Dewsbury & D.R.C. Walk #1: Dewsbury to Birstall 02/04/21

9.1 miles, via Eastborough, Crackenedge, Hanging Heaton, Croft House, Soothill Wood, 

 Howley Hall, Howley Park, Cliff Wood, Birkby Brow Wood, Howden Clough, Copley Hill,

  Birstall Fields, Fieldhead, and Oakwell Hall Country Park.

Long Distance Trail
means Selfies!
#1 at Dewsbury Minster

With the 'Stay Local' lockdown restriction ending on 29th March, we are now officially released to cautiously approach the idea of walking further away from home again in 2021, and with a promising-looking long Easter weekend coming up, it's the perfect time to pull the Dewsbury & District Ramblers Centenary Walk off the To-Do list, as I've had the route guide on my shelf for years and it sat as a plausible fall-back route for last Summer until I decided to go full bore into the Pennines, so its moment is now, easily dividing into three legs that are only modestly long, and with none more than a straightforward ride away from Morley either. Good Friday morning thus has us up, but not with the lark, to ride a still under-populated TPE service down to Dewbury station, to alight at 10.05am, and making our way to the start line via the western side of the town, across the A638 Ring Road and down Wellington Street, by the Dewsbury Reporter flatiron building and the Elim Chapel, across Daisy Hill and down Southgate to the bus station on South Street, before spilling out of Church Street and across the A638 again to the official beginning of the trail at Dewsbury Minster, the ancient church of this parish. Away we go then, anti-clockwise on the trail, along the side of the ring road, eastwards below the looming Town Hall, past the Sports Centre, Job Centre and Bingo Hall complex, and the Matalan dominated retail park, all located on the former goods yards of the L&YR and the GNR, all completely scrubbed from the landscape aside from the name of Railway Street bisecting the two sites, as we rise up to cross the foot of  Wakefield Road and carry on up the side of Old Bank Road to trace the Kirklees Way route on paths seen seven seasons ago. Up the toe of this hill we travel, along the wooded Hollinroyd Road, above the terraces of Eastborough before Sugar Lane drops us onto the A653 Leeds Road by the Crown Inn, with the way leading us on into Caulms Wood park, where we infamously lost the trail in 2014, but this time we are prepped, and find the correct route from the main path across this lofty green space over the town, as we meet the circular arboreal feature at its heart where we are led up into the eponymous woodland.

Dewsbury Minster.

The foot of Wakefield Road, above Dewsbury.

Caulms Wood Park.

It looks like the path up through the woods towards the high side of Crackenedge is getting dug out and resurfaced, which has the going feeling rather uneven as we elevate among the bare trees, only gaining an impacted surface as we start to rise onto the cliff edge route, where the corner we mistook last time is much more clearly wrong now, with the way ahead only giving us a westerly view over Batley Carr and up to Staincliffe, until we clear the tree tops and can look up to Batley and the way of the route to come, and back towards Dewsbury and the southwestern Kirklees horizon. Arriving behind the back gardens of Hanging Heaton, we can be happy to have more sunshine on the route than we saw in 2014, illuminating Batley below us in it is trio of merging valleys as we swing eastwards with the curve of the hillside, acknowledging the many locals who have this as their prime stretching spot, only just spotting a train rolling over Batley viaduct before the view recedes and we land in the village-suburb on the corner of Kirkgate, just down from the Fox & Hounds inn. The Kirklees Way departs us here as we pace on the higher main street of Hanging Heaton, riding the boundary of the old village on the hillside and the suburb on the flat hill top as we are drawn directly towards the parish church of on its lofty perch, one of several in the hereabouts, above the school in the plot below on the angle of High Street, where we cross over to meet the field path northwards, getting us into the green space to the east of greater Dewsbury pretty quickly. It's a clear route downhill through the fields to Challenge Way, where the B6128 rides the alignment of the old GNR line into the buried Shaw Cross tunnel, and also has a cattle creep under it that we cannot use, instead having to cross the road to join the farm track beyond the superseded Grange Road that leads us up past Soothill Grange farm, in the midst of a still active rural space between the Leeds and Soothill Road that suburbia has yet to make a claim on, where the eastern horizon can be scanned for views towards Gawthorpe and West Ardsley.

