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Burley-in-Wharfedale to Hawksworth Moor and Menston

Starting point  and OS Grid reference:

The Roundhouse, Burley-in-Wharfedale (SE 166464). Car park at rear of Queens Hall. 

Ordnance Survey Map
OS Explorer 297 Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley.

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Distance: 8 miles Date of Walk: 25 March 2015

Ascent:
Descent:

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881ft (268m)
881ft (269m)

Traffic light rating:   

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 Click the PDF logo above to give a printable version of this walk without the photos.

To view route as a dynamic Ordnance Survey map click here.

Introduction: This walk takes you via the hamlet of Burley Woodhead, with The Hermit pub, before climbing and crossing Hawksworth Moor, to Reva Reservoir, before circling to Menston and back to Burley.

There are great views on this walk over Lower Wharfedale, across to Denton and Askwith moors, towards Cookridge and Guiseley and over Airedale.

The crossing of Hawksworth Moor is via Access Land and no dogs are permitted, to protect nesting birds. In spring, there is a good chance of seeing lapwings and curlews.

The walk passes High Royds Hall, an old stone building with mullioned windows which is a Grade II listed building built in the early to mid 17th century

The walk starts at the Roundhouse in Grange Park. There are refreshment opportunities at The Hermit pub on the outward journey, at pubs in Menston and Bleach Mill House on the return.

Start: With your back to the door of the Roundhouse (SE 166464), turn left and walk through the park, to Grange Road and turn right. At the junction, turn left and walk up Station Road and under the railway bridge. Immediately after the bridge, turn left on Hag Farm Road. Follow this as it bends right.

Continue past the houses, then, just after a right hand bend, opposite a gateway leading to a small stone barn on the left, turn right through a kissing gate (SE 160450). Another kissing gate is ahead of you bearing slightly left.

The path is reasonably well walked but if in doubt, head just to the right of the power lines, heading towards the trees.

At the trees,go through the kissing gate and follow the obvious path through the trees, crossing a stream via a plank bridge. The path leads to a walkers’ gate. Go through this and follow the fence on the right. You pass a mature sycamore tree with a huge trunk.

Continue to follow the path as it climbs, now between a fence and a dilapidated wall, to a jumble of old concrete fence posts where there is another walkers' gate. Go through this and go straight ahead, now following a line of old concrete fence posts.

Good views of Otley Chevin start to appear to the left.

Continue to the top of the field following the concrete posts, ignoring another path (bridleway) which you cross, to another walkers’ gate. Through this, and you are in the garden of a house. Follow the tarmac drive to emerge in the car park belonging to The Hermit pub (SE 154448).

Turn left along the road for 100 yards or so and opposite the row of terraced cottages (Prospect Row), turn right up some stone steps in the wall, following the direction of the public footpath fingerpost. Take care along here as motorists regularly exceed the 20 mph speed limit and there are blind corners.

Cross the field diagonally to the next stile which you can see, a rather unusual ‘V’ shape.

Follow the property boundary to your left and on reaching a corner, follow the path left towards the stone step stile located at the corner of stone walls. Cross this and follow the left hand field boundary. There are great views here to Otley Chevin and Almscliff Crag and over Burley to the moors beyond.

The path comes out into a broad track (Green Lane) where you turn left briefly (SE 154444). As Green Lane bends left by the duck pond, turn right through a walkers’ gate, following the yellow arrow. Keep to the right hand boundary of the field until you go through a dilapidated gateway into the next field. Then, bear left to the fence by the trees and follow it along (right).

As you get close to the end of the field, cross a wooden stile over the fence(SE 155142) and walk the few yards through the trees to cross another stile. Turn right.

The path soon reaches a gate. Go through this on to rough pasture and turn right. The path is reasonably clear but as you climb, you will see what looks at first glance to be a bare post. As you get closer, you will see it carries a fingerpost pointing back the way you have come. To its left is another fingerpost indicating your onward direction; more or less straight on, crossing a broad track (SE 153441).

There is no definite point to aim for but as you climb, you can see a wooden fenced “coral” area against a stone wall. Head to the right of this and eventually you will see the next fingerpost. The views over to Leeds and Guiseley come into view. The transmitter mast above Cookridge, the highest point of Leeds, is visible.

