Wakefield Way #3 - Horbury Bridge to Lofthouse Hill (amended) 20/06/15

9.9 miles, via Healey, South Ossett, Gawthorpe, Kirkhamgate & Carr Gate.

My half term report only needs to be brief as we hit the top of the year, with my cumulative mileage total having far surpassed my expectations, and only two days having been lost from the schedule, most recently last weekend having come off the back of a horrible head cold to be greeted by an extremely grey day. So only my mid-season trip to High Cup with FOSCL is lost from the 2015 schedule, and I return to the Wakefield Way for leg #3, a week later than planned, riding the #232 bus out to Horbury Bridge for a 10.25am start on another short day, with less than happy weather in the air.

Self at Horbury Bridge

I know it's an official trail, and should be walked as written, but the first 3+ miles of the day are covering paths I have already trodden, on the Calder & Hebble navigation, the Kirklees Way and the Dewsbury-Ossett greenway, and as I'm at such proximity to another couple of things which interest me, I'm going to allow myself a small measure of editorialising. Set out north across the Calder then, instead of hitting the tow path, passing through Horbury Bridge village, striking out on the rising Storrs Hill Road towards the plateau which Horbury and Ossett sit upon, and pausing to take a look at the site of Healey Mills Goods yard, initially opened in 1920 and massively expanded as a hump marshalling yard in 1960, but now only home to a burgeoning forest among the rails since its closure in 1987. It's relic to be admired from many angles as I follow the perimeter path making the westwards track, past the old motive power depot, towards Healey itself, the industrial hamlet which supported a trio of mills at it height, and still sustains industry and the home of Ossett Brewery nowadays, thus keeping the Brewer's Pride pub in business. Meet the official Wakefield Way route, and the Kirklees Way trespassing on its neighbour's turf, as the path loops around the Healey Old Mills site, but I'm soon doing my own thing again, hitting the rising path away from the Calder, and getting the good views that really show that properly hilly Calderdale stretches further to the east than you would credit it, with the field walk eventually leading me up to the Runtlings housing development, on the southern edge of Ossett.

Meet the site of the GNR Ossett station, and hit the greenway again, but instead of carrying on to Dewsbury, we follow the rising track northwards, meeting the official route again as the old railway leads to Pildacre Lane, but instead of a stretch of road walking to the east, I'm off to get in some more formation as the line moved on towards Batley and Adwalton. One field boundary walk leads to the rough land that sits between greater Ossett and greater Dewsbury, which the railway ran across, and judging by the number of shire horses grazing on it, I guess it must be common land, and as we pass the phalanx of council houses to the west, we roll on to Wakefield Road, to leave the GNR's track behind and to follow the A638 back the official Wakefield Way route again, just as the hard drizzle predicted for the day comes on. Over the footbridge over the Ossett bypass and on through the village of Gawthorpe, complete with its maypole, and seemingly a dead end as the lane followed, Gawthorpe Lane, gradually diminishes down to a farm track and sets out into the fields north of Wakefield, showing up a few familiar farms seen when the old Leeds Country Way route brought me this way, but the rainy skies deny me a lot of visual context, and it always seems glum when I'm in this corner of West Yorkshire. This ancient and forgotten track bottoms out at Bushey Beck, and then rises, passing under the M1 to provide shelter for lunchtime, and the day clears up somewhat as paces are made to edge of Kirkhamgate, though we won't be seeing this village's centre as the trail heads away from it along Batley Road towards the city before rising on a track to the wooded top of Lindale Hill, which would be another fine viewpoint over Wakefield if it wasn't for the damp haze in the air.

Strike carefully down from the hill to meet Lindale Lane, following it to the other edge of Kirkhamgate before heading away along Brandy Carr Road, gaining views to East Ardsley as it rises, and thus feeling close to home before the path follow the approach to Aspen farm before dropping down into a momentarily bucolic corner before meeting the boundary path around the police dog training centre. It seem that the West Yorkshire Constabulary has extensively developed this site since my map and guide were printed, so you get the feeling of trespassing among the various building of the complex as you rise towards the A650, my red route into the district. Cross to Carr Gate, the suburban hamlet with a wooden castle in the yard of the Malt Shovel, and a low roadside slab forming its war memorial (which had piqued my curiosity many times as the #425 bus rolled past it), and from there Lawns Lane takes us away from the expensive houses, and around the large Wakefield 41 business park, which hides away from view behind its bank of trees and doesn't offer any sight lines into it until we are in the shadow of the M1. The lane gradually peters out, as if the modern world lost interest in it, becoming a rough track as it rolls out at Lingwell Gate, and we are in a familiar corner again as Castle Head Lane leads over the Leeds-Wakefield railway and on into the site of Lofthouse colliery, taking me onto the northern half of the circular path to be among the exercisers of Outwood and Stanley in the country park. Hit the bridle path north as it heads steadily uphill whilst hiding Lofthouse Hill golf course from view behind embankments, rising to the residences and allotments on Westgate Lane, and the Leeds & Wakefield turnpike, the latter day A61, can be our end point for the day, and we are done in only 4 hours at 2.25pm, and just as well because that's about all my legs wanted to do today.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 1732 miles
2015 Cumulative Total: 329.8 miles
Up Country Total: 1605.6 miles
Solo Total: 1520 miles

Healey Mills Marshalling Yard. First deviation from the route brings us
here, disused for more than a quarter century, but all the signals and points
are still live, if someone wishes to shunt waggons among the trees.

Healey, home to three mills, a half dozen houses, a brewery and pub.

Ossett Town station (former) second deviation bring us to the home
of the GNR's junction station, now a greenway with the town
left as the largest in the county without any railway connections.

The GNR lines between Dewsbury and Ossett, third deviation of the day brings
a stroll across the common land, just so a bit more formation can fall beneath my feet.

Gawthorpe Maypole, with bonus rain! Odd to think that this isn't the
first, or largest, permanent maypole encountered on my travels.

Gawthorpe Lane. Crossing the fields to Kirkhamgate, it's another of those country
lanes avoided by the motor age, to be enjoyed by walkers and the riders on the
Wakefield Wheel, a track that I have crossed many times already in this district.

Lindale Hill Viewpoint, looking towards Wakefield and Alverthorpe, and despite
the district's relative lack of elevation, the entertaining vistas are still plentiful.

West Yorkshire Police training complex, Carr Gate.
Is the casual walker really welcome among these buildings?



Lawns Lane, with the Wakefield 41 business park concealed from view by trees,
seemingly invisible at close quarters and yet extremely prominent form any
hillside in the district, and why doesn't the motor age want this lane either?

Lofthouse Colliery country park. Third visit here, and I still haven't walked
all the paths around the site. It's the post industrial gift that keeps on giving!

Next Up: The eastwards tack, with familiar paths along the canal once again?