Leg 3 - Bardsey - Barwick in Elmet -3rd February

If I was to describe this part of the walk in one word, it would be muddy. The snow melt from the previous weekend obviously hadn't sunk into the water table yet and everywhere we walked, the going was wet and muddy:

Fortunately, the weather had improved (but only slightly!) since last weekend so we managed to stay dry from the waist up for the duration. We picked up our route from the Bingley Arms, having resisted the urge to stick around there for lunch and made our way to the first of two beautiful churches on the walk. I don't know if it takes me back to my upbringing in a small village with a Norman church, but I'm an absolute sucker for quiet villages and strong stone churches. The church in Bardsey is well-maintained and peaceful:

The walk leaves the churchyard (I think we may have offended the vicar by leaving the church grounds as he welcomed his congregation to the church!) and makes it's way past a series of stone houses and out in the countryside. By countryside, I mean ploughed field after ploughed field for next mile or so. It's also the first time that the walk has become anything other than flat and I started to feel the strain of adding an extra 20lb to my backpack! 

Once we cleared the farmland, the route becomes a little more interesting, going through some woodland that with the proximity of a small stream and the recent snowfall had become a swampy marshland. With my new waterproof boots, it was quite fun to walk through, though the low hanging branches meant a certain amount of agility was involved to keep Jake safe! After coming out from the swamp, we arrived at the main road that marked the (official) end of the second leg of the walk. 

We continued straight on the next part of the walk and very quickly I realised I was going to have to publish an apology about last week's blog in which I bemoaned the dearth of LCW signs. This part of the walk was covered in them at every suitable point and there were large stretches where we didn't need our trusty directions as the signage was so good (so good, it made me angry!):

After passing Oaklands Manor, we followed some very well defined paths (either well trodden or animal tracks) through some cultivated farmland, including a massive field full of chickens before arriving in Thorner. The park in the centre of the village seemed like a good place to stop for a cup of coffee and give Jake a chance to eat and stare at everything. 

The only difficulty of coming across residential areas on the walk is that you lose the quiet of the fields and the wind and have to contend with solid footing and clear signposting...maybe not a bad thing. After a short while (and my favourite signpost so far...for those who can't read it says "Footpath via Watery Lane" next to a stream)

 We left Thorner and made our way through further fields (including the biggest pile of manure that I've ever seen!) and some of the worst affected fields that we've walked through so far. You've got to feel sorry for the poor farmer who has to salvage something from fields that look like this:

This path continues for around a mile or so before entering a large patch of woodland that runs alongside the A64. I'm always excited by new woods as I find being amongs the trees soothing. I think it's the fact that they block everything else out and make you feel small, a rare feeling for me at 6'4"! However, we discovered a slightly unsavoury aspect to these woods, with air rifle or shotgun marks on the signs and furniture abandoned in the woods:

This was the first time that we'd seen any negative human impact on the walk and it spoiled what should have been a pleasant part of the walk. Saddened, we quickened our pace and reached the A64, just near where the Red Bus Cafe is. Normally when I walk I'm not excited to see roads, but in this case I was impressed by this sight as it gave me a clear indication of just how far we'd come. My wife volunteers occasionally at the Dog's Trust so I've driven that stretch of the York Road many times. It takes around 20 minutes from our house, so the fact that we'd walked there was a good indication of the scale of the walk. 

We quickly left the traffic behind and after following a quietly meandering brook for half a mile or so, we crossed a footbridge and came onto the scariest farm so far. The warning sign on the footbridge told of a four foot wide path (no more, no less) that you must stick to if you didn't want to be prosecuted for trespassing. On entering the field, there were further signs to this effect, but the mud had washed the path away and the LCW instructions were less than clear on which way to go. After a short deliberation, we set off up hill, ducking behind the hedgerow to avoid being seen just in case:

Fortunately we had chosen the right path and after a few slips in the mud, we reached the far side of the hill and descended in Barwick-in-Elmet. The instructions told us to follow the road into the town to the Maypole, and whilst both of us had heard of the Barwick Maypole, the understated LCW guide hadn't prepared us for this:

I'm not sure that the photo does the height of the thing justice as (I'm reliably informed!) it stands at 86 feet from top to bottom. It's an awe inspiring sight in the middle of a pretty village and I'd be intrigued to come back for the triennial May festivities in 2014. 

We had arrived early for once and whilst waiting for the women folk to arrive with transportation, we took in the stocky Norman church and the views over the fields from the church yard: 

We ended part 3, and the end of the first leaflet, with a pub lunch in the Gascoigne Arms. Matt and I discussed trying to walk the whole way in a weekend next year for charity, so watch this space for further updates! 