Batley Carr and Staincliffe, from Crackenedge.

Batley and Commonside, from Crackenedge

St Paul's church and school, Hanging Heaton.

Soothill Grange Farm.

As the path crests, we shift into the fields of Croft House farm, where their tractor has to be give a wide margin as it bounces along the rutted track, and our walkable route is directed away from the farmyard across the grassy meadow at angle to drop us onto the B6124, where we cross to land inside our local pandemic bubble, passing behind the reach of houses to the west of the Babes in the Wood crossroads, and to seek the path through Soothill Wood, which certainly doesn't align with the map or the route instructions that I completely fail to understand when interpreting them in reverse. The woodland we see is mostly replanted over ground that has been quarried out, and their accessibility seems discouraged by fences, but a satellite map shows clearly traceable routes across it, and we'll track one of these, northwards on the eastern side on a clear but sticky path that leads to a pond by the lorry depot off Quarry Road, before tracking west on the northern side, above what could be remnants of the tramways that once served the Excelsior quarry on the hilltop, eventually being pulled around by dead reckoning to find the path out. Exactly where we'd hoped to be as we pass through a pair of gates to arrive on the Leeds Country Way route, below the Marshalls quarry complex to the south of Morley and directly above Soothill Tunnel on the old GNR Beeston - Batley line, which still has one feature we haven't seen, the vent that is barely concealed in the woodland to the west, which we'll easily locate to find it contained by a barbed wire fence that discourages anyone from getting any closer as the foul odour that it emitted from below is enough to make even the most tolerant to bad smells recoil. So back on track with the thought that Dewbury Ramblers wanted to come this way to tag Howley Park and Howley Hall onto their locality despite them being in the neighbouring borough, and we'll follow the track as it leads below the golf course and up to the ruins, which we shan't bother getting up close and personal with on this occasion, keeping our distance as we pass by, while the tradition is maintained of the sunshine failing to illuminate the remaining stonework as we go.

Croft House Farm, reverse angle.

The Pond, Soothill Wood.

Soothill Tunnel Vent, with foul aroma as standard.

Howley Hall Ruins, with the best illumination yet!

It's great spot for anyone to enjoy, either walking their dog or starting a catastrophic fire with their portable barbecue, the remnants of which we'll pass before tracing the path down over the top of the rubble pile to the wets of the ruins, from where a grand downstream view over Batley is snagged before we descend down to Howley Mill Lane, rejoining the Kirklees Way route as it takes us under the asymmetrical railway bridge over Howley Beck, and below the equestrian centre to the south of Morley Tunnel, before making another contact with Scotchman Lane. Cross the B6123 and admit to ourselves that there will be virtually nothing new to see on the route as it rises up the side of Howden Clough, along the perimeter of the fields of Scholecroft Farm and above the site of West End Colliery, completely landscaped out of existence, marking our fourth time on the track that traces the colliery tramway route through Cliff Wood, twice in each direction now, but still the best woodland walk in the area and used by walkers and BMXers in similar quantity. Noting the old rifle range remnants on the edge of Birkby Brow Wood is new to me though, so it's good to be guided to see something new in the landscape, as is spotting the amount of coal debris in the ground as we carry on, almost starting to feel the need to star explaining the industrial hisrtory of what seems like a completely primordial forest landscape, where the only clues are the the suspiciously level track and a single wall fragment of Birkby Brow Colliery towards the northern end. The LCW splits off uphill, and we head downhill with the KW still, steeply down to Howley Beck which has gone an aggressive shade of orange and also damaged the footbridge, rising beyond up the path by the side of the tiny farmstead at the head of Howden Clough, returning us to Kirklees District as we alight on the A643 and rise up past the terraces at head of Mill Lane, the Mission centre and the Mann's Buildings block, which gives a swift reminder of why we sought a new variant route when coming up this way last weekend.

Upper Batley from Howley Park.