Next to the fingerpost is a gated step stile. Cross this and follow the wall to your left. Soon there are views across Airedale and the Emley Moor TV transmitter mast (1083 ft high) is clearly visible on the distant horizon.

You cross a wooden stile where a sign confirms you are entering Hawksworth Moor. A sign also reminds you that dogs are not allowed.

The grassy footpath changes to a broad stony path. Follow this and you soon catch sight of Reva Reservoir, built in 1874. To your right is wild open moorland.

As SE 147430 pass a water control point with sluice gates, catchment for Reva Reservoir.

The stony track switches back to grass. Follow it down to the road where you turn left. This is a busy, fast “rat run” of a road but there is a wide verge on the right hand side once you have turned left.

As you near the end of Reva Reservoir, look out for a metal kissing gate on the right (SE 158429). Go through this to take advantage of a permissive path, courtesy of Yorkshire Water, which avoids walking on the road. Follow the obvious path to join the access track to the reservoir and turn right along it.

Follow the access track until it turns right, down to the reservoir and yacht club. Turn off left through another metal kissing gate (SE 153428).

This next section of walk appears well used and the route is clear. Follow it until you reach a wooden stile. Cross it and turn right to cross another before heading slightly left. Follow the right hand boundary wall. When you reach the broad track at the rear of the buildings (riding stables), turn left.

Cross a wooden stile/bridge over the wall on to the road and turn right for a few yards, along the verge. Opposite the entrance to the riding stables, turn left, on a broad track, to follow a public footpath fingerpost (SE 160424).

Follow the wall along for half a mile, crossing a wooden stile en route. Just before a barn and the remains of a house, turn left to follow another track marked with a yellow arrow (SE 168422).

You approach High Royds Hall (SE169428) with its mullioned windows. Here, the track changes to a tarmac drive. Follow this along and look out for a stile on the left after about 300 yards. Cross this and follow the direction of the public footpath fingerpost, arriving at the road opposite a stone house. Turn left along the verge for a few yards, then turn right off the road to follow another public footpath fingerpost.

Cross just to the right of the highest point of the field to arrive at a wooden stile. Cross and follow the direction of the yellow arrow. Cross another stile and follow the path to the trees.

Go through a squeeze stile on to the road (Derry Hill) (SE 167435) and turn right to Menston.

At the start of a row of stone cottages on the left, turn left along a footpath at their rear, indicated by a public footpath fingerpost (SE 167438). At the road, turn right then first left at the end of the small park area, on to Bleach Mill Lane, following a public footpath fingerpost for “Burley Woodhead”.

Follow Bleach Mill Lane as it curves left and continue to follow it to Bleach Mill House. Here, follow the path as it branches left signposted for “Dalesway Link Ilkley and Ebor Way”. Refreshments can usually be obtained at Bleach Mill House.

After crossing a stone step stile, arrive at a post with multiple footpath direction arrows. Turn right through the squeeze stile (SE 159446).

Beyond the squeeze stile, go through several stiles, continuing to follow the course of the beck. The path is well walked and should be obvious.

After crossing a two plank footbridge, follow the right hand field boundary all the way down to the railway embankment and go through the cattle arch.

Cattle arch

At the other side of the railway line, turn left and follow the embankment and through a kissing gate into the woods. Turn right and follow the path through the edge of the woods and through another kissing gate.

Turn immediately left through yet another kissing gate and climb some rough steps to a track running along the disused railway route. Turn left then almost immediately right, to descend some more steps.

The path arrives at a road (Holme Park) turn right, then immediately left to follow the footpath indicated by a public footpath fingerpost. At the next road (Sandholme Drive), go straight across.

Ignore a path off to the left and continue to follow the beck. Arriving at the end of a cul-de-sac (Jumb Beck Close), walk along the end of it and turn left where indicated by the fingerpost.

At the bridge, cross it then turn right.

You reach the junction of Prospect Road and St Phillips Way at a corner. Proceed along St Phillips Way. At the ‘T’ junction with Langford Lane, turn left, then right along Grangefield Avenue. Then turn left along Grange Road back to Grange Park and the Roundhouse.

If you need to buy any hiking equipment/clothing before your trip see the Hiking Store

All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.