Total distance = 5.5 miles

Total time = 2 hours 45 mins

Cumulative distance = 14 miles

Cumulative time = 6 hours 45 mins

Leg 2 - Lofthouse Gates - Bardsey - 27th January

The first thing that you'll notice about this post is that there aren't as many pictures. This is because for most of this walk, a freezing cold wind blew and there were frequent rain and hail storms that made any sort of photography impossible. 

The second thing that you'll notice, especially if you're reading this with your trusty leaflet in hand, is that whilst the second part of the guide takes you to Thorner Lane in Scarcroft, we only got as far as Bardsey. This is because we had identified the Bingley Arms (more on which later on) as a good place to stop for lunch, and it proved to be so good that we spent all afternoon there. We'll be rolling the end of part two and all of part three into the next walk.

As we got dropped off at Lofthouse Gates, we commented on how strange an experience it was. All of our walks to date, whether in Leeds, the Lakes or elsewhere have been circular but the sheer size of the Leeds Country Way means that you have to walk it piecemeal. A walk that starts in one place and ends in another is strange enough, but to return to where you finished previously and to continue the route was a new experience for us and one that helped to put the scale of the LCW into more perspective.

We welcomed a new recruit for the walk in shape of Rich, a long time friend visiting from London. His trip  had been a last minute arrangement and the offer of a walk and pub lunch even more expedient, so it was no surprise that he was wearing just his normal trainers. On any other day this wouldn't be a problem, but we were walking on the day after all the snow melted and just about every path and field was saturated: 

The route takes you between multiple fields before sending you through the middle of Biggin Farm. The English right of the walker to go through private property (where marked, of course!) is rapidly becoming one of my favourite things about the LCW, as it's interesting to see an active farm first hand. Jake certainly enjoys looking at the animals!

At this point, the clouds started to roll in, threatening rain but making for some dramatic pictures out over the fields:

The way cuts across numerous fields which I'm sure in dry weather isn't a problem, but the frequency of the walkers combined with the snow melt meant that we were often walking through a inch of surface water combined with thick mud. It all made for slow going, made harder by the lashing wind rain.

 It was at this point, however, with temperatures dropping rapidly, that Jake somehow managed to fall and stay asleep. This has proved to be a problem in the past with our particular make of baby backpack as it carries him quite high. When he falls asleep, his head falls to one side, putting strain on his neck and sending me off balance. 

After a while of trying to prop him up in different ways, I found that a hunched position meant that he fell forward onto my shoulder which was much more comfortable all round. We're currently working on a baby neck pillow for the next section. 

Eventually we cleared the farmland, and the bad weather, and started our approach to Bardsey village. All went smoothly and we found some glorious rolling countryside

Smoothly that is until a rare moment of foggy instructions from our leaflet sent us through bracken and low hanging trees into some quite steep terrain. The path led down the side of field and then turned right to continue following the field on the bottom edge. However, the instructions told us to enter the bracken, which we did. The bracken sloped downhill towards a stream and the treelined valley had successfully blocked the sun from melting the snow and ice here. We decided to retrace our steps after quarter of an hour of what felt like jungle trekking, thinking that the LCW wouldn't make you go through such a hazardous route.

We were proved right, and the route followed the bottom edge of the field, where we picked up the stile as promised in the leaflet, as well as a rare but well placed sign. The leaflets mention that the route is marked with signs and owls, but our experience so far is that these are few and far between and often in places where it's fairly clear where the route needs to go. Perhaps we'll go round once we've done the whole loop and suggest better locations.

Our final destination was the Bingley Arms pub in Bardsey. As mentioned in my previous post, the LCW leaflets are great for directions but poor on highlighting interesting features or landmarks on the route. Given that our friend Rich was only with us for the day, we had picked out the Bingley Arms as a good place to stop and eat lunch and we had asked our various women folk to drive and meet us there. 

On doing some research so we could book a table, we discovered that the Bingley Arms has staked a claim for being the oldest pub in England, having served beer since 947 AD. This surely is worth a mention! The pub itself is a glorious maze of low thick beams and big fireplaces. It also serves some of the best pub food I've tried in a long time, with the game pie coming highly recommended. 

By the time we had eaten, we were in no fit state to continue, so we made our way home, ready for a sit down and a snooze, already looking forward to picking up our trail in the coming weeks.

Total distance - 3.5 miles (or so we roughly measured)

Total time - 1.5 hours (too wet and windy for a coffee break!)

Cumulative distance - 8.5 miles

Cumulative walking time - 4 hours