‘Go through the gap in the ramparts and drop gently on a paved path towards hawthorn trees. Just before them bear right along the boundary wall of Castle Hill’
THE walk starts at the crossroads in Farnley Tyas, outside the Golden Cock Inn.
Off-street parking in the village is non-existent, so choose a spot where you will not interfere with the traffic flow. The village is served by the 341 bus (Stocksmoor-Almondbury-Huddersfield), which stops at the inn.
Walk past the church into Butts Road and continue to a left-hand bend where there is a recreation field on the right. Enter this and follow the wall along the right-hand edge of it and the next field to the next road.
Turn right along the road, pass Ivy Farm on the left and take the first walled lane on the right. Soon there are panoramic views. Where the main track goes right to Ludhill Farm keep straight ahead down a broad grassy track and follow this lane all the way down to the road.
Turn right down the road for a few yards, but immediately past the first row of houses on the right take the good track on the right into the wood. Where the main track bears left take the second of two narrower, ascending paths on the right (ie, not the one by the wall on the right).
It leaves the wood at a stile and follows a paving. Ignore a gap-stile on the right. The path soon contours high above a ravine and after crossing two stiles you are following a wall on your left.
The path then crosses the beck at a gap-stile and climbs stone steps to another stile. Across this turn left and keep the wall/fence on your left to pass to the right of Glen Farm and, faithfully following the wall, reach the road by a PF sign (your starting point is quite close on the right).
Turn left down the road and follow it until you reach a farm-road on the right, leading in a few yards to the buildings of Farnley Hey.
Immediately before the first house go through a stile by a gate on the left and follow the garden wall along. Where this ends keep straight on along the line of trees spaced out across the field, keeping to the left of the metal pylon; from the third tree continue across the field to the stile by a gate ahead.
Cross it and continue in the same direction, keeping to the right of a patch of rough ground, towards a large farm ahead. Soon a wall appears in front of you and if you look to the right of the farm you will see a gap-stile in this wall. Pass through it and turn right along the wall on your right.
Pass through a gap-stile in the field corner and continue with a wood on your right.
At the end of this field pass through another gap-stile beside a gate and keep on as before, now with the wall on your left. At the first gate on the left (with a stile beside it), pass through and walk along the next field with the wall on your right (ie at right-angles to your previous line of walk).
At the end of this field pass through a gap-stile, and continue with the wall on your right. At the end of this field cross over a walled lane by stiles, then turn immediately right and follow the wall on your right.
Cross a stile in the corner of the field and pass straight over the next field to a gap-stile a few yards from the right-hand corner.
Keep straight on with the wall to your right towards an isolated house. Pass to the left of it to reach the road.
Turn left up the road. Ignore a track on the right (PF sign) and a road on the right, walk past the long lay-by, admiring steep flight of steps on the right leading up to the Victoria Tower.
Beyond the tower bear left up to the path along the Huddersfield edge of Castle Hill and keeping the view to your left follow the path to the end of the hill. Go through the gap in the ramparts and drop gently on a paved path towards hawthorn trees. Just before them bear right along the boundary wall of Castle Hill.
The path soon curves right away from the wall and follows a fence on the left. It drops to a cross path: ignore the stile ahead and turn left down the cross path, an old lane between hawthorns.
Cross a stile and continue down the track. At the end of the lane by a wooden pylon head downhill with a wall on your left to a cross track. Turn left for a yard or two to a stile on the right and continue downhill with the wall on your left. Cross another stile and keep on down along the edge of a gulley tot he left. A stile leads on to the road.
Again go left for a few yards to a gate on the right a yard or two before a bench. Walk straight down the field to a gap in the hedge ahead. Through it, turn right along the hedge on the right tot he end of the field, and her turn left, ignoring the stile ahead, down the field with the fence on your right.
Enter the wood and enter a field through a large gap in a wall. Head for a gate at the other side of the next field in front of the wood; as you come closer you will see that you are making for a gap-stile a few yards to the left of the gate.
Follow the clear path through the wood to a stile, cross the narrow field to another stile and again follow the clear path through the wood. It ascends gently to a stile. Walk straight up the next field with a gulley to your left.
Tucked into the top left-hand corner of the field is a stile by a gate which leads to a walled lane. Follow this to Farnley Tyas.
Walkers are advised to always use the relevant OS map when following our routes
