South West Thornton

The weather forecast had said today was going to be the better day of the weekend and although it had rained on and off this morning by lunchtime it didn’t look too bad and it wasn’t cold out.  It’s a long time since I walked around Thornton so I thought I’d do this walk today as it’s not far from home if the weather took a turn for the worse. This is a Bradford Council walk I printed off their website.

The walk starts by going through a field or two and Thornton Cemetery exiting the cemetery at the far side walking along the side of a few cottages – this is all part of the Bronte Way.  

Here the route goes down Close Head lane continuing down past an old Water Filtration building – looks a bit eerie and is all fenced off.  

At the bottom I crossed over Thornton road and took a footpath behind a garage which takes you to a field stile and up the other side of the valley.  Here the path continues up through fields eventually turning right along the top.  There were cows, sheep, a billy goat and a very pretty Alpaca.  

At the end of the field the stile brings you onto a track at Squirrel Farm. Here I turned left along Squirrel Lane and somehow missed the footpath which should have taken me diagonally up the hill to come out on Deep Lane. I still got to Deep Lane and just had to walk up the road instead.  It was raining now and my paper directions were getting wet and I walked up the Lane looking for Lower Sandal.  I had clearly missed it when I came to the turn off for Upper Sandal.  I turned around and went back down the lane – still raining. A dog-walker was coming up the hill so I asked him for directions – about 2oo yards down the hill apparently. He was walking a Golden Retriever-doodle – we had a chat about his dog (it was just as mad as Bernard and the same age). As I went back down I saw the tarmacadam farm track I should have taken. At the end was the gate to take me up through fields heading up parallel to the main road the stile at the end brought me out at Nettle Hole Farm. Here was a gate of two halves that took me ages to work out to open it you have to open them both at the same time.  Here the directions say go up between two properties but the path has been diverted down hill to an access track which I followed coming out on Pitt lane.  Here it was an uphill pull to turn left on Low lane. At least the sun had come out and rain had stopped now. I was starting to dry out a little

Half a mile further on it was a left turn through the village of West Scholes turning down Brewery Lane and past West Scholes Hall a 16^th century building which is just beautiful (and currently for sale). 

  I continued down and through a stile by a farm and over a metal footbridge which took me over the dismantled railway which looks like it’s a cyclepath now. 

  I continued down to the bottom eventually popping out on Headley Lane.  Turning right it immediately becomes Green Lane.  

This was a narrow road back up to Thornton Road by St James Church – from here I walked along the back road to where I’d parked my car. Just got to it in time – as I sat in the car the heavens opened and it bounced down.

A good 5 mile walk apart from the rain.

Parcevall Hall

This morning we decided to go for a look around Parcevall Hall Gardens, we had never been and thought it wouldn’t be too busy as we wanted somewhere fairly quiet as Mabel has Scarlet Fever.  She didn’t feel ill but we didn’t want to go where she could unwittingly pass it on.

We bought a guide and the man on the entrance did say some of the paths may be tricky with a buggy.  We smiled and said don’t worry we can handle it.  We had a little snack before setting off and got Albert settled in the buggy and Bernard on his leash.

 It was a steep uphill pull up the main drive to the Hall itself. The building is beautiful 16^th Century and is a private residence so we skirted around it and through the Rose garden and past a small stepped waterfall. 

At the top there was a path/steps up to a lookout which gives views of Troller’s Gill. 

Melanie took the buggy and I took Bernard.

 There were a lot more steps than we thought but we made it.  The view at the top was stunning. Looking down on Troller’s Gill, there’s a walk I keep wanting to do.  We had a quick look around but there was no other suitable way back down for us except the way we had come. After negotiating the steps back down we walked around the formal gardens at the front of the Hall and even though it is now Autumn they were still beautiful with lots of butterflies around.

 At the bottom we turned right and took the path to take us back down through the woods – here we came across a small dam – about ¾ of it covered by water lily leaves.  The water we could see was clear and we were lucky enough to see a fish jump.  After the ripples had settled we could see the fish swimming lazily around.  George was fascinated with it.

We carried on back down and came out by the small tea room.  We headed back to the car for our sandwiches and to put Bernard back in the car. 

We then went to the tea-room for a drink and cake seeing as we hadn’t brought drinks or cake with us.  Definitely a place to visit again, but maybe wait until Albert doesn’t need the buggy so we can venture a little off the wider paths. 2 miles of peace away from the hurly-burly of the tourist ways.

Micklethwaite

Today I was walking with Monica around Micklethwaite.  As Monica lives at East Morton this was our starting point going down to catch the footpath at Morton Beck and then turning upstream crossing  over the footbridge it was all a bit muddy and we just had to watch where we walked.  

We eventually came out by an old Mill pond with ducks bobbing about it was all bit Wind in the Willows – lovely.  

We made our way around it and up into the small village of Micklethwaite which is on a steep hillside.  We walked up by the green and turned right to a gate.

From the gate the views were all across St Ives and dropping down into Bingley, although they were a little hazy today as the sky was cloudy and overcast and although it felt warm walking it also felt like it could rain at any time. We continued on past Fair Lady Farm and took in the views of Druids Altar on right.

