High Austby and Nesfield

I have walked around Nesfield and Austby before but not this walk.  Parked up in Ilkley, very busy, probably because it was a lovely day and a bank holiday.  I crossed over the river and headed up to Owler Road.  This is the road I come onto when I’ve walked over to Ilkley from Addingham.  So today I was seeing it in reverse.

At the top I crossed the stile into the woods, they were full of Bluebells and Wild Garlic, beautiful. At the end I walked through the fields to eventually come to Nesfield turning right up a track towards a house.  Before I got to the house a narrow path leads off through bracken, although at this time of year the bracken hasn’t started growing.  I’ve walked up here before and it brings you up onto Langbar Moor.  But today instead of going straight up onto the moor the direction was to turn right to Upper Austby and through a farmyard eventually joining the moor road.  After walking along the road eventually a bridleway gate was on the right to go through and take me down to through a field. As I kept going down eventually I came into Hardings Lane and Myddleton Lodge.  Turning left along the lane to a stile which took me into a field and down to the bottom where the stile there took me into Middleton Woods – again absolutely full of Bluebells.  They smell beautiful and always remind me of my Nan, they were her favourite flower.  I love them too.

Following paths back down through the woods I eventually came out in the fields by Ilkley Lido. There was a bank holiday fair there today although it was fairly quiet now I’m sure it would be busy come evening.

Back in Ilkley I had a coffee in one of the small cafes there, everything was with toast.  A café heaven for me as I love toast.

A lovely bluebell extravaganza walk just about 5 miles.