Schole Croft Farm.

Birkby Brow Wood, and the tramway.

Manns Buildings terrace, Howden Clough.

We're stuck to the side of Leeds Road as it passes under the site of the GNR's railway bridge and Howden Clough station, carrying on through the suburbia that has grown around the top of Copley Hill, with greenery only coming around the football field and the derelict plot of Clough House before we start to scratch the outer edge of Birstall and pull off the main road north up Moat Hill Farm Drive and on to the footpath that leads over the infilled cutting of the Leeds New Line, where the mighty blue brick overbridge in the L&NWR style is still firmly in situ. The joy of industrial estate walking follows, along the edge of Pennine View among the idle yards on this Bank Holiday before peeling off down Nab Lane on its long and isolated stub to meet the terrace by the side of the A62, where we cross opposite Hawthorne House and join Dark Lane as it rises along the edge of another industrial estate, which appears to have grown since 2014, having recently added the Ocado distribution depot to its cadre, opposite the edge of the suburbia of Birstall Fields on Ferndene Walk. A rough and unkempt path lead up the edge of the fields beyond, unclaimed by suburbs below or business from the east, and meeting Owler Lane, the unseen back route to the Birstall Retal Park, we get a fine and uninterrupted view over the southwestern Kirklees horizon again, which I appreciate more now that we did on our first visit, while our descent wanders us down towards Fieldhead, as any plotted route aroundabouts these parts has to make an association with local hero Joseph Priestley. The site of his birthplace is thus passed, marked on a house that arrived some 150 years after 1733, and we join the side of the B6125 as it passes the Essential care groups offices and passes over the M62 on its long run into the Spen Valley, while we join the field paths to the north of it, the oddly wandering path of the Kirklees Way that I only really recognize in its proximity to the Aire-Calder ridge today as the Railway Hotel by the site of Drighlington & Adwalton station and the neighbouring A650 bypass are spotted on the cresting hill above us.

Moat Hill Farm lane bridge, Copley Hill.

The Ocado Depot, Birstall Fields.

The Field Head terraces.

The Railway Hotel, Adwalton, on the Aire-Calder ridge.

The tracks and paths that will take us back downhill, and southwards under the motorway again, seem to have been aggressively fenced off, to keep walkers out I'm guessing as the many scrubby plots don't look like they done much except lying fallow recently, and we snag our view across nearby Birkenshaw before we drop down onto Warrens Lane as it takes us below the M62 and into Oakwell Hall Country Park, past the off-road cycling circuit and over the cutting of the Leeds New Line, which we still won't be exploring as we carry on into the throng making best use of the park on a sunny afternoon. Down past the informal wildflower garden we head, along the side of the walled garden and down to meet the Oaktree Cafe and the Stables complex, all of which are doing business today, though the 17th century hall remains closed and we'll stop for our late lunchtime brew here, having blazed a trail without stopping until this point, snaring the Happy Bench in the shade for our tea break, before resuming the trail down the driveway and into the riot of cars parked along the length of Nutter Lane. A bridleway lead us downhill from here, down the side of the gardens of Oakwell House, that would pass for an impressive estate if it wasn't for its much bigger neighbour behind it, while we pass among many fields of horses, in both the agricultural and equestrian styles, as we look over to the council estate along Cambridge Road to the east of us, and up to the grassy bulk of Popeley Fields as it looms over the far side of the valley, south of Gomersall, before we cross over Scotland Beck, ahead of meeting Bradford Road. The A652 marks the end of our first leg of the D&DRCW, but footfalls will need to be made to the east towards Birstall to get to Kirkgate, as the most convenient bus stop for our homeward ride can be found there, up the hill from St Peter's and next to the National School complex, landing at 1.40pm, in plenty of time to catch the #200 bus back to Morley, which allows us enough time to snare some pics of the old St Patrick's RC church on the Low Lane corner, partially absorbed into an apartment complex and not properly acknowledged visually when we passed by last weekend.

Warrens Lane bridge, Oakwell Hall Country Park.

The Oakwell Hall stables block.

