Marley the Druids Altar & Goblins of St Ives
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Marley, the Druids Altar & the Goblins of St. Ives. (4.75 miles) A moderate 4.75 mile walk taking in a pleasant stroll along the River Aire, the hamlet of Marley and the Bingley St. Ives Estate. There is a steep ½ mile section uphill from Marley rising towards the Druids Altar and the rest of the walk is on good paths with flat terrain or downhill (apart from the rise up from the river back into Bingley at the end). Start point: Bingley Rail Station. Bingley was probably founded about the time of the Saxons; certainly its name is Saxon in origin, meaning “Bing's clearing”, though this would not be the original spelling or pronunciation of Bing. Bingley is thought to have been founded around a ford on the River Aire. The ford was superseded by Ireland Bridge. In medieval times Bingley was a manor which extended several miles up and down the Aire valley, extending upstream to Marley on the outskirts of Keighley and downstream to Cottingley. Bingley became a market town with the grant of a Market Charter in 1212 by King John. According to the poll tax returns of 1379, Bingley had 130 households, probably around 500 people. The nearby towns of Bradford, Leeds and Halifax had about half this population. At this time Bingley was the largest town in the area. In 1592 Bingley was shown on a map as a single street with about 20 houses on each side. The church sits at the west end of the street opposite a single large house, possibly a manor house. Since Bingley was a market town, the market stalls would have been set up on either side of the main street. One of the oldest buildings in Bingley is a coaching inn, the Old White Horse Inn, situated on the flatter north bank of the River Aire by Ireland Bridge. Like most towns of the West Riding, Bingley prospered during the Industrial Revolution. The Bingley section of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was completed in 1774, linking the town with Skipton, and Bradford via the Bradford Canal. The canal passes through the centre of town and climbs dramatically up the side of the valley via the Bingley Five Rise Locks and Bingley Three Rise Locks. Several woollen mills were built and people migrated from the surrounding countryside to work in them. Many came from further afield such as Ireland, especially in the wake of the Irish Potato Famine. From the main entrance of Bingley Station, go across the road diagonally left walking up Foundry Hill and to the main road. Cross via the pelican crossing towards Bingley Arts Centre and make a short detour to the right to view the 13th century Butter cross and Market hall. Walk back to the Arts Centre where you turn left heading up towards Bingley Pool and Myrtle Park. Enter the park and walk ahead with the bandstand on your left, towards the tennis courts. On reaching the first Bowling Green on your right, proceed passing the War Memorial and then a children’s play-ground to head down a flight of steps to an iron footbridge over the River Aire (commemorating the 1951 Festival of Britain). Do not cross the bridge, but turn immediately right to follow the course of the river on your left. Now follow this path along the river eventually arriving at the Old White Horse Inn and Ireland Bridge. Cross the road bridge towards the Brown Cow and opposite turn right along Ireland Street and then immediately right then left in front of a development of apartments. Continue following the river, which is now on your left, with nice views across the river to Bingley Church. All Saints Church is the Anglican parish church in Bingley. The history of the church probably dates back to pre-Norman times. It is thought that there might have been a wooden church on this location for many years prior to the Norman Conquest, although no records exist. The first records of the church indicate it was rebuilt sometime after 1066 by the Lord of the Manor, William Paganel, who gave it, with other possessions of his, to Drax Priory in the time of Archbishop Thurstan (1119–1140). This building was probably rebuilt many times over the centuries, culminating in the present structure, which was begun during the reign of Henry VIII (1491–1547). The choir was erected in 1518; the current tower was added in 1737. The church has a stained-glass window crafted by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. There is a peal of bells, for many years six in number, with a further two added in 1873. Continue following an un-surfaced road upstream through surrounding woods, with the river on your right. Eventually, the road heads left, away from the river, below the wooded slopes and onto Raven Royd an old house with mullioned windows. Pass by the right of the house to go through a farmyard continuing along the drive to a house named Cophurst where you pass to the left and over a stile into a field. Keep along the left hand side of the field and further fields, to merge into a track at the end. Follow this track to a gate and then on via a grass track to a stile; from here you can see the impressive old Marley Hall off to your right; and on to an access road from the small hamlet of Marley. Go left for a few yards to Blakey Cottage which has a 1694 date stone and turn up right above a small stream on to a steep driveway ahead. You are now at the start of your ½ mile uphill climb! The track swings right above a house and upwards to Marley Brow and a single house at Tansfield Hole. Here, swing right away from the house and as the track opens up; you will start to enjoy extensive views across the Aire Valley towards Ilkley Moor as a welcome seat comes into sight. After taking a well earned rest, continue upwards on the path to veer left through a small wood and eventually petering out at a kissing-gate and another welcome seat. After your second well earned rest, go through the gate from where a well-defined path climbs through bracken. At the first fork in the path, ignore the one to the left and carry straight forward. At the next fork, turn left to traverse the hill and up to the top as it joins another path coming in from your right where you turn left along the summit of the ridge for a glorious ramble along the crest of the moorland and trees with excellent views ahead and behind along the Aire Valley and the hills beyond. With a wall above the path continues for about ½ a mile through heather, bracken and bilberry along Tansfield Top. On reaching an access road, cross over and just further along is the Druid’s Altar, grit stone rocks that form a well-defined edge and the best location to take in the spectacular views. If you have brought a picnic and it is nice weather, this is a brilliant place to take a lunch break! Long believed to have been used for Druid’s ceremonies, the altar was featured in Disraeli’s book Sybil as a place of meeting for trade union revolutionists. At the end of the rocks, continue along the path, bearing right and into Altar Lane. Walk straight across the lane and through the opposite gateway and into the St. Ives Estate. The St. Ives area is known to have been inhabited from at least the Neolithic or Bronze Age from artefacts left behind. Up until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 the land was divided between the monks of Rievaulx Abbey and Drax Priory. In 1540 the land was purchased by a Walter Paslew and subsequently was owned by the Laycock and Milner families. The St. Ives mansion house was built in 1616. In 1635 the Ferrands purchased St. Ives, at the time known as Harden Grange and it was in 1835 that the names of Harden Grange and the local St. Ives were interchanged. There are stories of a local connection with General Fairfax and the English Civil War, regrettably little is known with certainty. Sarah Busfield inherited St Ives from her uncle and she and her son William changed their family name to Ferrand and when she died in 1854 her son William Busfield Ferrand inherited the property. The estate and mansion were bought by Bingley Urban District Council in 1929. Continue along a walled bridleway and at the bottom turn sharp right at a dilapidated barn on to Crossgates Lane. Ignore the path off to the left and carry straight on shortly turning left down another wide track called Blind Lane. Follow this lane downwards to pass the Sports Turf Research Institute on your right. The Sports Turf Research Institute is a consultancy and research organisation that studies sports surfaces and turfs for golf , soccer , rugby , cricket , racing , bowling , and tennis . The institute advises more than 2,000 organisations. Ultimately the lane ends at a road and here, turn sharp left through a wood gate into the woods and sight of your first goblins. The goblins, with all the other figures in the woods are chainsaw carvings by Rodney Holland of Dumfriesshire. Now continue up the main path through the wood ignoring the many paths to your left and right and see how many goblins you can find.