Eventually we came out onto a narrow road (Greenhill Lane) continuing upwards this met up with Lady Lane. Here turing right we immediately took a footpath on our right taking us down a path through some woods emerging onto another roadway. 

Here we crossed over to Pinedale (a small estate) and a small snicket and down to a small access road.  Here on the right is a 16^th century house – Gawthorpe Hall.  We took the stile and steps down to a gate and a through road.

Once on the road we turned right above some allotments – they were full of ripe raspberry bushes and huge flowering sunflowers. From here we dropped down to Five rise locks.  We crossed the lock and walked back towards East Morton along the Canal side.  It was really busy on the canal today – lots of barges and boats moored up. 

From the swing bridge instead of continuing back to Monica’s we turned up and went through footpaths along the back of fields – we were spotted by an old blackspot pig and a creamy curly haired pig – they came running across the field to the fence where we were in the hope we had something to give them to eat.  Unfortunately we had nothing.  We continued up and past a field which usually holds a couple of donkeys but when we looked for them they were in their stable being fed.  We came out just by the old Co-op in East Morton – two minutes from Monica’s where we had tea biscuits.  A lovely walk which we had extended from 3 ½ miles into a 5 miler.  A lovely Saturday afternoon.

Kirkby Malham

The morning had stayed fine although now there is an autumn nip in the air.  I decided to go to Airton then walk to Kirkby Malham in the hope of finding some Sloe berries.  Arrived at Airton about two’ish and packed my jacket in case the weather turned – there were some pretty stormy looking clouds on some of the hill tops.

I headed off down past the old converted mill and along the old mill cut.  The river was running pretty fast today after the last few days of rain.  At the end I turned into the field where the Black thorn bushes were. 

  Excited I strode off with my LARGE bag to pick Sloe berries.  What a disappointment.  The number I picked could be counted on one hand.  Packed my bag away and followed the path through the field bottoms to Hanlith bridge.

  From here I just followed the road into Kirkby Malham. 

  Past the old Church.   There must have been bell ringing practise the bells were ringing long before I could see the Church and a long time after I’d left the village.  Inside the Church there is a Devils Door that used to be left open to enable evil spirits to leave the Church during Christenings apparently.

I turned down and over Kirkby beck to climb up the other side on the brow looking back I could see Malham cove but it was misty now and I stopped to put my jacket on

 – 5 minutes later I was taking it back off again (one of those sort of days).  Eventually I dropped down onto Scosthrop Lane crossing over and through a stile up over the hills and around past an old quarry to drop by some sheep pens and back onto Scosthrop lane.  Frotm here it was a right hand turn up a house drive into a field which brought me back into the road at Town End to turn left and back into Airton. 

 I’d done well not got wet and had a good walk just short of 5 miles, but no Sloe berries.

Barnoldswick

This morning just rained on and off all the time, one minute I’ look out the window and it was sunny next it was like a huge cloud burst – someone up in the clouds was filling the bucket and emptying it over the land.  By half one it was still more of the same. So I decided to have a run over to Barnoldswick, if the weather picked up I could have a walk on the canal at Foulridge if not I could always have a look around the shops there then go to Boundary Mill for a looksee. 

When I got to Barnoldswick it had faired up so had a look around there then saw the sign to Bancroft Mill.  I remember passing this place before and though no harm in seeing if it was having an open day.  I know it only opens occasionally as its run by volunteers.  As I got to the gates they were open and there was some bunting strung up outside.  I was lucky it was open.  As I went in the first room is a café, as I was reading the leaflets a volunteer came and said I should go in and have a look around.  It was free today as a heritage day to try and encourage people to come and support the trust (normally you have to pay to go in).  

The man was a real enthusiast and was keen to tell me all about the mill and the engines.  The mill was owned by a James Nutter it was the last steam driven weaving shed to be constructed and the last to close (no relation to the Alice Nutter of Pendle although the volunteer did say he had been told the reason Alice Nutter was convicted of being a witch was because she was a very wealthy women and owned a lot of land and property in the area.  The men didn’t like this and because she prepared pain relieving potions from herbs as a midwife they decided she was a witch and that’s why she was tried and convicted and they had got rid of a rich and powerful woman who they felt threatened by – interesting) – apparently these are the last two remaining steam engines.  The larger one from Lancashire and a smaller one which was officially running for the first time today has come from a mill in Bradley near Skipton. I have to admit it was lovely to see these magnificent machines running.  They can only run one machine at once as the boiler can only fuel / raise enough steam to keep one machine at a time going.  The first machine was running and the volunteer said if I went down to the bottom shed in the next few minutes the smaller machine would be running again. 

When you look at these and see all the brass nuts and bolts shining the green paint gleaming and the quietness and smoothness of all the pistons and wheels you appreciate how much work has gone into them. On the way back I called in to see the boiler house – this was down below ground level and was a huge fire monster.  The boilerman was busy feeding its roaring insides with pallets.  It was like feeding an elephant sugar lumps.  He said as soon as he put extra wood in the boiler the engine would kick up a gear.  It looked hot hard work and I guess back in the day when these machines ran looms it would have been a lot harder work to keep the steam up. 

When I came out as I set off back to the car the clouds rolled in and I just got back before another heavy downpour.  Time for home and tea it had been an interesting day.