Fewston Reservoir

Well Christmas is over with and I needed a stretch and some fresh air after all the Turkey and trimmings.  This is always a good walk with no need to follow directions. Just a straight forward walk on a good path with good views around the reservoir.  

As it was quite late by the time I got here I only had time to walk around Fewston, usually if I get here in time I like to walk around both Fewston and Swinsty. 

  Never mind this was a good walk with lots of lovely light and it wasn’t too boggy.  It was busy too – took me quite a while to find a parking place clearly lots of families wanted to get out and have some fresh air too. 

By the time I got back to the car park the light was starting to drop so I just timed it right – a good 4 mile walk to get me moving again.

Micklethwaite

Walked around here lots of times before – it’s a lovely afternoon winter walk just long enough to get around before the sun starts to set.  Today instead of starting in Bingley I picked the walk up at Micklethwaite Lane and crossed the swing on Morton Lane taking the path and forking right to the footbridge on Morton Beck walking upstream – 

then up through a field and onto a level path to pass the curly pig and black spot pig and then reach a mill pond and continue up a path to a corner of Micklethwaite

 – here there was a local retired gentleman who I stopped and had a chat with – when I told him I came from Haworth he said he used to go there a lot in his youth and had now retired just higher up from where his family lived.  I think he just wanted someone to chat with. 

From here I turned right up to the steep sloping green turning right along the path above Fair Lady Farm.  From here a path heads off enclosed by walls walking along here you can look across the valley towards Druids Alter and the bare trees of the St Ives Estate. 

  At the end I turned right up Greenhill Lane then left onto Lady Lane.  From here it was a straightforward treck down a path through woodland  to cross a road at Pinedale through a snicet down again to a narrow access road down Becks lane and onto the canal at Five Rise locks.  From here it was a walk back to Morton Lane where I’d parked the car.

4 miles and all the better for the leg stretch – and it stayed fine and bright.

Around Kildwick

I have done this walk before but only once and it must be a long time ago as I could only remember the first part of the walk which was to walk up the road past the old school of 1839.  

From there the walk went up a green snicket into a field and up to where Kildwick Hall is a 17^th century Manor House. Here I turned left and then up through a kissing gate and a path up past an old quarry and onto the main track onto Farnhill Moor 

– here the path continues bearing right through silver birch trees, the ground was muddy and from now on the rest of the walk was not all that familiar to me although there were odd parts here and there that I remembered.  As I reached a stile in the wall from here on a good day you should be able to see Flasby Fell and the hills over Malham.

Through the stile I crossed the field the right behind a small copse ( I remembered this bit) From here I crossed the wood to another stile which took me down across the centre of a field to another small wood and to a gate and a green track.  Here I turned right to a barn and went left past it down to a wall stile.  

From here I went down a muddy track into the hamlet of Kildwick Grange – this access road took me down to a road, from here I crossed the road and through a gate and onto a track all the way to the canal to cross a swing bridge and a straightforward walk along the towpath back to the start.  After going wrong a few times this walk was about 4 ½ miles, but really enjoyed it.  One to do again I think.

A Walk From The Towpath

Never done this walk before – it’s from a magazine and now the afternoons of daylight are quite short I don’t want to travel too far to get to the start of the walk. This walk starts at Bar Lane, Riddlesden walking along the towpath towards Skipton. 

  I continued along until I came to Booths Bridge, 

here I crossed over the canal and headed up a rough track until it came out at the 18^th hole of Riddlesden Golf club.  

Thought of my Dad here as this is where he grew up.  Unfortunately the Golf club has now closed down.  From here the path went up past the club house to the first tee, then left up to the top of the fairway.  I then turned right following the wall and the topside of the green.  

The views were pretty good today.  From here I made my way across a field to a field gate and onto  a grassy track to meet the track to Wood Head Lodge and onto the hamlet of High Wood Head on the right. Eventually coming to Banks Lane – here I turned up and then took a drive to Larkfield Farm – 

here there were some goats in a paddock and I continued along the back of the house to a stile through a field to eventually come through a stile onto a muddy farm track.  Here I remembered walking around here in the opposite direction and it taking ages to find this little stile. In the farmyard in the past there has been a Guard dog that is chained up – no dog came out today and I got through the farmyard and into a really muddy field – last time I came through here it was full of cows, not today thank goodness.  Eventually after going through fields I came to Rivock Farm

 which is disused here I turned right and into a steep downhill field eventually emerging by a Methodist Church. From here I went down steps onto Banks Lane crossing over and down another set of steps and down the road to emerge onto Bar Lane where I started.

This was a good walk I’d like to do again – in summer maybe as it will look totally different then and hopefully not be so muddy a pleasant 4 miles.

Sunnydale

This is a lovely local walk – I always enjoy it and today I only had time for a short walk as I was going out for an early dinner and then to see the local G&S Society perform The Gondoliers.  When I did this walk earlier in the year it was a lovely warm sunny day.  Today it was definitely autumnal but fine and not too cold. Heading off Green end Road passing a large stone aquaduct on the right. 

