Alone Beneath The Sky: Woodlesford to Horsforth 29/08/16

16 miles, via Newsam Green, Temple Newsam Park, Beck Fields, Primrose Valley Park,
Killingbeck Fields, Fearnville Fields, Wykebeck Woods, Roundhay Park, Moortown,
Moor Allerton, Alwoodley, Adel, Holt Park & Tinshill.

If you've decided that you are only going to walk one day of the long Bank Holiday weekend, it makes sense to utilise the best one, and it being Monday means that you can put the remainder to good use without feeling guilty, and will hopefully have the legs fully charged for another trip across Leeds's many green spaces, because if it's a public holiday and you can't get to the seaside, a walk in the park has to be the next best option. So out early before 9.10am, to beat the crowds, starting out from Woodlesford station, well away from the body of this year's walking territory, and set course for the northwest, heading out onto the A642 Aberford Road to make the familiar path to the north across the Navigation and the Aire toward the Bridge Farm Hotel at Swillington Bridge, before taking the left turn onto Bullerthorpe Road with intent for making for the way into Temple Newsam Park from the south. My pathfinding is almost ruined by one of my worst navigation fails, missing the turn to Newsam Green Road and almost going on to approach the park from the east, only realising my error at the next junction, which leads me onto the correct track, down by the entrance to Leventhorpe Hall, now lost in a land scarred by open cast mining and renewed by landfill, and into a tidy rock cutting that only sees traffic for the waste disposal sites these day. Newsam Green farm still survives, by what was once the forgotten path of Pontefract Road, whilst our track ascends to give lofty views over South Leeds and beyond before passing over the M1 motorway on one of those bridges that links farm tracks but has little obvious use otherwise. It's good for us as it gives access to the paths across the fields to get into the Temple Newsam estate, joining the access track by The Shroggs wood, and giving elevated views over the park towards the house before slipping downhill through the trees to the bridleway at the bottom of the park, and even with the throng of visitors being much smaller than I would have expected, I'll do the ascent to the house via the most secluded path of all, the grassy enclosed track that is actually one of the oldest in the entire park.

This brings us up close to the house, and the formal gardens, and the tree lined path will guide us on to the terrace below the southern wing of this Jacobean pile, it brickwork lit colourfully in the late summer sunshine, and thus we have another visit up close without having opportunity to go inside, as we move on to get a look at the house from behind, and hit the path that leads into the woods beyond. Not that it really goes anywhere, so much of the southern half of the park having been re-landscaped after coal mining had dog so much of it up, but it arrives on the tree covered path by Temple Newsam Road, and the path previously travelled this way is rejoined in reverse as the Wykebeck Valley Way will take us on to Roundhay Park via most of East Leeds's greenest spaces. So onwards, down through the golf course and along the edge of Halton Moor wood, to the view over Cross Green and over the city, and to the bottom corner of the Halton Estate, to join the hard path across the green fields that sit around Wyke Beck in the green space between Halton Moor and Osmondthorpe, imaginatively named Beck Fields, and virtually devoid of life despite it being late enough for folks to have got out of bed by now. Pass over Neville Road, and by Corpus Christi church and college before the path disappears halfway along Cartmell Drive, and that will have to lead us on to Selby Road, and make crossing of the A63 at a different place before meeting a familiar path as Lucy Avenue leads us into Primrose Valley park, and despite it being time for elevenses, it's still very quiet out here. Stop at the top, where the colliery once stood, to water and enjoy the view back over the path travelled, before striking on over the railway line to York and Hull, and down through that odd collection of council houses around Sutton Approach, opposite Asda on York Road. Over the A64 and down past the business park and pone to rejoin Wykebeck Way as Killingbeck Fields creates an undulating green space that has endured to keep the estates separate and distinct, the pre-War boundary of the city if you will, feeling quite far away from habitation if you ignore the tower blocks peaking over the tops of the trees, on both the Gipton and Seacroft sides.

On to the fulcrum of East Leeds walks, where Foundry Lane junctions with South Parkway approach, still feeling unusually quiet, and the Way actually gets to meet Wyke Beck as it makes its passage across Fearnville Fields, arrayed for sports and playing off to the western side, and fewer views into Seacroft are forthcoming than I might have hoped for, but the path branches to give us options and I'll depart from the cycle track as the rougher track looks more interesting. Here we find more rough ground and seclusion among the trees that make me wonder why this quarter isn't more noted for its leafiness, and dropping to the beckside through the trees provides some welcome shelter as the sun beats down, and there are at least a few local walkers out here having a stretch, so that makes it feel a bit more civilised. Pass up behind the fences of Fearnville's semis to note just how tidy and clean the beck looks, emerging to meet the A58, where the dual carriageway of Easterly Road can offer the most challenging crossing of the day, and thence it's onwards to the shade of Wykebeck Woods, which feel like remnant of someone's forgotten ornamental garden, complete with overly decorative footbridge, or maybe it's feeling that way as we slip into the more overtly middle class part of Leeds, as East transitions to north. Altogether a pleasing little glade, with cyclists to be found at long last, emerging through the fields to meet Wetherby Road by the Montessori in the old church almshouses, with St John's Roundhay hidden by a bank of trees, and now we can meet the way into Roundhay Park, slightly hidden below the dam of Waterloo Lake, but it makes sense to follow the run-off channel up to The Carriage Drive. After peace and quiet in the opening half of the day, we finally meet the throng out to enjoy the park, and they got a good day for it to be sure, as did the Harehills Carnival it seems. We can pick our way to the points of immediate interest as we go, past the boat house café, and up the wide lane to the viewpoint above the reservoir and on to Barran's Fountain, sadly disused, and taking look over the cricket field in its hollow and over to The Mansion, which finally appears to give some historical context to all these parklands.

