Circular Walks - under 5 miles
Starting Point and OS Grid reference: The Roundhouse, Burley-in-Wharfedale (SE166464).
Car Park is at rear of Queen's Hall
Car Park is at rear of Queen's Hall
Burley-in-Wharfedale Goit and Weir
Distance 1.7 miles/2.7 km - 1hour. Terrain: Flat on lanes and tracks. Short uneven stretch through trees past the mill.
Introduction: This easy walk takes you on something of an industrial archaeological exploration of the area which gave Burley-in-Wharfedale its prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries. Burley became a mill village when cotton mills were built in 1790 and 1811, powered by a head of water created by a weir across the River Wharfe. In 1850, William Fison and William Forster, partners who had started in business in Bradford, bought Burley mills, and converted them to worsted production. The earliest mill was demolished (the site of the new hydro-electric plant) and all new work was concentrated on the Greenholme Mill site. Textile production ceased here in 1966 after a disastrous fire.
The walk takes you past a good view of the mill building and follows the course of the goit (the mill race which used to provide power for the mill) to the weir. There is a very good chance of seeing Herons and sometimes Kingfisher on the river here. Dippers may also occur and look out for Hirundines and Swifts plus wildfowl which may include Mallard and Goosander.
You may even be amazingly lucky and see an Otter – but be careful of confusion with mink!
The walk starts at the Roundhouse, in Burley Park.
The walk takes you past a good view of the mill building and follows the course of the goit (the mill race which used to provide power for the mill) to the weir. There is a very good chance of seeing Herons and sometimes Kingfisher on the river here. Dippers may also occur and look out for Hirundines and Swifts plus wildfowl which may include Mallard and Goosander.
You may even be amazingly lucky and see an Otter – but be careful of confusion with mink!
The walk starts at the Roundhouse, in Burley Park.
Bleach Mill and Hag Farm
Distance 3.2miles/5km - 1½hours. Terrain: A flat walk along field paths, and a quiet lane, potentially muddy in places,with step and squeeze stiles.
Introduction: This walk takes you via Burley-in-Wharfedale village green and Burley House (Burley’s only Grade1 listed building), to Burley House Field. From here, pleasant footpaths, which feel almost like a secret escape route, guide you through modern housing and into open country. Burley House has had various incarnations. Built in 1798 by Thomas Maude, a poet, it became St.Philip’s school in the 1940s, then a pub, pizzeria and a corporate headquarters. The neighbouring Burley House Field, once part of the house’s estate still has the remains of a “ha-ha”, which, in times past, would have provided (from the house side) an invisible barrier to prevent livestock entering the house grounds. The 8 acre Burley House Field was the subject of a protracted campaign to have it designated as a Village Green space and Recreational Open Space, starting in 1993. It was finally approved as a village green in 2009. It has been improved with the addition of new bridges, seats and stiles and a Burley Community Orchard has been created with apple, damson, plum and pear trees, planted early in2 014. After crossing the disused and current railway lines, the route takes you across fields with good views, to Hag Farm. It passes within 100 yards of Bleach Mill House. In its grounds are foundation remains of the old bleach mill, which used to bleach fabrics woven in the Bradford mills. The tearoom is normally open during the day and serves excellent cakes! The owners, Sue and Simon Richmond, will show you the mill foundation remains and tell you about the history if you ask.