25 Mile
WHARFEDALE AND WASHBURN VALLEY CHALLENGE
ORDANCE SURVEY LANDRANGER 104
The start and finish of the walk is at the Staff Social Club, High Royds Hospital, GR l76 432.
(Now demolished due to development of High Royds Village)
At main road turn L. Cross Over road and passing school playing fields turn R down Bridleway, Over Railway Bridge, and up the track to road - straight across, and continue up track to next road. Turn R. Walk down the road for approx 300 yards passing a quarry on your L. Immediately after the quarry entrance turn L along Bridleway towards "Moor Farm."
After passing "Moor Farm" on your R the track goes slightly uphill, as you climb you will see large stone house, just before this house turn R along wide track. Continue along this track for approx 1/2 mile, and you will see the track taking a sharp R bend. Just before the R bend, a barn/riding stables on your L, take the stile in wall on L. GR204435. Over the stile and on up field, wall/fence on your L. Through stile in wall, continue up field to next stile in wall. Over road (take care) and on through car park (Beacon Field Car Park). GR204441.
Through the wooden barrier at the top of the Car Park and on to Surprise View. Do pause for a moment and enjoy the view. Turn R with the wall on your R, continue along this well defined track until you come to a gate (Miller Lane Gate). Through the gate and on down the track in front of you (Miller Lane) until you come to the road. Turn R. GR214444. On up the road for approx 150 yards until you come to a small car park on your L. Across the CP and on to the track, take the middle one (to the left of the Stone) continue across the open common land in front of you. Down the steps and Over the wooden footbridge and forward along a wide well defined track with a pine trees wood on your immediate R. Continue along this track and look for the Overhead power lines crossing in front of you.
Keep walking forward and walk under the power lines (the main track has turned and gone off to your right.) You should now be on a well defined but narrow footpath. (The main Leeds/Otley road should at this point be clearly visible on your L.) Continue on this path then a track down to the main road. Once at the road across you go and turn R for approx 250 yards (Old Pool Bank corner). "The Bar House" GR238444.
Turn L down Old Pool Bank Road, continue down the road until you meet the main road in Pool village (you will now be opposite Pool Court Restaurant). Turn L down through Pool Village towards the river, ignoring Arthington Lane going off onto your R, passing the Half Moon Inn and the Post Office.
On over the river bridge. Immediately over the bridge look for the stile in ~\ the wall on your L. Through you go and walk diagonally across the field. Over the stile at the end of the field and look oblique L. Over the road (BP Public Footpath). Over the stile and on you go across the field, fence and hedge on your immediate L. At the end of the field look for small bridge and stile on your L. Over you go.
Now walk up the hill and again keep the fence and the hedge on your immediate L. As you "top out" of the hill look carefully for a stile in the fence on your L. Over the stile and the fence and hedge now on your R, walk on and Over the next stile onto a short track (a pond on your L). lJR238468. Approx 50 yards join another track. Turn L then almost immediately R, Over a stile and on up the field, a wall then hedge and fence close to your R hand side at all times. Over the next stile (at white post) and on down the narrow path to the road. (Just take care here please!) At the road, turn L down the hill passing house on your R hand side.
Immediately past the last house look for a stile in the fence on your R and a BP Public Footpath. Over you go and across the field, Over the next stile in front of you ~ and across a short field, looking carefully for a stile in the fence on your L. Once over the stile follow the fence and hedge around the perimeter of the field, keeping to your L. You are making for a metal field gate near to the farmhouse. (The gate will not become visible until you have gone Over a slight hill). Through gate in front of farm - then 2nd gate towards the farm. Go round the end of the farm outbuildings keeping these on your L hand side at all times. Once round the end of the farm building find a green metal gate and stile in the fence in front of you. Turn R up the road for approx 250 yards.
SP Public Footpath on your L. Go through the gate and follow the fenced footpath round the side of the house and old mill. (sp, Leathley Mill). aa231478. Over stile and follow footpath across the open pasture (under the power lines). Continue on this path with river now on your immediate L and on to stile in the wall. Now pause for a moment, please take great care at this point. The footpath goes obliquely R uphill towards what I think is an old mill goit dam (you will be looking up at some very large stones) do not go up hill as far as the cottage which you can see on your R. Once up the slight hill and level with the goit dam, the footpath is quite well defined and going off to your L. Carry on this FP and Over the stile until you come to the trout farm which is now on your L and quite visible and a stream on your immediate R. carry on until you come to the Trout Farm CP. GR225483 .