Take a lunch break by the shelter over-looking the Upper Lake, already scheduled for a future visit, before wandering on, below the late Georgian Mansion, and through the semi-formal gardens to exit by the former Park Farm on Princes Avenue, reborn as the Roundhay Fox, and the stables, bafflingly out of use at present. The formal gardens and Tropical World can wait for another day, as the parklands are put behind us, with still plenty of day to walk, and onwards we progress to Street Lane, one of the earliest suburban roads developed in the city, still a distinctly swish corner of the city with its boutiques and bars in its proud shopping parades, and a place where we once went drinking when The Streets of Leeds was still in business. The suburbia has many faces along here, from proud villas at the park end, becoming rather more modest as we progress through Moortown, and it's tree-lined all the way to Harrogate Road, confirming the impression that I shared a year ago about the suburban lanes of Rossendale feeling exactly like something to be found in North Leeds, something to entertain the mind as the pavement gets pounded. The newer section of Street Lane, to Scott Hall Road and beyond is altogether more modest, losing the trees and having a look of 1930s suburbia, but a more dynamic shift in appearances comes along as we join King Lane past the Stonegate Road island, meeting old farms and council houses on the descent down to the Ring Road, and risks don't have to be taken to get over the A6120 as a footbridge can take us over to the Moor Allerton shopping centre. Shopped a lot here in the past, and could bail to ride the #51 home if I so wished, but I'm still feeling bold to walk, so wander around the Penny Fun pub to get back in with King Lane, keeping a good distance from the estates on both sides. Odd that such a wide boulevard should have grown on a road that only goes as far as Arthington, with enough space for a medical centre to have been developed in front of St Stephen's church without it feeling crowded, and there's schools aplenty down here, and I've never been to sure about the identity of this district either, but a boundary marker tells us that Leeds borough ends here to become Alwoodley.

The green space beyond the boulevard claims to be Alwoodley village green, so that puts that mystery to bed, and we take the left turn here that prevents us wandering out into the countryside to enjoy the bridleway through Alwoodley Crags plantation, above the Leodensian Club's playing fields and on into the woods on the Dales Way link. Descend down Stair Foot Lane to pass over Adel beck and then follow the sound of the tolling bells uphill to the outer edge of Adel and onto the footpath through the churchyard of St John the Baptist's, just in time to avoid getting tangled up in a wedding party. Having noted my love for this ancient Norman building last week, it's good to see it again and note that it's a beauty regardless of the season, worthy of many pictures before pressing on along the footpath through the seasonally colourful wheat fields on the way to the A660 Otley Road. Cross over to meet the Lawnswood Arms, that style of vast outer suburban pub that is feeling like a bit of a rarity these days, and thence on Holt Lane, which feels wholly like a boundary between two districts, as it leads to the Heathfield Walk path which arrives at Holt Park, which actually is a park, admittedly a pretty modest one, but big enough to name the district (or not?). In this vintage of estate, it's worth having a closer look at High Farm, revived as a pub and easily the oldest building in the district, giving some agricultural context to the borough, and then it's on to Farrar Lane, petering out to a shady path to lead out to Tinshill Moor, where the microwave tower was my focus of interest before the summer view over the city is revealed in the other direction. A playing field with this aspect ought to be crowded on a day like this, but it's devoid of life, maybe it's a view that the locals are used to, but it almost provides the history of our walk for the day, and moving on over Otley Old Road and down Tinshill Lane finally gives us a few looks over Horsforth's high spots and other hills off to the west. Here's another estate of apartment blocks that have a pleasant look to them, and there's a heck of a lot them too, but all focus aims forwards to meet the Fox & Hounds at the Tinshill Road corner hopeful that my time keeping is good to land me on the train at Horsforth station beyond, and I'm actually late, but so is the train, arriving at 3.10pm, just after I did, and that's 16 miles in 6 hours on the nose. What was the line from Urban Kayaking on Jackass? 'Nature Sucks, sometimes it's Great to get out in the City.'? I think I can concur with that sentiment today.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 2413.3 miles
2016 Total: 398.9 miles
Up Country Total: 2197.8 miles
Solo Total: 2182.4 miles