Newsholme Dean & Goose Eye

First walk since breaking my wrist so it had to be close to home as I am still not driving (pot doesn’t come off until 9^th April).  This walk starts in Laycock – where Mum grew up and my Nan and Grandad lived.  It wasn’t sunny today by any means but at least it was fine and not windy.  Once in Laycock the walk proper starts at Totley Hall Road going through a stile on the left. I didn’t want to walk anywhere too muddy and slippery but this was going to be just that.  At the bottom of the field I even had to cross the stream by some stepping stones so that was a challenge.  From here I followed the stream back down into Goose Eye itself. 

The name comes from Goose Hey (field where Geese are kept) today there were lots of ducks. 

I then turned towards the Haworth end of the village and took a stile leading to a footbridge over the stream following up the valley the path led me through Oak and Alder woods eventually joining a track into Newsholme Dean.

  Here there was a lovely hump back bridge and path through some woods. 

It was boggy everywhere but not quite so bad as I thought it might be and I just kept thinking this is a lovely place to come in the summer-time.

At the farm at Newsholme the track twisted through the hamlet and past Low Laithe Farm eventually after going through stiles and tracks I was walking along a lovely old cobbled lane past a small mill pond and back into Goose Eye, 

from here it was a steep walk up the main road to a paved path bringing me back into the centre of Laycock.  I felt a lot better for getting out for a walk even though I was cautious and wary of falling (I did take my trekking pole with me).  4 miles done and I’m sure I’ll soon be back up and running as before.

 

Baildon Moor

By lunchtime it had faired up and I thought the forecast was for it to stay dry this afternoon.  I also thought I’d done this walk before but a long time ago.  Parked up in Eldwick and headed down towards the Acorn Inn. 

It didn’t take me long to realise I hadn’t done this walk before. As I walked along you could see several rivulets had been created in the fields due to the recent thaw and overnight rain. 

I turned and walked up a narrow pathway over t he other side of a fence was a bed of snowdrops protected by a canopy of trees. 

From here I emerged into a series of boggy fields then crossing over some race horse gallops. 

While I’d  been walking along here the fog had descended and it had started to rain.  From the fields I turned onto an equestrian path – Birch Close Lane and then down to Sconce Lane.  The way was then across part moorland and part Golf fairway to the access road to Dobrudden Caravan Park – by now I was wet through and the fog had obliterated any view. 

I was glad to be on the home stretch.  It was a long muddy track from the moor top to the top of Shipley Glen.   As I landed I heard and felt a horrible crunch in my wrist. I stayed on the floor till Id worked out how to get back up. Looked at my clothes, they were all muddied up and then my hand.  I wiggled my fingers and thumb and felt relief there mustn’t be a break after all.  From here it was a straight forward path back to Eldwick main road and my car.

Unfortunately just a stone’s throw from the firm path I slipped in the mud. I automatically put my hand out to save myself. I drove home with a throbbing wrist.

As a P.S. to this walk overnight my wrist swelled up to an odd shape and turned blue/black.  I rang Melanie to bring bandages to strap it for me on the Sunday she refused and was whisked off to the walk in centre in Otley 1 x-ray and 2 hours later I came out with a diagnosed impacted fracture and a temporary pot, the pot lady had been keen, she looked at my top and suggested I take it off as I was going to need a full arm, shoulder to fingers pot.  My face must have looked a picture as I stared at her and said “ You must be joking I’ve only broken my wrist”. Off she scurried, coming back a few moments later to say I only needed a below elbow pot thank goodness.  Monday saw me at Airedale for a full pot to be removed in 4 weeks.  It could have been worse. It didn’t need re-aligning or pinning no surgery involved. Lesson to self-use walking poles in bad weather.

St Ives

Sunday and the weather was not so good but I needed to get out and have a quick walk in the fresh air.  This morning it had been snowing but after lunch it faired up enough for me to get out.  It was really icy underfoot so I decided on a short walk around St Ives.  The drive over was quite tricky too as it was really foggy and still lots of snow on the roadside where there were the remains of snow drifts.  When I turned into the car park it didn’t look too good but I’d already committed, so I pulled into a space and reversed back to make sure I could get back out again later. Boots on and off I went.  It was a really glum afternoon so I decided not to do the full walk but just head up to the Coppice Pond for a walk around and take some photos. 

It wasn’t easy walking as the snow was either compacted down or turning to slushy ice so no matter where I walked there was the risk of sliding. 

Anyway I managed it up to the pond.  Strange how fog makes everything have an eerie feel to it and all the sounds become muffled making for long silences. 

Suddenly you can hear tree branches bending, water dripping, and birds and rustling among the trees, all these sounds somehow become amplified in this foggy misty world.  As I walked around there were several families with children and dogs all out for a Sunday afternoon trek.  Lots of them had come to feed the ducks and water birds on the pond.  Interesting how different everything is on days like this. 

As completed my circuit of the pond and headed back onto the road an elderly couple were walking towards me. 

The man was walking with a type of zimmer frame and had a Labrador with him, his wife was just behind and she was walking with two sticks.  I take my hat off to them for venturing out in this weather especially as it wasn’t easy walking with slush, snow and ice. It just shows you can all get out there if you have the right motivation.  As I walked past they smiled and said Hi.  They were clearly a happy couple. 

When I got back to the car I felt so much better for being out for an hour or so.  I jumped in the car and skidded out of the car park and back home glad I’d made the effort to leave the house this wintry Sunday afternoon.

Leeds Liverpool Canal

Such a relief to get outside for a walk.  The weather has been brutal this week, snow from Siberia, cold and dry and powdery. Then came bitter winds and minus 7 degrees during the day.  I’ve walked to work every day except yesterday.  Today is a walk of choice not necessity.  I parked up at East Morton for a canal walk into Bingley.  The sky was grey and dull – almost foggy so I thought it wouldn’t be quite so cold and glum as it would be up on the tops.  The canal was pretty frozen over and there was a large group of ducks, Canadian geese and couple of swans at the point where the water became ice. 

It reminded me of my Dad telling me how when he was a boy he and his brother Harry would come down to the canal and ice skate on it.  

The winters were a lot more severe in those days.  The canal was pretty busy with walkers and the snow had got packed down and was slippy in parts. 

When I got to the Five Rise Locks café it looked busy inside.  I walked down the path at the side of the locks, it was really slippy.  About half way down I had to stand to the side as some children came past on their sledges, helping to make it slippier. 

At the Three Rise locks I left the canal side and walked over the footpath over the bypass.  I had a look around the shops and a coffee in one of the cafes before setting off back to East Morton.  As I walked back and left Bingley behind it was a quieter walk back – in a couple of the fields there were children sledging and when I got back to where all the birds were they seemed a lot happier now.  Someone had put some bird food out for them.  It was a good walk and when I checked it had been about 5 miles.  Further than I thought. 

Let’s hope next week it warms up and spring finally arrives.