Across the CP and across the road onto the bridleway (near the gatehouse in the wood, but yet still Visible). Continue along this bridleway for approx 1 1/2 miles until you come to the next road. You will now find Lindley Wood Reservoir running with you along your L hand side. At the road turn L across the bridge. Please take care, then immediately R once over the bridge. GR209498. Again walking on a well defined path - the river Washburn is now on your R. Across the next bridge and continue on the path across two fields. (The river now on your L hand side). You should now have arrived at Dob Park Pack Horse Bridge and Ford. GRl97508.
Make as though you are going to go across the bridge but looking for a stile in the fence on your immediate R. Over the stile (do not cross the bridge). Continue along this well defined path for approximately half a mile. (If it has been raining heavily before the walk you will have to apply the famous bog hoppers trot, that being to keep your weight on the foot in the air!) You have now arrived at yet another bridge with gates on both sides. Across you go and bear R on the well defined farm track, passing through several fields until you come to a white gate with "Yorkshire Water Board" written on it. You should now be going uphill with the reservoir water Overflow on your R, at the top of the hill walk straight forward on the track (do not turn R across the reservoir). GRl93528. Swinsty Reservoir is now on your R hand side. continue along this track for approx 1/4 mile until Swinsty Hall appears on your L.
The large house (Swinsty Hall) is quite visible in the trees on your L hand side. Turn L and follow the track around the back of the hall, although it may not appear so, this is in fact a public right of way, I know it does appear as though you are on private land. Continue following the track slightly uphill passing outbuildings and farm dump on your L and forward up through the wood going through the gate at the top of the wood. once out of the wood and through the gate, walk straight forward across the fields (slightly uphill) until you come ,to a ladder stile. Over you go, wall now on your immediate L, crossing a short field towards a gate and the stile is in the L hand corner of the gate. This is the entrance to a narrow drovers track. (Timble village clearly visible in front of you). On you go and up the drovers track, then farm track, then narrow tarmac road until you come to the road running through Timble Village. GR l78529.
Here we wish you to turn L. However, the Timble Inn (now cottages) is approximately 50 yards to your R down the village. Now back on the road and hopefully well refreshed, up and out of the village walking towards where the Otley/Blubberhouses road crosses, approx 1/2 mile. Straight across here and on to rough track, passing two houses/bungalow on your L. Now a track goes off to your L, SP Ellarcarr Pike, take that track, not the one SP Ilkley and Denton.
Over the cattle grid, follow the track round to your R, (blue arrow notice on the post of the cattle grid). After 1/2 mile along well defined track passing a series of boundary stones until you come to where the walls meet and two metal gates. Take the one on the L which has got two half moon shaped metal pieces in it and p)ck up a PF BP Denton. The footpath is quite clear and easily recognisable, however if you are in low cloud, and bad visibility, the bearing is 2300• Over open moorland, down hill. After a short time you will see to your R hand side a mature copse of trees running away to your R. Make for the metal gate at the start of these trees. 0Rl51514. Just before the late and the start of the trees, there are some steps in the wall, Over the steps and forward across the field in front of you. The footpath is reasonably clear in front of you.
You cross the field the wall begins to leave your R hand side and you will ~me across a concrete footbridge in the field. Cross the bridge, quickly and slightly uphill, and when you top out look for the wall again on your R hand side and make for the corner gate where the two walls meet (don't go through the gate in the wall on your R, but the gate in front of you going downhill). Down the hill and through meadow land on a reasonably well defined path. (If clear, some superb views of Ilkley and Ilkley moor) then becoming a well defined tractor track. You should now be at a point with the farm and farm buildings on your R hand side. (Yarnett House Farm). GRl48502. Now go across the cattle grid and forward down the road in front of you which does in fact become a quite clear tarmac road, and follow that down to Denton Village.
Once in the village turn R at the telephone box and keep bearing R. Passing the tiny village green on your L in approx 150 yards you will pick up the PF, BP Middleton. Over the stile and on down the track to the next stile. Over the stile and keep close to the fence on your R side. The footpath across the field is hardly visible, so please keep close to the fence on your R passing the small copse of trees on your R hand side. In front of you now should be a gate at the top of a very large wood on your L side. As you approach the gate you will notice a stile in your R hand side corner.
