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| Full Steam Ahead |
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Date : 3rd July 2010
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Leader : Gail Bedson |
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Report by : Phil Bedson |
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Photos © : Phil Bedson |
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| Mill pond near Goose Eye | |
Was it the lovely sunny morning or the allure of a steam train that attracted 16 members of Hyndburn Group to embark on a near 9 mile walk from Oxenhope to Keighley? The start of the walk would be along the side of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway following the Worth Way as far as Haworth. It was an extremely pleasant path through fields and small woodland which was extremely easy to follow and as such good progress was made. Possibly the only complaint was the size of the nettles which resulted in one member being stung on the armpit!!
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left:
Small bridge nr Oxenhope |
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right: On the Worth Way |
Arrival at Haworth was a low key affair as we passed over the bridge of the station and skirted the bottom edge of the village. Crossing an open area we made our way uphill towards a school and onto the road. Following this around the left hand bend we soon took a track off to the right which led onto field paths, past Lower Oldfield Farm, and on down to Long Bridge. Here a break was taken next to the small stream.
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left:
Path to Lower Oldfield |
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right: Long Bridge |
The next stage was a steady uphill path past Street Head Farm and on to join Oldfield Lane. Turning right we passed Laverock Hall before arriving at the wonderfully named hamlet of Pickles Hill. From here the colourful White Lane and Green Lane took us towards Newsholme and, after passing through here we soon arrived in Newsholme Dean. The clapper bridge here is obviously old and bears signs that at some point during its lifetime it has been renovated by one of the stones being reversed, evident by the cut-out underneath. The clapper bridge was used by nearly everyone there with just a couple opting for the wider modern structure next to it. From here an attractive woodland path took us down the river valley, past wild orchids aplenty, and into our lunch stop for the day at Goose Eye. Utilising some benches we enjoyed our butties in the sunshine complete with a drink from the nearby Turkey Inn.
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left:
Newsholme |
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right: The clapper bridge |
The way out of Goose Eye is a steep climb up the road and at a sharp left bend we took a narrow path ahead. After a few houses a lane off to our right dropped us back downhill to go through both Higher and Lower Holme House Woods. Crossing a footbridge we ascended a field to join a road which almost immediately we left to go through a housing estate. At a gate a path led downhill through an abandoned and derelict industrial estate to join a road which led us to virtually the centre of Keighley. We continued through the town, mingling with the Saturday shoppers, and made our way to Keighley Train Station.
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left:
The climb out of Goose Eye |
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right: Through Higher Holme House Woods |
The final part of the day was to be a return to Oxenhope via the steam train on the KWVR. We acquired our tickets with just 10 minutes to spare before departure which was just enough time to buy refreshments from the on train bar. Saying our goodbyes to Keighley we were soon speeding our way along the tracks. The 1970 movie The Railway Children was filmed hereabouts and one of the stops en-route is Oakworth station which was featured frequently in the film. We stopped at Haworth Station, after passing through earlier in the day, before finally arriving back in Oxenhope after a 25 minute journey.
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left:
Our train for the return journey |
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right: Oakworth Station |
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES IN THE GALLERY
| OS EXPLORER |
SOUTH PENNINES OL21 |
| START POINT |
SE 065 412 |
FINISH POINT |
SE 032 354 |
| WALK LENGTH |
8.6 mls / 14.5 km |
TIME WALKING |
4 hrs |
| MAX HEIGHT |
312 mtrs |
MIN HEIGHT |
95 mtrs |
| HEIGHT ASCENDED |
514 mtrs |
HEIGHT DESCENDED |
412 mtrs |
This map is for reference only and MUST NOT be used to do the walk.
Please use the correct OS map for all these walks.
Click on an image to enlarge, click again to reduce
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