feel as lost as I am, and I just cannot find the path that leads to Woodhouse Lane, so take a detour up back towards East Ardsley along the farm track, before rejoining the trail and meeting the world's most evil and hate-filled creatures: Geese. Have I ever mentioned that I really, really hate Geese? Off along Blind Lane, past the farms which are done up something nifty or are the bases of major feed suppliers, before the path enters the fields at the sign of the concrete bull, and we finally find a farm that is actually farming cattle! The path take us down to Bushy Beck below Ardsley reservoir, and then alongside a parade of pylons which will follow us for a while, and the path description keeps mentioning stiles to cross, but there are none in evidence before I arrive in West Ardsley. Cross Batley Road and get another bit of forced field walking, we go all the way downhill south to Hey Beck and then skirt that west to find that you can hear water running under the the turf if it's quiet enough, and also that cattle will carve up any section of a field near a gate, even one they don't use themselves. Then Old Hey Beck Lane leads us back to Batley Road, and I feel like I've done a circuit for no particularly good reason!
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| St Mary's, Woodkirk |
Anyway, we're nearly in Batley district, and I need lunch., the bolt-home route is right ahead of me, but we go down Woodkirk Beck for a stretch and make for my lunchtime destination, which is annoyingly further away that I expect, but the path is neatly mown, aside from where it goes under a fallen tree and at 12.45pm it's lunch time in St Mary's churchyard in Woodkirk. I'd have left a donation for liberty of using their graveyard, but they don't have a collection box, as far as I can see. Onward over the A653, Dewsbury Road, and again feel like we're on the home stretch, and note that Woodkirk isn't much of a place, and beyond a scene of dereliction, we find Woodkirk Cricket Club, easily the saddest looking of all the sports fields that I have passed. Our path leads us alongside the former Great Northern Railway branch from Beeston to Batley, yet another line that didn't really go anywhere unique and existed more for freight, the sections of platform at Woodkirk are admirably intact despite having closed in 1939, and I would have taken a detour down the trackbed to take a look at Soothill Tunnel, but the cutting got steep pretty quickly, and it's best to err when you're on the last leg of the trail. Tag that for another day as the path leads us up to Quarry Road, and above the portal, before taking quite the oddest detour around some of the reclaimed land above the tunnel, I've no idea why we are led through a three field dog leg, when a direct path is much more obvious on the ground. I'd have assumed that the directions were wrong if it wasn't for a signpost directing us that way. The reclaimed land here is all former quarry and landfill, popular with dog walkers and boys on off-road motorcycles, so you have to be quick witted to stay out of their way, but you can hope that they might be annoying the folks on the nearby Howley Hall Golf course.
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| The remains of Howley Hall |
There used to be a Howley Hall up here too, built in the late 16th century, besieged during the Civil War, before decline and demolition with gunpowder in 1730. There are just a few fragment of the basement ranges left up there to find, and it's a shame it's not there anymore as it had a commanding view and was one of the most imposing country piles of the period in the North Country (after the fashion of Hardwick and Wollaton for those who know their country estates.). It prove surprisingly hard to find the path down, but sight of the Leeds - Huddersfield Line gives me the feeling of being almost home, so descend to go under the railway, via a rather wonky looking bridge and pass the very last Horse farm of the tour, and then down to Scotchman Lane. Cross over an figure it's only a short walk now towards Howden Clough, but this is another path that just seem to keep on going as it ascends to Birkby Barrow Wood. This path through the woods is easy enough to follow, but there's a turn up and away from the route down to Howden Clough Road somewhere along here but there's no useful way marking of any kind, so I wander about until I find something that looks right. Ascend to the field boundary, uncertain that I took the right path, and eventually find something that looks like it does on the map and start the final walk back up towards Morley. Look back here to take in the last view toward the countryside, which is actually pretty impressive, you get Emley Moor transmitter, Castle Hill near Huddersfield and a large saddle shaped hill, which I'm pretty certain is Marsden Moor.
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| The last look back. |
Join Howden Clough Road, the A643, eventually, for the last drag, and the LCW comes to a close on road walking, crossing the M62 and offering me various places to stop for me celebratory drink, but I'm not drawn to the Shoulder of Mutton, Bruntcliffe WMC or the Toby Carvery, instead, Ill cross the A650, sit down heavily by the Morley in Bloom stone and crack the bottle of Hobgoblin that I took with me for the occasion. Bruntcliffe Crossroads and 3pm on the nose! 62 miles in 6 days over 6 weeks, total walking time 28hrs & 55mins, and the Leeds Country Way is finished! First long distance path completed, and I even printed myself a certificate! Never dared to imagine that it would be so straight forward, and that's not the end of the year's walking by any means, I'm already formulating my plans for the coming weekends as I sit by the roadside savouring my beer and my moment of triumph. Don't get many funny looks as I'm sat there, sadly, and then do myself my worst injury of my walking career so far as I tweak a groin muscle standing up to leave, So I hobble home, feeling like I have earned my sit down.
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| Self at Bruntcliffe Crossroads, again. |
1,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 88.9 miles
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