Barwick-in-Elmet

Only the other week yet another walker, plodding across a field with his dog (they often seem to be the trigger for an attack), was mobbed by cows with calves. One of them sat on him. Fortunately people living nearby heard his screams and rescued him. He was badly hurt, but not fatally so.

Even though I never walk with a dog I don't trust cattle. I'm uneasy when passing through a field with cows, a bull or bullocks in it. I like to make sure they're a long way from the path before I'll venture there.

Fields where you only have to worry about the pollen from oilseed rape or trying not to damage the tender shoots of young wheat are much preferable. And there were plenty of these on this walk, which began on a May morning in the village of Barwick-in-Elmet to the north of Leeds.

This is an ancient, attractive place with a magnificent maypole, a bailey (the outer wall of a Norman fort which was built on the site of an Iron Age hill fort), a church and a trio of pubs.

And it's surrounded by attractive countryside, too. You're straight into it as you leave the village by the descending road known as the Boyle, cross the stream by a footbridge adjacent to a ford, and take the broad farm track up between fields heading North.

With oilseed rape to one side and green shoots of wheat to the other, and the verges bright with early summer flowers, we walked onwards on a breezy day, leaving the track eventually to follow fieldside paths alongside crops until we came to a stile into a field packed with sheep blocking the footpath.

These were strangely silent sheep, not the loudly bleating sort that are usually accompanied by lambs. Like a woolly sea, they parted to make way for us then closed up behind us, eyeing us balefully.

We left them behind soon enough, following Potterton Beck with its fringe of wild garlic, and made our way over a stile and through shady trees to the busy A64 road carrying the constant traffic between Leeds and York. It was a matter of look, listen and dash here to arrive safely at the other side in a lay-by with a bus-café, from which wafted the almost irresistible smell of frying bacon. We resisted.

Instead, we followed the Leeds Country Way sign into Kiddal Wood, walking through pleasant woodland on a clear path through a colourful, varied carpet of wild flowers.

At the top of the wood our route lay to the west, following the edge of Redhills Plantation to its top corner before making a sharp left turn and returning to the road via Saw Wood, again on a clear path.

After another look-listen-dash experience we found ourselves following the fieldside paths again and heading down to the bottom of the hill. We could see our route ahead from this point: a signpost on the brow of the next ridge. But the direct way to it lay through the growing crops.

I know that if that's the right of way it's tough on the farmer. But they're having a bad enough time of things at present, aren't they? We went round the edge of the field instead and found the end of the path that led from the signpost and continued along the ridge towards a farm.

Instead of going that way, we turned left and via a succession of right and left turns alongside hedges found ourselves at a stile into the final field of the walk. This was where the bullocks were: half a dozen large ones, in the top right-hand corner. We were bottom right and the stile out of the field was top left.

We went for it, walking steadily and determinedly. A couple of them stopped to stare at us. A couple more of them turned and stared too. We walked even faster. We made it to the stile at the top breathless but unpursued.

The final leg of the walk back into the village was enhanced by a fine floral display placed on a grass verge by a proud resident eager for Barwick to win the Village in Bloom title. I hope it does.

Step by Step

1. From main street in Barwick, walk between Gascoigne Arms and maypole and turn left then right into the Boyle. Continue down Rakeshill Road and cross footbridge next to ford at bottom.
2. Walk up farm track beyond. Where track swings sharp left, go ahead on path with hedge to left at first then continue in same line to footbridge over stream.
3. Over footbridge, follow side of Potterton Beck over a couple of stiles then along side of field to a stile into a another field (where the sheep were). Continue along left-hand side of this field to a stile into roadside trees and a path that meets road after trailing left. Cross with great care!
4. From lay-by at far side, follow Leeds Country Way sign into wood. At top of wood, where paths go left and right, take left-hand route following edge of wood (and cutting across stretch where trees were felled for pylon line) to point where a crossing lane is a few yards ahead and waymarked path to Barwick goes acutely left.
5. Follow this path through the wood to eventually arrive back at road opposite Flying Horse Farm. Cross with even greater care! Go right briefly, and then left following footpath sign into field via stone stile. Walk down fields, with oak trees and hawthorn hedge on left. At gap at bottom left-hand corner, look up wide field ahead for signpost on ridge.
6. Instead of ploughing straight up field through crops towards it, follow left-hand edge of field up to top of ridge, with signpost now to right. Turn left here and follow good, wide farm track between fields. Ignoring track going right, continue to waymark post near a couple of trees. Go right here, down field past solitary tree. At hedge at bottom with another post, turn left, then right at next corner to arrive at a stile to left of metal gate.
7. Go over this, then another stile in left-hand corner of next field into last field of walk (the one with the bullocks). Cross with great care! Safely through stile in far corner, turn left into lane then right up Rakehill Road into Boyle and back to start.

Fact File

• Start: Barwick-in-Elmet
• Time for four-mile walk: two hours
• Going: Easy
• Map: OS Explorer 289 Leeds
• Getting there: Drive on A64 from Leeds ring road, taking turn-off right to Scholes and Barwick-in-Elmet. By bus, catch the No 64 from Leeds Bus Station: half-hourly at 09 and 39 minutes past the hour, or hourly on a Sunday at 01 minutes past (check with Metroline on 0113 245 7676)
• Parking: By roadside in Barwick-in-Elmet
• Toilets: None along route
• Refreshments: Pubs in Barwick