Sunnydale

Saturday 21st January 2017

All morning I’d kept thinking the day was going to brighten up, but by lunch-time the day hadn’t improved so I couldn’t see any point going for a walk over hills to admire the views.  There weren’t going to be any today.

So it’s quite a while since I’d done this walk and I thought it would be fairly sheltered walking around East Morton and Riddlesden. 

Parked up at the bottom of the turn off for East Morton and set off crossing the road and entering the footpath that runs past the field full of horses.  It then brings you back on the road through East Morton, turning onto a narrow back road after a few strides.  Heading along the farm track I remembered going along here then turning off through a field,  down to the right is an old viaduct but I don’t know what it was built or used for as now it just looks to be sat in the middle of a field.

It wasn’t long before I came to Sunnydale Reservoir, its only very small and I’m not sure what its used for, but it always looks really pretty.  Then a little further along there is a small dam called Sunnydale Dam surprisingly.

There’s then a lovely walk through some woods – eventually coming to a small dell and waterfall.

  

 It was really muddy and slippy in the woods – I did well not slide down the hill as the whole way through the woods the path is on a steep slope. 

After crossing the bridge the path heads off through a second part of the woods where in summer there is usually clay pigeon shooting going on, but not today.

 It was a pretty muddy trek around the back of a farmyard coming out onto the small back road which heads down towards a caravan park.  At the crossroads I turned left and carried on to the access road to Dimples farm. 

The choice was to either carry on the road or turn down through the farm.  I chose to go down through the farm.  Sometimes I’ve walked up here and there has been almost a river running down into the field.  It wasn’t too bad today. At the bottom the stile take you out onto where the old Hospital used to be – it was then just a turn to the left to take me back towards East Morton, turning down and back onto the canal path to walk along until arriving at the swing bridge.

This was a good 5 mile walk