A great Calverley walk: Round Hill and the Calverley Cut

I’ve always enjoyed walking for pleasure, writes James Corah.

Most holidays as a child involved a wander or two and as an adult I’ve been lucky to discover many places on foot.

These walks have either been out in the countryside taking in the landscape (sections of Hadrian’s Walk, Levisham Moor and the Hole of Horcum) or urban exploration (the River Thames in London from Tower Bridge to Richmond-Upon-Thames, and the ‘hidden river’ Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, South Korea).

My need to get out and find footpaths has increased in the last year after getting Tavish, a West Highland White Terrier. Now, most weekends involve what is affectionally known as “a long walk” or two for my wife and I, usually around five to seven miles. These do not seem to tire Tavish out that much.

This walk in Calverley is one of my favourites, there are climbs, cricket, and the Calverley Cut. The area around the Cut was park of a planned Victorian residential estate. For this guide I’ve included a shorter walk as well.

The Walk – 3.85 miles/2hrs or SHORTER 3.5miles/90mins

The routes are a mixture of roadside pavements, uneven tracks, and forest paths which may not be accessible to wheelchairs and prams. Bus routes 30,35, and 60 go along Carr Road.

START

1. Begin at the War Memorial in Calverley Victoria Park, with your back to Carr Road. Head left of the Calverley St Wilfrids cricket pitch, towards the playground, then leave the park and follow Chapel Street to the right.
2. Cross over Victoria Street and follow Parkwood Road until it joins Upper Carr Lane then Woodhall Road. Turning right so that you are heading up hill, follow Woodhall Road out of Calverley.
3. This is Round Hill, on your left-hand side will be fields and some houses, eventually on your righthand side will be the Woodhall Hills Golf Club.
4. Just past the golf club is a crossroads with Priesthorpe Road and some buildings including Ravenscliffe Farm. Carefully cross over the road and follow the track down hill. Eventually you will come to a signposted path on your right which will take you into Ravenscliffe Wood. The path will join another, so head right again. The path heads through the woods with a beck on your left (Fagley Beck, I think this is the absolute boundary of where West Leeds Dispatch covers).
5. Keep following the path. The beck will occasionally disappear from sight though as long as you keep it on your left you are heading in the right direction.
6. Eventually the area will become built up, and you’ll take the left hand road (Ravenscliffe Road) and arrive at Carr Road.
7. Carefully crossing Carr Road, head into the woods. At this point you have the choice of the shorter walk (heading right) or the full Calverley Cut experience (heading left).
   
   SHORTER ROUTE
8. Take Clara Drive to the right, heading uphill. This is a private road that pedestrians have access to. Eventually you will come to a bridge over the Calverley Cut, there is a path to the right that will take you back to Carr Road.
   LONGER ROUTE
9. Taking the path to the left, you’ll head down hill through West Wood along Eleanor Road (don’t call them Ellie Road, they don’t like that). The path will reach a cross roads and you will be in sight of the Leeds Liverpool Canal bridge to your left and to the right is the Calverley Cut. This climb challenges walkers and runners alike, although there is a very strong sense of achievement when you get to the top.
   The Cut cuts through bedrock and passes under the Clara Drive bridge, and eventually comes to Carr Road.

BOTH ROUTES

Turn left to return towards Calverley Victoria Park.

This is a longer walk, and not overly accessible for wheelchair users.