Harrogate & District Walks
Harland Way & Stockeld Park
Date: 1st January 2012
Distance: 3.5 miles
Ascent: None
Time: 2 hours 10 mins
With: Lisa and Rhiannon
Start Grid Ref: SE363510
Walk Summary:
A short New Year's day walk with the family passing through Stockeld Park and finishing at Spofforth Castle.
Route Summary: Spofforth - Harland Way - Stockeld Grange - Stockeld Park - Spofforth
Pictures:
1. The former railway line now known as The Harland Way
2. Looking back towards the church in Spofforth
3. The Harland Way
4. Lisa and Rhiannon in Stockeld Park
5. The fieldside track leaving Stockeld Park for Spofforth
6. A plantation of small Christmas trees
7. Rhiannon heading across the fields back to Spofforth
8. Spofforth Castle
9. Another picture of Spofforth Castle
Walk Detail: My first outing of 2013 was this gentle three and a half mile family walk from Spofforth, near Wetherby. Our initial route out of the village was along the Harland Way. Running along the route of the old Harrogate to Church Fenton railway line that was closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts the Harland Way is now a very pleasant footpath and cycleway courtesy of the cycling charity Sustrans.
After following the Harland Way for over a mile we turned off along a nice hedged way to pass through the farmyard of Stockeld Grange and then crossed over the A661 to enter the grounds of Stockeld Park, the house of which was built in 1763. After passing close by the house we turned off the main track running through the estate to head back towards Spofforth, along the way we passed a large plantation of Christmas trees.
For the most part the tracks had been fairly good but in the final field before getting back to the village we encountered a gateway that was surrounded by thick oozy mud. I carried Rhiannon across but, much to our amusement, Lisa's boots got stuck and I had to go and help pull her out. Arriving back in the village, now completely mud-splattered, we rounded the trip off by having a picnic and a visit to the remains of Spofforth Castle. All in all this was a lovely way to see in the New Year.
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