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Wibsey Walks to Health
By Mick Melvin
A circular walk around the village of approx 2.8 miles.
If completed in one and a quarters hours this walk will use approx 680 Kcal's.
Start the walk at the war memorial situated at the top of St.Enochs Road.
Cross St Enochs Road at the refuge and walk behind the War Memorial turning left into Mount Road, walk up Mount Road for approx 50 yards and cross Moore Avenue opposite the bus shelter using the central refuge, to enter the upper section of Mount Road.
When you arrive at the main road ( Beacon Road ) turn right for 35 yards and cross the road using the central refuge to enter Wibsey Park on your left.
Shortly after entering the park you will see a small greenhouse behind the lodge on your right, turn to the right and aim for this greenhouse.
Upon arriving at the greenhouse you will find an aviary attached to the far end with budgerigars and cockatiels, also there are some chinchillas living in the aviary.
There is a handy seat at this point if you are in need of a rest.
Leave the aviary by descending the stone steps behind you and then make a right turn onto the tarmac path keeping an iron fence on your left.
Follow this path along the tree lined footpath and shortly you will come to Wibsey Park Nursery, which is open for the sales of plants and shrubs every Monday to Friday between 8am and 3pm.
When you leave the nursery keep the football pitch on you left, and turn next left onto the path which runs between the rugby pitch and the football pitch, to pass the bike area and within a short time you arrive at the park lake. Turn right at the lake and follow the lakeside path to the left and take the first exit onto Wibsey Park Avenue.
During the summer months there are Canada geese, ducks and moorhens present on the lake and this summer (2006) there was a crested grebe on the lake.
Carefully cross the main road ( Wibsey Park Ave ) and walk into Reevylands Drive, continuing along it until you reach Reevy Road, which you cross to reach the second half of Reevylands Drive, remain on here and walk the full length until arriving at Harbour Road.
Cross Harbour Road and continue into Slack Bottom Road, following the rough road round to the left. Walking along this unmade Road you pass the Gaping Goose pub and a row of old cottages on the right hand side. This is the Slack Bottom area of Wibsey.
Carefully cross over Buttershaw Lane and take the narrow snicket to the left of the working men's club, noticing the row of low cottages on the left (Cherry Tree Cottages) to emerge into a pleasant green area surrounded by cherry trees.
Cross this area by passing in front of a row of terrace houses on the right and then turn right down St. Paul's Avenue and cross it using the refuge in front of the 2 schools.
Turn left to pass up the opposite side of St. Paul's Avenue and then right into a snicket which runs along the top of the graveyard.
Keep along this snicket at the rear of the Church and with the cricket ground on your left to emerge at the front of a row of Terrace houses ( St Paul's Road ) when the road narrows as it passes between 2 houses go between and then turn right down Pothouse Road, Here there is an attractive row of low cottages.
Walk down Pothouse Road for approx 150 Yards until you arrive at a junction where you turn left just after passing a house with a Willow tree in the garden NO.41. After 50 yards you will enter Croft House Road and carry on down this road turning left shortly after the sheltered housing at Croft House Close, and make for the corner of the car parking area. From the corner turn right into a snicket which is situated between 2 red brick houses. After a short distance the snicket enters Priestley Avenue where you make a left turn to quickly arrive at the junction with Southfield Avenue, turn left here and within a few steps bear right into Collbrook Avenue.
Walk along Collbrook Avenue for about 200 yards until you reach Smith Avenue which you can cross by turning right for a few yards, and using the central refuge to turn back up the opposite side and making a right turn into Dawson Avenue.
Keep along Dawson Avenue until you arrive at Elmfield Drive where you take a left turn and follow the road around to the right.
Remain on the left hand side of Elmfield Drive until you reach a snicket between No. 24 and 22, turn left into the snicket and quickly turn sharp left and sharp right again, and in a minute you emerge into a little courtyard area. The large house on the right is the house which once belonged to the Warburton family.
After you have looked at the houses go along the cobbled drive to come out into Holroyd Hill, opposite Alldays shop. Cross the road and turn down the hill, for the dry weather version of the walk:
Dry weather route
Continue down Holroyd hill and turn left into Wibsey Bank, walk down the Bank for about 100 yards until you come to a narrow lane on your left (Cart Gate) Turn left into Cart Gate and within a few yards you come out into an area of grass and bushes and a few trees. Follow the narrow path between the trees and after approx 10 minutes turn up left to the far corner of a row of 4 houses visible on the top of the hill and look for a narrow snicket passing between the 2 blocks of houses.
Turn left and follow this snicket to emerge at the bottom of Briarwood Drive, a left turn from here will take you to the bottom of Thomas Close.
Make a right turn into Thomas Close and within 50 foot bear right again into a narrow snicket, which runs along the back of Briarwood Drive.
Within a short distance you arrive at a gap in the wire fencing on your left hand side, turn left onto the recreation ground and walk in a diagonal direction across the football pitch in the direction of the school building. After passing along the top of the rugby pitch turn left when you reach Northfield Road.
Wet weather route
If the weather is wet or wintry carefully cross the road in front of Alldays shop and turn left to proceed up Holroyd Hill passing in front of the Holroyd House Hotel. Immediately after passing No.66 turn right up a short flight of stone steps into a snicket which passes between two cable ends. At the end of this narrow passage turn left into the roughly made up road and almost immediately right into the next road to pass along the back of 2 pairs of red brick semi detached houses.
After passing behind the second pair of semis turn left into the narrow road between the semis and some stone built terrace houses, to shortly reach Hardy Street, where you make a right turn crossing Horsley Street and passing in front of a single storey cottage which has been pebble dashed.
When you reach the end of Hardy Street make a left turn into cobbled Chapel Street and you will come upon a row of cottages on the right. One bearing a medallion and the date 1704 over the front door, and another with a plaque which reads T A 1634 over the door and the last cottage in the row has MB 1753 over the door, after passing the last cottage make a little time to turn left at Acre Lane and take a look at the oldest house in Wibsey, after seeing the house return to the top of Chapel Street and continue down Acre Lane where you arrive at the junction with Northfield Road, take a left turn into Northfield Road and follow the road until you arrive at the Rugby ground on your right and where you rejoin the dry weather route.
After passing the junction of North Road on the left, take a narrow snicket on your right just after passing a bungalow. This snicket takes you to Chapel Fold which is an area of old Wibsey, after taking a look at the dwellings turn around, passing the snicket which you came along on your left hand side and walk along this rough road between the houses until you arrive at St Enochs Road, where you will arrive back at the war memorial.
Wibsey Local History Group have publish a walks booklet which contains many historical facts about the wibsey area, for details of how to obtain a copy
Click Here
To download a printable copy of the walk in PDF format Click Here
To view the PDF files, you'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer.
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