The third Spread Eagle Group Walk, February 17th, with: Avril, Jonathan, Cath, Mick, Billy, Sue, Ian, Joan, Peterjon, Tim, Joan, Phil
Although we started and finished the walk from the Chequers, the walk below is an alternative, if you want to spend time at the Ings.
Fairburn Ings and Ledsham
A visit to West Yorkshire's very own 'Lake District', now a bird reserve of national importance. Distance 5 miles (8km) Minimum time 2hrs 30min Ascent/gradient 131ft (40m) Level of difficulty Easy Paths Good paths and tracks (some newly-created from spoil heaps), 7 stiles Landscape Lakes, riverside and reclaimed colliery spoil heaps
Dog friendliness: Keep on lead around main lake, due to wildfowl Parking Free parking in Cut Road, Fairburn. From A1, drive into village, turn left 100yds (91m) past Three Horseshoes pub, Public toilets Fairburn Ings visitor centre
1 Walk down Cut Road as it narrows to a track. Soon you have the main lake to your right, and a smaller stretch of water to your left. When the track forks, keep right (unless you want to visit the first of the bird hides, in which case detour to the left). The path finishes at the end of the lake, on approaching the River Aire. 2 Go right here, to join a path along the top of a ridge (actually an old spoil heap), with the river to your left and the lake right. Look out for a couple of other bird hides, before you lose sight of the lake. The path crosses a broader expanse of spoil heap, through scrubland, following the river in a broad arc to the right, before descending to a stile above another small mere. Bear right on a broad track and drop down into the car park of the Fairburn Ings visitor centre. 3 Meet a road. Go right for 100yds (91m), then go left (signed 'Ledston and Kippax') for just 100yds (91m), and pick up a path on your right that hugs the right-hand fringe of a wood. Beyond the wood, take a path between fields; it broadens to a track as you approach the village of Ledsham. At a new estate of houses, turn right, along Manor Garth. 4 You arrive in the village by the ancient church. Walk right, along the road (or, for refreshments, go left to the Chequers Inn). Beyond the village, where the road bears left, take a gate on the right, giving access to a good track uphill. Where the main track goes right, into fields, continue along a track ahead, into woodland. Leave the wood by a stile, crossing pasture on a grassy track. Two stiles take you across a narrow spur of woodland. 5 Head slightly left, uphill, across the next field, to follow a fence and hedgerow. Continue - soon on a better track - across a stile. Beyond the next stile the track bears left, towards farm buildings: but you keep straight on, with a fence on your right, along the field path. Through a metal gate, join an access track downhill. Go left, when you meet the road, and back into the village of Fairburn.