West Leeds Walks: Farnley’s lakes and fishpond

Community reporter Iola Shaw continues her West Leeds Walks series by taking a stroll in Farnley.

This walk is a circular one of around 4km (depending on your wandering in Farnley Park) and takes you around the Farnley balancing reservoir to Farnley Hall Park, on to the fishpond and back.  

Start at the information board and viewing point for Farnley Balancing Lake, which is on the corner of Butt Lane and the Ring Road, opposite the McDonalds. The number 15 and the ring road buses all stop nearby.  

The lake has only been here since 1972 but is a lovely calm space despite the busy-ness of the roads.  

Walk round the lake clockwise – if it’s as sunny as the day I did this walk it’s lovely in the shade. As you get round to the bridge at the far side the views open up – across the lake and into the distance. If you like an evening walk this is a great place to capture some cracking sunsets.

At the end of the bridge turn left, cross the road carefully and then carry on along the path to the next roundabout.  

I recommend turning left here, go 20 metres or so up the road and cross there so you can have a proper look at the last remnants of the industrial heritage of Stonebridge Mills.

The Embrace sculpture has the history of the site on the back, as it’s very recently become houses after being virtually derelict in 2020 and it’s unrecognisable from 2021 building work.

Now go back towards the ring road and you are on the correct side of the roundabout for the pedestrian crossing – head up Stonebridge Lane, crossing at the first zebra crossing, this really is an “up” the road!

Almost at the top you have an excuse to have a pause as there’s a quirky looking former Methodist church.  It’s all boarded up at the moment but apparently the interior has some historic pews, an organ and pulpit and maybe one day will become an interesting home with a very convenient pub next door, up the hill.

Walk past the Nags Head and turn right, cross the road shortly afterwards and turn left into Farnley Hall Park. 

This is a council-owned park. Depending on how much time you have you can take a wander of various lengths around the park. I took a bit of time to reflect in the graveyard of what is now the regional church for the Romanian Orthodox church – Saint Makarios.

It was once the local parish church so it has some great old-fashioned sounding names on the gravestones from the early 20^th century.  

If you have small people with you there’s a children’s playground and the Hall itself is a beautiful focal point, although as it’s all offices and there isn’t public access to the building.  

There’s a great information board about the history of the house with the site predating the doomsday book. There is another Farnley Hall, near Otley, that gets a lot more publicity as a historic building because the painter JMW Turner stayed there regularly, but he missed a trick not coming to this one.  

Once you have had your fill of the park head back out of the entrance, cross the road and turn left. You are now walking along the wall to the entrance to the Farnley Fish Pond.

Regular WLD readers will know this has been a bit of a restoration project recently and it really shows – it feels like a glorious oasis of green and blue, that is clearly going to blossom to full glory soon.  

Not bad for something that started out as a work creation scheme for unemployed former soldiers around 1810. 

Go down the steps and walk around the pond clockwise for the best views.  I tried but couldn’t find the remains of the well in the wall at the end, but was fascinated by the bricks on the pond side which are glazed but on the other side the wall is old stone.

As you leave the enclosed area by the pedestrian exit turn left down the hill and keep following the road all the way back to the ring road.  

You could take a left turn just before the Farnley Falcons ARLFC and then go right across the edges of the pitches to keep the feeling of country side for longer, but when you hit Tong Road remember to turn left and cross and keep heading down Butt Lane to the junction with the Ring Road.  

There’s a pedestrian crossing here and you are back at the start of the walk, very close to a McDonalds, Greggs and a Subway if you need snacks before you head home. 

The route is also on the OS ap as WLD 3 Balancing Lake to Farnley.

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