Oakwell House and the Equestrian fields.

The old St Patrick's apartments, Birstall.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 4849 miles

2021 Total: 106.9 miles
Up Country Total: 4386 miles
Solo Total: 4522.4 miles
5,000 in my 40s Total: 3446.8 miles

Next Up: Leg #2, heading Southbound, Tomorrow!

~~~

Pandemic Thoughts: March 2021

The Coronavirus Pandemic has now passed a duration of more than a year, and in Britain we marked start of the first National Lockdown while in the last week of our third National Lockdown, and even with those anniversaries passing, it doesn't feel like a time for reflection or looking back, not least because I feel like reflecting on this last twelve months (plus the many more to come) will probably be impossible, as it's surely something that will afflict or impact our lives for a long time into the future, even once the pandemic is declared over. So we look forwards, and the month hardly gets off to another great start, as HM Government plots out its seemingly endless sting of budget adjustments and finds it in their hearts to offer front line workers in the NHS a 1% pay increase, essentially a £3.50 a week bonus for having toiled relentlessly to clean up a mess that somebody else created, which both the professional associations and unions have dismissed as pathetically insulting, which means this looks like another story that will run and run as the cost of this pandemic is sorted out. Elsewhere we get new from Europe, over concerns with regards the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca, rather than the worries about its effectiveness regarding the variant outbreaks, as it's been linked to risks of causing blood clotting issues, albeit at very low levels judging by the number of doses so far administered, which makes it look like a risk management issue from my perspective, rather than one of clinical safety, though it does dovetail into the other issue we're experiencing with the EU. The spat that's still going on makes as little sense as it did in January, but it seems to be caused by issues with EU vaccine orders being processed in Britain, and British orders being manufactured in the EU, and with the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine now being required in greater quantities in Europe, the EU's place in the order queue, further behind the curve as it happens, has them making demands that fly against what looks like best organisational practice, a distinctly unappealing mess that could still have consequences with regards vaccination administration in this country as we carry on.

That progress continues apace, with approximately 30 million people, more than half the adult population, having received a first dose by the end of the month with almost 5% having received both, which is a huge step in this year long process, which chatter suggests might still result in a booster jab for the elderly come the autumn, tying it in with the regular flu shots, and it's all another step to that 60% total which ought to bring on the statistical probability of herd immunity becoming prevalent. It's necessary step to take, as despite the death rate having dropped dramatically, with fewer than 8,000 people succumbing to Covid-related illness in the last month (it's horrible that such a number could be regarded as 'only'), the daily infection fate has stayed at a persistent 5,000+, meaning that there's still enough interactions going nationwide to keep it going, even with Lockdown conditions being in place for three months, though the hospital population has dropped too, meaning that the severity of many new infections is clearly not as serious as it was. Yet, international awareness of the situation has to be maintained, as Europe is being affected by a third wave and another round of lockdowns, thanks to a combination of trying to operate with more limited restrictions and being afflicted by a wave of new variant infections, while also being further back in their vaccination programmes, which again has HM Government pondering the necessity of vaccine passports when it comes to renewed travel, as they'll probably be required at both ends of the transactions, as nobody is going to want to have anything unpleasant brought their way. We might keep hearing their opposition to such things, but a denial that a thing is being planned has proved to be as good as an admission that it's going to happen over this last year, and they look pretty certain to be a factor when it comes to renewed public social activity too, as while pubs and restaurants might be easily regulated in a limited capacity, larger scale events are going to need some form of control, and while certain types might be declaring the idea as 'socially divisive', I'd regard choosing to not be vaccinated to be a good reason to keep some people out of circulation for a while longer.

Out with The Old...