Over the stile, round the corner (turning L on a little bit of a track) and then pick up the fence, this time on your L hand side, with a large wood on your L. As you will notice once again the footpath is invisible so please keep the fence this time close to your L hand side. Follow the fence round until you come to a stile on your L hand side in the fence. Over the stile you go and on down the very narrow footpath in front of you. Over the footbridge and up to the stile in the fence in front of you.
Once over the stile walk straight forward across the field in front of you, passing close to three oak trees and one ash tree Which are in the middle of the field. Leaving those on your L hand side, walk forward towards the wood and the fence. As you approach the fence, look slightly to your R hand side until you find a stile in the fence, over you go, again down a narrow footpath into the wood. Once again Over the stream via a footbridge (Bow Beck). Now climb up the hill in front of you up the narrow path. Continue to follow the footpath round, once you top out of the hill, Over a small rickety footbridge Over a stream and on you go through the wood. (Keep to the footpath in the wood, do not cross onto the what is now visible tarmac road on your L with lamp posts. That is the remains of the old Middleton ,Hospital.
Out of the wood over a stile, and across the meadowland in front of you. Once again as you will see the path is invisible so please keep close to the fence on your L hand side. Over the next stile in the fence. Do not turn L down the farm track immediately on your L hand side but forward once again across the pasture in front of you keeping yourself close to the fence on your L hand side. Over the fence then across the small footbridge, forward across the meadowland in front of you, you will see a metal green gate and approx 10 yards to the R of that you will see a stile in the wall. Over you go onto the road and turn L down the road (Hunger Hill). Now on the road, 20 yards down you will see a fork. Take the R hand fork in the road.
On down the road about 25 yards. (Just so you can identify where you are there is a plaque on an old watering trough saying "Mid Wharfedale Parish Council", Middleton Village on your R hand side and a public telephone more or less opposite on the L hand side). Now at the crossroads, go straight forward across the road, SP Ilkley, through the 30 MPH signs, and pick up the footpath on the L side of the road (curly Hill). Continue down the road turning L at the bottom of the hill towards the river bridge. Over you go and up to the traffic lights. Go straight across the road and up the main street.
At the top .of the main street you will see Dacre Son & Hartley, Chartered Surveyors, and on the opposite side of the road the Midland Bank. Cross at the Zebra crossing in front of the Midland Bank and walk up the road between the Midland Bank and Dacre Son & Hartley, called Wells Road. Keep walking up the hill of Wells Road until you come to the Cattle Grid. Stop before you go through the gate of the cattle grid and find Cross Beck Road. Do not turn L along Cross Beck Road but take the tarmac track to the R of the sign showing Crossbeck Road towards a five-bar gate. (Immediately on your L at this time is Bradford & Ilkley community college, "Hillside". Through the gate walk forward up the tarmac track in front of you. You are now making for Ilkley Tarn. GR 121 470.
When you reach the Tarn take the track going on the L side of the Tarn. At the far end of the Tarn pick up anyone of the footpaths that will lead you towards the Cow and Calf Rocks. You are making for the Car Park just below the Cow and Calf Rocks. GRl33466.
(Unless you are feeling really energetic we do not wish you to climb high up on to your R hand side, but if you do wish to then that's fine by us ) Please take your time and enjoy some of the splendid views up and down the Wharfe Valley as you walk along the Ebor way. Leave the car park and walk towards the Cow and Calf Hotel, pass the Hotel and after approx 75 yards a well defined footpath goes onto the moor on your (R) (almost opposite/just past the riding stables). On up the path and traverse the moor side to your (L) towards Burley Woodhead (Ebor way).
After walking about 1½ miles you will come to the valley that runs down to Burley Woodhead, do not go down, but walk straight forward on well defined footpath. After a further ½mile you will begin to bear (R) and come across a small disused quarry, at the back of "Crag House Farm". Keep walking towards the farm, which should now be in front of you and slightly up hill. This is "York View Farm" GRl49446. Turn (L) through White Gate and down the lane to the Menston/Burley Woodhead Road. Straight across (again take care) BP Public Footpath. Down the hill, passing "Glen Cottage" on your (R), now turn (L) in front of "Brown Garage" (the Glen House on your left). Down the steps between the hedgerows, Over stream, Over stile, now Old Mill Dam on your (R). Over stile and across a short field, Over next stile in the corner in front of you. Turn right past Bleach Mill. GRl59445. Follow this lane to Menston Village, through village on the main road and back to the Hospital. Once in Hospital Grounds, walk up the driveway and the Social Club will become visible on your L hand side.