  At a fork in the road I turned left then right on a good track heading away, as the track swings to cross the beck  I continued on to the Sunnydale Reservoir. 

  Here I caught up with a family reminiscing about how they used to come and play here when they were children, now they were parents bringing their children to the same places. Crossing the dam and up a steep I turned off to the left into a small woodland path.

Along here is a small dam on the right no duck here today but still really pretty.  As went through the wood I could hear clay pigeon shooting – it echoed all around the valley. It got louder and louder as I arrived at Sweet Well Dike.

Continuing on the path I went down the cart track here on my left I saw a small stone bridge, I’d never noticed this before – on the left were  all the cars for the shooting – there looked to be good group there for the afternoon.

 I came out onto Ilkley road and turned left down to the crossroads. Here I turned left along the road, then looked at the book, I thought I’d gone wrong,  I should have gone straight across at the cross roads – still I didn’t really have time to go back so I carried on and took the first signed footpath to take me back down into Riddlesden – just by the old TB hospital.  From there it was a straight walk back along the road to where I’d parked my car.

It had been a lovely walk and I felt a lot better for it – a good 4 miles or so and the autumn colours had been lovely.  Note to self – next time go straight down the road not left.

Cononley Lead Mine

I really like this walk but I’d stopped doing it as you had to walk through the farm yard of Manor House Farm and it always had 4 Rottweilers on chains and one loose wondering around.  The farmer said they were okay but it put me off going there.  Anyway I’d got my OS map out and found a path which meant I could miss this bit of the walk out without too much of a detour.

I parked up in the tiny car park in Cononley and set off up towards Town Head Farm. 

  The track then turned up a green way which was pretty boggy after all the rain last week.  As I got to Great and Little Gib here was the change from the normal walk – instead of taking the stile on the left I carried along the track to take a stile into a field straight in front of me – from here the path went across the fields to eventually arrive at a corner stile back on to the Lothersdale road. 

  Walking across the field I got a good view of the Cononley Lead Mine pump house.  Another day I’d like to walk up there and have a look around – it’s restored/preserved by Earby mining society and was in use from 1842 to 1882.  I believe cavers sometimes go down the shafts and explore the veins down there.

After walking back down the road the Manor House farm came into view and I took a right down a track by a farm.  Looking across at Earl Crag and Cowling Pinnacle.  At the bottom I dropped onto an access road.  It was lovely walking along there today – at the end I turned off by Buckett Farm then through a gate and up through a field – on the other side of the field wall was a herd of very noisy cows which followed me up the hill on their side of the wall.  

Thank goodness I didn’t have to go in that field.  Going through gates I came back out on to the road just above Glusburn – soon taking a path on my left – going through a gate and past an old empty reservoir.

The path was clear from here slating back down the hillside, it was pretty muddy in parts but easy enough walking.  Eventually I turned down a track onto the main road.  However I should have turned down sooner as the directions said turn left to a ladder stile and I had to turn right.  The ladder stile took me across the railway line to a path alongside the river Aire and onto the road back into the village – a lovely walk.  

Had felt quite warm even though its November – about 5 ½ miles.  I’ll do this again now I’ve found an alternative to the Farm.

The Standard

It’s a few years since I’ve walked here and I’ve only ever done the walk once before.  In my book all I wrote was 2 miles up and 2 miles down so interesting to see how I find it today. 

The walk starts by Snaygill swing bridge and follows a farm track up the hill to a gate. 

  Here I must have misread the directions and walked all the way up a field on the left – I went down again and took the field straight in front of me to go back up the hill again.  

None of this walk was striking any memories at all. As I continued along finally I came to a grassy lane which I vaguely remembered.  The views today were stunning across the Aire Valley.

The grassy lane brought me to a hamlet High Bradley.  The directions said go right along a drive rising across the fields.  I went up to the top and wasn’t sure I’d gone the right way so I trogged back down to High Bradley, re-read the instructions and set off again.  (Back the way I’d just walked).  I don’t remember getting lost so much the last time I did this walk although to be fair I don’t remember much of this walk at all.  As I kept climbing up the views just got better.  Today you could see all the hills in the distance Boulsworth Hill, Pinhaw. 

  As I reached a cross roads of paths I realised I had turned up too soon and should have been on the top of Millstone Hill on my right, this is being the highest point of the walk I should have then turned to the path I’m already on.

The next part was pretty straight forward, thank goodness – I then turned left and took a clear path back down the fields to Cawder Gill past Cawder Hall then to a gate opposite Horse Close, This is easier to see once you’ve walked past it to then look back.  From here the way back down to the canal was straight forward, thank goodness as the light was dropping now.

Excellent walk – good views 4 miles that I managed to turn into 5 ½ miles by getting lost several times.  Note to self – don’t leave it so long to do this walk again.