Meanwhile, in other news, I've had my early Spring break land in late March, as it usually does, a week off work that got scuppered last year by the pandemic, but such issues aren't going to deflect me this time around, as I've got two valid reasons to travel down to Leicester to visit My Mother as we can claim a Support Bubble as she's been in perpetual lockdown for a whole year, and we've only had two days of personal interaction since September, while also providing Aid to the Elderly, as she's needing help with some seasonal garden work that cannot be done solo,even by a younger person, or put off to a later date. So we travel down on trains that are pleasingly light on travellers, a traffic level that I really could get used to, with a three day plan to get on with replacing the raised planter in Mum's garden, the one which we'd tried to repair in 2018 by building a new section to substitute a section which had rotted beyond use, a repair job that hadn't stemmed to rot on the older wood, with the whole planter starting a long slow collapse that clearly had it beyond any future use as it leaned aggressively on legs that seemed to be barely supporting it. First day is thus spent dismantling the old one, and finding that our repair job had indeed outlived what it was screwed onto, so that wood was piled up for future use, and while the older planter had looked like its collapse was imminent, it takes several hours of work with electric screwdriver, hammer and crowbar to get the old thing apart, showing that My Dad's handiwork in its initial construction, and his liking for over engineering his DIY projects, meant that it was still structurally strong despite the rot and the jaunty angle it had adopted.

...and In with The New.

Second day is thus dedicated to assembling a new one, acquired from Homebase in a pre-built form, and paid for in substantial part by myself as two years worth of Christmas gifts, which turns out to be a pretty rapid build of only three hours work, as we've both gained enough of Dad's DIY ability over the years to organize ourselves into handling materials and manipulating tools, while neither of have his ability to plan from scratch, but our work is pushed on by recounting my of our funny tales of labours with him over the years, and the hope that we might have done his legacy proud. Third and final day is thus spent on the more mundane of matters, lining the planter with plastic bags, and landscaping the ground on which it's intended to stand with bricks and broken tiles in the hope that we might counter the slippage and rakish lean that had afflicted the old one, plus hoiking multiple buckets of re-used soil back into it, and having to make a trip out to Wilko to acquire three fresh bags of compost as the amount that goes into the planter is never the same as what had previously come out. And then done, mostly under seasonal sunshine that was largely unexpected, and having barely dirtied ourselves up in the process either, leaving us with two days free to talk our worlds around, sit down for multiple meals together (which still feels like the most enormous of cultural breakthroughs), and to start planning out the year that we night enjoy, which would seem like it was a bit foolhardy with the amount of uncertainty that lies ahead, but as we'll both be fully vaccinated after I've gotten my second dose on 11th April, an amount of interaction between ourselves and the rest of the family would seem a lot more plausible after that, and we have to have something to look forward to, otherwise this pandemic is going to further ravage our mental healths.

As we emerge into April and the gradual ending of the third (third!) period of National Lockdown, we pause to see what the easing of restrictions might mean as we look back and forward, and at the very least, the returning of kids to school on 8th hasn't started a new wave of infections among the young, not least because they've only been in for three weeks before breaking up for Easter, and that hasn't been long enough to cause a significant spike, though forcing the schools open for such a short time still seems pretty pointless to me. It would have looked much more sensible to have had Secondary schools open for one to one tutoring, preparing the kids who are going to be sitting their examinations, and identifying those who have fallen behind and are most in need of mentoring, while the issues caused for Primary and new intake children are going to be much deeper that a few more weeks of schooling will solve, as many will have had a whole year of their education fractured or squandered and getting them back on track will prove to be a much larger project, I'm sure. Later, we've seen the 'Stay Local' rule pass, as of March 29th, and the outdoor rule of six has been renewed for social gathering, while the regional tier system of the Autumn isn't being renewed, for some reason, and it seems insanely ironic that this date coincides with the first crazy temperature spike of the Spring, which naturally had many parks and beaches crowded with people who were finding themselves freed for their first bout of social interaction in months, while most probably consisting of the half of the population who haven't had their vaccinations yet. I'd figure the greater risk from the Pandemic in Britain is now that of Covid infections afflicting the long term health of the young, rather than killing the elderly, and at the very least, the scope for more large and random interactions won't be in place until after the Easter holidays, meaning there won't be a glut of youngsters descending on Primark as the shops remain shut for another two weeks (maybe this means that Those who would Govern us have finally learned from their mistakes, after having gotten it completely wrong twice over now).