Alone Beneath The Sky: Leeds to Wetherby 25/04/15

16 miles, via Harehills, Roundhay Park, Shadwell, ~~Scarcroft,~~ ~~Bardsey~~ & Collingham.

Time to blaze a fresh trail across the city of Leeds, and even when only a short distance into the season, the destinations are starting to repeat themselves, so set course for Wetherby for third time, departing Leeds station at 9.05am, through the Aire Street Entrance and heading in the apparently wrong direction so I might make my way, via Park Place and Park Square, to the western end of the city centre so that I might traverse Westgate, the Headrow and Eastgate all in one go, a lot of familiar Leeds sights thus checked off the list in one easy stroll. Depart the city centre under New York Road and out via Mabgate, the still faintly industrial and utterly forgotten ancient route out of the city to the north east, now twice surpassed. Follow the rising route below the Lincoln Green towers, along the pleasantly named but rather glum Cherry Row and Dolly Lane, around the back of St James's hospital and hitting the A58 Roundhay Road alongside the Bayswater terraces. Again the route northwards proves to be an uphill slog that I had forgotten to expect, taking in many large terraces and side streets of Harehills before passing the shopping parade at Harehills corner and possibly the most famous road junction in the city at Fforde Green corner. Meeting the edge of Gledhow, and the edge of Gipton Woods gives the going a more suburban character before going full on posh at the Oakwood shopping parade, then joining the perimeter of Roundhay Park, followed along Park Lane and West Avenue before descending down to the boathouse café, and joining the throng as I make my trail around the western edge of Waterloo Lake. Enter Great Heads wood, and enjoy the relative peace and quiet as the beck is followed to the edge of the park, departing across the A6120 ring Road, and out across the fields on path that has the look of a burgeoning cycle track over to Shadwell. The bridleway is followed from Brandon Royd farm to Hall farm, everything in the immediate area having some relation to Brandon, taking the quiet lanes to join Tarn Lane to carefully pace the verge against the unexpected traffic, to find that my chosen path around Scarcroft is blocked as Syke Lane is getting resurfaced.

Improvised planning thus takes me away from the upscale Bracken Park development, and down hill along Blackmoor Lane, in the direction of the upper reaches of Bardsey, getting another surprise view of the North York Moors as I go, then choosing to not descend into the village itself, as that would mean another ascent to get out of it again. Instead we head along Tithe Barn Lane to a lovely collection of farmstead around a pond, taking the bridleway out to meet the Leeds Country Way above the village, following it again to Wayside Gardens, across the A58 and around the still dilapidated Rowley Grange before taking the path down through the fields to pass under the missing bridge on the old NER line coming up from Cross Gates, passing over Bardsey Beck and following the rising track along the perimeter of Hatchell Wood. Beyond Milner Lane, a straight bridleway, with claims of Roman origin stretched across the flat plateau of Stubbings Moor, passing through the eponymous plantation before we swing north to cross Holme Farm Lane and be surprised that it is multiple miles in any direction to habitation of any kind. Jewitt Lane follows across the high arable plains for a couple of miles, passing through a pair of pig farms as it goes, offering some good altitude views before descending gradually towards Collingham, cutting the last corner off as I hit the footpath down through the Hollybush Green estate and getting stuck behind a walking party of old folks, whom I have to burn off before path that takes me across School Lane to the A58 once again, and into the church yard of St Oswalds. This leads us the Jenny Townsend Riverside walk, instituted in 2012, which extends the paths along the Wharfe, giving us a well built link through the steeply wooded bank linking the footpaths on either side of it, providing a wholly unexpected aspect for the final stretch towards Wetherby, which is reached after detouring through the playing fields and crossing the Wharfe at Wetherby bridge. There's just enough time to before the weather turns, and the bus departs, to descend on both sides to take a look at the Salmon ladder on the south and Weir Garth at the north, and from there the ride home from the bus station is mere steps away, all done and all aboard the X98 at 3.10pm.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 1595.1 miles
2015 Cumulative Total: 192.9 miles
Up Country Total: 1468.7 miles
Solo Total: 1356.1 miles