Today was the first time in a whole month that the entire gang managed to get together for a walk. We celebrated this reunion by choosing a route that immediately tried to kill us with vegetation. It was full on attack of the triffids.
We tackled Stage 9 of the Leeds Country Way, starting in Pudsey. It wasn’t long before we left the houses behind and found ourselves in what can only be described as a green corridor.
The path was so overgrown with nettles they were practically at shoulder height. I’m not saying we needed a jungle expedition permit, but I did deeply regret leaving my machete at home.
Predictably, Zara got stung, and made sure that everyone in Leeds was aware of her suffering. The whining echoed beautifully with the sounds of Rachel shouting at Hagrid.
After about a mile and a half, we picked up the bridleway we’d walked a couple of weeks ago on the Calverley Loop. I love this path. Naturally, I stopped paying attention. I happily followed the path until we popped out onto a road where I realised we should have taken a left turn about five minutes earlier. A small course correction (I feel like we do these often) plus a slightly chaotic dash across the busy A657 and we were back in the woods again, this time following the path alongside Carr Beck.
Sadly, the peaceful woodland ambience was somewhat ruined by the sight of two shopping trolleys dumped in the beck. Nothing says “picturesque countryside” like abandoned supermarket trolleys. Eventually the beck petered out, and we made our way to the bridge to cross the River Aire.
Once we crossed the bridge, we picked up the riverside path and followed the River Aire for about two miles. It was a nice surprise, every other time we’ve walked in that direction, we’ve stuck to the canal, so I had no idea there was a proper riverside route tucked away down there.
Eventually, we had to say goodbye to the river and start the climb out of the valley. It wasn’t too steep. Before long, the path levelled out, the houses reappeared, and just like that we were back at the car.
It was a short walk this week due to time constraints but it was really nice seeing everyone. Coming in at 5.5miles.
https://hiiker.app/hikes/users/leeds-country-way-day-9–1626913944
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