w4( .s$ 4., *\' WALKING s c, vl ô o iJ'. ¡ IN \Jùt) ry LEEDS UNISON JUNE,2015 No. 406 TODAY'SWALK X'ROM Elsecar Heritage Centre we start a climb through woodland and fields to attain a we sée retrospective views to Hoyland and beyond We follow the ridge from where . - ,Dãorstep Walk' along field-edges of the ridge{op, with further views on both sides which include Wentworth village, with its prominent church spire, and Wentworth Park. We visit the monument, Needle's Eye. Here you can walk through the eye ofthe needle! From Coaley Lane we lollow Street Lane past cottages (Street) before diverting across fields to see the Hoober Stand monument. The lane.meets the 86090 inthe hamlet of Hoober. Notice Sundial Farm whose sundial dates from 1738! We follow the 'Rotherham Round Walk' through a wood and across fields to Low Stubbin on the 86089 and views increase as we return to the ridge in f,relds on the boundary ofUpper Haugh. The view includes parts ofRotherham and Sheffield and the prominent landmark, Keppel's Column A cobbled path descends from the ridge along the line of the'Roman Ridge' and fieldpaths fall to the valley, emerging by Mill Dam where we join the Trans-Pennine Trait (T.P.T.). The driveway enters wentwofth deer park and ríses past more follies. wentworth woodhouse suddenly appears, its long façade being the longest ofany English country house! Notice the mauióleum behind us, overlooked by the house. We pass the house, the former teachef-training accommodation, before emerging in wentwortli village. There are a number ofpossible routes through the village which may include the garden centLe (toilets). the two churches. the windrnill house and the cottages along the main street We leaìe Wentworth ancl the T.P.T. and aim through woodland and fìelds. descending to the Elsecar. I-leritage Centre about 4. l5 to 4.3Opm. The Centre (café and toilets) is open until 5¡rrl - but no boots Please' CONTENTS PAGES2-7 : THELASTWALKS PAGE S : LEEDSWALK 2015 ICE? TH'{'NI{S: PAGE9 : THE NIXTWALKS ,, TIIE LAST WALKS NETHERTON, STO¡{Y CLIFF'E WOOD, BULLCLIFF WOOD' TIIE HORBURY CUT AND NEW SCARSOROUGII (7 miles) NETHERTON nestles in an ancient landscape with roots stretching back to the earliest days of settlement in prehistoric Britain. In 1963, workmen unearthed an early-Stone Age axe buried deep in gravel near to The star Inn. Ttfoughout the area there are earthworks and burial mounds going back more than 2,000 years to the lron Age. Many of the.medieval estates afound Netherton were owned by Byland Abbey in the middle ofl the I 2* century and the monks farmed, grazed sheep for wool production and mined ironstone from shallow workings known as bell pits. They also set up charcoal-burning fumaces to smelt the ore. At the start ofthe 16û'century the monks also began coal production, an industry which continued up to recent times. Netherton had its own colliery, Hartley Bank - an area which we would pàss through later - which operated between 1881 and 1968. AII is nowgreen and pleasant. ihe demise of that once-mighty industry has allowed the area to return to the àgriculturat outlook ofthe early l9ú century with a surprising amount of woodland - delightful countryside ! We met in the forecourt ofthe Staf lnn, only 11 ofus on this rather cool, cloudy and breezy morning. There had been much rain ovemight and, although it had become dry, there had previouily been a hint of drizzle in the breeze, and possible showers were forecast for later, all prompting us to don our waterproofs - just in case. Was it really almost June? We crossed Netherton Lane (86117) and took a signed footpath which passed between propefies, then crossed a street to continue along a grass track opposite. The grass track_ pasied over a brow near to the village halt immediately revealing a panorama ofthe Coxley Valley ahead and the main Catder Valley to our right with Horbury and Ossett rising on its oppoiite slopes. It was a rather cloudy outlook and the breeze blew cool as we descended the slope between frelds, the track aiming lor woodland which f,rlled the valley below This was Perkin Wood, the northern extension of Stony Cliffe Wood, and having passed through a kissing gate we descended steeply through the trees into the Coxley Valley where we bore lefì to a pond, turning right at the pond's end to cross a planked bridge over Stony Cliffe Beck. Briõfly entering a field, we crossed a stile to re-enter the wood, but along its boundary fence. The single-file path, squeezed bet\ryeen the trees, bushes and the fence and soon emerged into a field where we followed the meandering field-edge through lush, wet grass on thi edge of Perkin wood. You may have noticed the white flowers of wild garlic (or