Burley-in-Wharfedale Walk - Stead and Catton Wood

Starting point  and OS Grid reference: The Roundhouse, Burley-in-Wharfedale (SE 166464). Car park at rear of Queens Hall.		Ordnance Survey Map OS Explorer 297 Lower Wharfedale & Washburn Valley. Buy this map from List of OS Maps Note: If you use OS Maps on-line, you can download this route via this link.
Distance: 3.4 miles
Traffic light rating:   (For explanation see My Walks page)
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To view route as a dynamic Ordnance Survey map click here.

Introduction: The hamlet of Stead is the furthest point of this walk. Stead and the nearby hamlet of Burley Woodhead formed an 18C township. Indeed, Stead could have been a Roman outpost on the Adel/Ilkley Roman road. At one time it had a hall or manor but now only the farmstead remains. In the 16C, the manor belonged to the Knights of St John.

Stead Hall Farm and Low Stead Farm are Grade II listed

The walk to Stead provides a very pleasant walk with good views of Burley Moor and after passing the hamlet, there are also fine views across the Wharfe Valley to Denton and Askwith Moors and over Burley-in-Wharfedale itself.

There is also the opportunity to visit the Sun Lane Nature Reserve, run by the Burley Village Wildlife Group.

Start: With your back to the door of the Roundhouse, turn left and walk through the park, to Grange Road and turn right. At the junction, turn left and walk up Station Road and under the railway bridge, where it becomes Moor Lane.

Continue up Moor Lane, passing Hag Farm Road (on the left) and William Fison Ride (on the right). Just past the sports field, turn right along the tarmac drive, indicated by the public footpath fingerpost (SE 159456). The turn is directly opposite the house Oakfield.

Stay on this drive passing the sports pavilion until you reach the sign for Scalebor Park Farm, branch off left here following the yellow footpath arrow.

On reaching a tarmac lane, turn right.

Follow the lane past the small development of houses on the right, then branch off left, through an old green painted metal gate, indicated by a public footpath sign – the lane past here is a private road.

When the path forks, go through the kissing gate and follow the left hand field boundary. Go through another kissing gate at the end of the field and keep straight ahead.

In the far right hand corner of the field, go through a third kissing gate and keep straight ahead on the tarmac drive (SE 147459). You now stay on this track for half a mile passing through a cluster of buildings which is Stead. The drive soon deteriorates into a normal farm track. Past the farm, follow the track as it bends right, then left, then right again. Turn left at a junction, where the continuation is marked as a private road.

At the next junction of tracks, turn right (SE148565). There is a distinctive sign with yellow and blue direction arrows and you are following the blue bridleway arrow.

Go through the gate and follow the obvious path to the left of the beck initially then, after going through the next gate, cross over the beck and turn left – you will note another path joining from the right. Burley-in-Wharfedale starts to appear below you.

As you descend, you close on the corner of Catton Wood and drop down to the railway line.

Cross this and follow the broad track beyond.

On reaching the road, if you would like to visit the Nature Reserve, turn left but otherwise, turn right along Sun Lane. Ignore the sharp right turn to Greenhow Park.

At the next junction, go down the little footpath opposite, indicated with a fingerpost. You now follow this footpath in a straight line, between the houses, crossing two roads. At the next road, turn left then right after a few yards, again following a public footpath fingerpost.

You come out in Midgeley Road – its road sign is ahead of you – turn left to follow the road (Aireville Terrace). This returns you to Station Road, where you turn right and first left on Grange Road to return to your starting point.

If you need to buy any hiking equipment/clothing before your trip see the Hiking Store

All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.