![BrearyMarsh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/BrearyMarsh.jpg)
The Meanwood Valley Trail is a waymarked footpath and the title of an annual (March/April) footrace that takes place on parts of the trail in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It runs for a distance of from the statue of (former Leeds mayor)
Henry Rowland Marsden
Henry Rowland Marsden (20 July 1823 – 19 January 1876) was a philanthropist and (Liberal) Mayor of Leeds for 1873 to 1875, said to be the most popular Victorian mayor of Leeds.
Early life
Henry Marsden was born in Holbeck, Leeds on 20 J ...
, 1878, on
Woodhouse Moor
Woodhouse Moor is an open space approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. Today it consists of 3 parts: a formal park, Woodhouse Moor (often referred to as Hyde Park - see below), of around 26 hectares ...
, close to the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
, through
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
,
Meanwood
Meanwood is a suburb and former village in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
The area sits in the Moortown ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds North East parliamentary constituency.
Origins and history
The name Meanwood goes back t ...
and
Adel to
Breary Marsh,
Golden Acre Park
Golden Acre Park is a public park in Bramhope, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (), administered by Leeds City Council. It is on the A660 Otley Road and covers an area of .Leeds City Council ''Golden Acre Park Guide and Map'' (undated)
History
T ...
, where it meets the
Leeds Country Way
The Leeds Country Way is a circular long-distance footpath of 62 miles (99 km) around Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is never more than 7 miles (11 km) from City Square, Leeds, but is mainly rural with extensive views in ...
. For most of its route (to King Lane) it is the official Leeds link to the
Dales Way
The Dales Way is an long-distance footpath in Northern England, from (south-east to north-west) Ilkley, West Yorkshire, to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria. This walk was initially devised by the West Riding Ramblers' Association with the 'lead ...
. Along the way are signs giving information about the local wildlife.
Some of the upper reaches of the trail are used for an annual
trail running
Trail running is a sport-activity which combines running, and, where there are steep gradients, hiking, that is run "on any unpaved surface". It is similar to both mountain and fell running (also known as hill running). Mountain running may, h ...
race each March/April, organised by local running club the Valley Striders.
This race has over 300 participants each year and is part of the Airedale Triple, which also includes the
Baildon
Baildon is a town and civil parish in the Bradford Metropolitan Borough in West Yorkshire, England and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
It lies north of Bradford city centre. The town forms a continuous urban ...
Boundary Way and the
Guiseley
Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds.
It sits in th ...
Gallop.
Route
The path is waymarked in both directions and can be started at any point, but is described here Northwards from the Marsden Statue on Woodhouse Moor divided into parts and sections which correspond with the old edition of the official map a new one which includes minor route changes was produced in 2013.
[''Meanwood Valley Trail'' new trailmap/leaflet produced 2013 http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/MVT%20leaflet%20for%20web.pdf ]
Stage 1 - Woodhouse Moor to Meanwood Park
Section 1: At the junction of Woodhouse Lane and Raglan Road, the statue of
Henry Marsden is visible. By this is a map sign (currently vandalised) and an arrow pointing to Raglan Road. Follow Raglan Road north to its junction with Rampart Road, turn right, continue over crossroads and head up Delph Lane.
[Note: not on the leaflet, but right off Rampart Road down Holborn Approach within are two interesting buildings. About 100 m on the right is a ]public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
, ''The Bricklayers Arms'' and 200 m down is the 1850 Temperance Hall.
Section 2: At the end of Delph Lane turn left on a footpath to walk along
Woodhouse Ridge
Woodhouse Ridge is a strip of woodland on the South West hillside of the Meanwood valley in urban area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Locally known as 'The Ridge', the area is notable as a significant area of mature woodland in an otherwise ...
. Follow the top path keeping the stone wall to your left. At a metal gate, go down the steps ahead and bear right on the path until you come to
Meanwood Beck
The Meanwood Beck is a stream in West Yorkshire, England, which flows southwards through Adel, Meanwood and Sheepscar into the River Aire in central Leeds. Different portions of the same watercourse have been referred to as Adel Beck, Ca ...
. Turn left (with the stream on your right) until you leave the Ridge and cross a main road, Grove Lane.
Section 3: The footpath continues behind some back gardens on your left to another road, Monkbridge Road. Cross over turning right, and take the first left, Mill Pond Lane, then take the footpath immediately to the left. After a bridge over Meanwood Beck, turn right for about , then turn left, following the path round the millpond, which served the former Meanwood
Tannery
Tanning may refer to:
*Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather
*Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin
**Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun
**Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
, now converted to residential flats. The path turns sharply to the right through some
allotments, then reaches housing and just before reaching the road at Hollin Drive turn right to cross Meanwood Beck at a waymarker post. The trail passes the disused cricket ground of Highbury CC on the right and turns left over a small bridge over the beck to enter the picnic area of
Meanwood Park.