iamsons) growing in the relative dimness ofthe interior ofthe woocl - or their pervasive smelll Thele were also some thin and laded patches ofbluebells Leaving the field at stone gateposts, we continued along the edge of Stony Clitfe Wood using a surprisingly dry earth track (alìer all that wet grass!) and eventually artived at a tree- J embowered sunken track known as Can Lane, an ancient track which descended from Middlestown. We turned down the peaty track and crossed a footbridge over Stony Cliffe Beck after which the track improved and widened and rose beside a metal fence bounding Stony Cliffe Wood on our left. New Hall Wood lay to our right and once screened Denby Grange Pit. A short climb brought us to an access gate in the metal fencing. It wæ our intention to do a circuit within Stony Cliffe Wood Nature Reserve, retuming to Carr Lane at a higher level. The wood is an excellent example ofacidic oak-birch woodland, typical ofthe Pennine fringes of West Yorkshire and it is likely that the reserve formed a fragment of the 'great forest' which was called 'Stayniclif that, in the early medieval period, extended from Nottingham up to North Yorkshire. The 'craters' seen in the woodland today are a result of iron ore and coal extraction using bell pits, the roofs ofwhich eventually collapsed. In 1979 the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust bought the wood and in 2004 the reserve was extended with the purchase of Coxley Bank Wood or Perkin Wood. Apart from a wide variety of birds there are spectacular displays of wild flowers, especially in the springtime, such as yellow archangel and bluebells. So, passing through the gate we entered the wood, following a well- made path which curved and contoured amongst the trees. Everything was very green, an almost full canopy offoliage above us and long grass and ferns occupying the woodland floor with just an odd spot ofcolour, such as herb robert. Whilst this was very pleasant and calming, the further we progressed around this circuit it became obvious that the spectacular display ofbluebells we had expected to see had long- gone. The earlier hint of thin and faded blooms had been a definite cluel We were too late to see the bluebells ! Yes, there were one or two other suggestions of them as we retumed along a higher path but little else. What an anti-climaxl Reaching another gate, we spilled out onto the track (Can Lane) which continued to ascend the woodland slope. A cuckoo called from within the depths of New Hall Wood and we also heard the occasional song ofthe chiff-chaff. Attaining the top boundary ofthe wood we emerged onto the road (which formerly accessed the old coal mine) and accompanied it uphill to meet the B6i 17 (Netherton Lane) at a crossroads - the higher point ofthe walk at 446 ft. Crossing to a minor lane opposite, we passed Stocksmoor Farm and entered the (level) woodland pafh of Stocksmoor Common, another pleasant interlude, before coming to a stile where we left the wood to make a bee-line down through another field of long grass towards a distant marker-post at a line oflbushes. The grass had been partíally panned down by other walkers but was still very wet. Did anyone have wet feet by this stage? Tlie line ofbushes hid the course ofBlacker Beck and we crossed it by means ofa rustic br-idge Over the nert field we calne to BullcliffNorth Wood, enterinq the relativel¡, dimmer interior whele we crossed North Wood Beck in au ann of the wood A slanting path took us up to another field where a nore defined path inclined thlough the middle to an upper corner of thc wood where there was yet another stile We had crossed several in the last fer.v mlnutes! 4 It was nearing lunchtime and, because of wet grass and the freshening cold breeze, we had had little opportunity to sit for the break. The most promising place was just ahead - or was it? We crossed the stile to a sheltered enclosed path running along the edge of Bullcliff North Wood, a dilapidated, low stone wall following the woodland boundary and a wire fence bounding a field to our right. The luxuriant vegetation by the wall (including nettles !) was such that it was diffrcult to find an uncluttered area o¡ strip by the wall and in some parts the wall was too dilapidated to be comfortable for sitting I However, we eventually found a clearer patch with a suitable run of walling fi:rther along. It was sheltered and we had a reasonable lunchtime despite the inclement conditíons, AÊer about half an hour, we continued along the enclosed path beside the wood (there were still bluebells in parts of this wood) and later turned away from BullcliffNorth Wood crossing a clearing between this and Bullcliff Wood along a fenced avenue of trees.