Stage 2 - Meanwood Park to the Outer Ring Road
Section 5: Keep to the right hand side of Meanwood Beck (though you can cross and re-cross the many little bridges) going upstream and north until you pass through an arch in a stone wall. (If you take the left side of the Beck, there is a big stone arched bridge just before this point.) Turn left across a wooden bridge, then right into woods.
![Meanwood Hollies 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Meanwood_Hollies_01.jpg)
Section 6: Follow this path over a weir. (If you want a detour go left over small bridges and uphill to gardens known as
The Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
.) Then cross a bridge over a larger weir, then bear left, passing through a gateway and following the Beck until the path reaches Parkside Road.
Stage 3 - Ring Road to Stairfoot Lane
Section 7: Turn left and cross the road. Follow it almost to the
Ring Road. There is a footpath on the right which eventually runs to a tunnel under the Ring Road. Coming out of this, turn right up some steps and follow the path with the Beck on your right, entering Scotland Woods. Turn right to cross the Beck over the stone remains of
Scotland Mill's dam. (Note: as an alternative, at the junction to turn right, you could keep left and simply follow the high route until reaching the Seven Arches Aqueduct)
Section 8:
[As of July 2009 sections 7 and 8 are not well signed and there are numerous paths through the woods in different directions.] Once over the beck turn right for approx 100 metres uphill to reach a wide track and turn left to follow the high path through the woods. Pass under the Seven Arches Aqueduct (built 1840, but disused) and bear right through Adel Woods keeping to the higher path with the beck (now Adel Beck) to your left.
![AdelCrag2269a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/AdelCrag2269a.jpg)
Section 9: There is a carved water spout known as the "Slabbering Baby" on the right.
[This is now overgrown with moss and the carvings are indistinguishable and water no longer runs through it.] It probably dates from the mid-1800s.
[ Just after this, cross a second beck and go up a slope with a small pond on the left and immediately beyond this follow a (waymarked) path bearing to the right which leads to a car park off Stairfoot Lane (keep an eye out for the waymarker arrows that are painted on trees/rocks to indicate the correct way). (Another slight detour: follow the main path from the car park about 100 m into the woods then a path on the left another 100 m leads to large stones known as Adel Crag.)
]
Stage 4 - Stairfoot Lane to Golden Acre Park
Section 10: Cross Stairfoot Lane and join a bridleway opposite the car park, continue along the obvious path as it rises uphill avoiding any deviations to reach a waymarker post indicating bridleway directions. At this point the old gateway is long since missing (and the stile to the right inevitably unused). Go through the gap and enter the grassy field to follow the field edge on your right to reach a wide, tree/bush lined track (with Headingley Golf Course on your left) to reach King Lane at Golf Farm. Cross the road and turn left following King Lane. Do not walk the main road (it can be very busy), instead take the obvious path that uses the road verge.
Section 11: At a junction of 5 roads, carry on ahead (with the narrow woodland briefly on your right), again following the verge path up King Lane. At the next junction a gate ahead across the road leads into Golden Acre Park
Golden Acre Park is a public park in Bramhope, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (), administered by Leeds City Council. It is on the A660 Otley Road and covers an area of .Leeds City Council ''Golden Acre Park Guide and Map'' (undated)
History
T ...
. Follow the path to reach the lake and go either left or right around the lake to reach an underpass which goes under the Otley Road. You will find yourself on raised wooded paths over Breary Marsh, and the end of the trail. The Golden Acre car park is immediately adjacent, and the main Otley Road has bus services to Leeds, Otley, Ilkley or Skipton (the latter Mon-Sat). To the north west of the main lake there are toilets & a cafe.
Notes and references
{{reflist
External links
*Meanwood Valley Trail Leaflet (2013 edition) http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/MVT%20leaflet%20for%20web.pdf
*Meanwood Valley Local Nature Reserve] on Leeds City Council website http://www.leeds.gov.uk/leisure/Pages/Meanwood-Valley-Local-Nature-Reserve.aspx
*Meanwood Valley Partnership http://www.meanwoodvalleypartnership.co.uk
Woodhouse Ridge Action Group
Meanwood Valley Trail Online Guide
Meanwood
Tourist attractions in Leeds
Footpaths in West Yorkshire