The Harland Way - a cycle route from Wetherby to Spofforth
This is a flat, pleasant cycle path from the market town of Wetherby, to the mediaeval
village of Spofforth complete with its ruined castle. Decent cycle paths near Leeds
that are suitable for little kids are rare as hens' teeth, so this is an absolute
gem. And to have something at the far end that kids are going to love exploring
is just perfection. There's also a new extension from Wetherby to Thorp Arch trading
estate. To begin with I couldn't understand why anyone would want to cycle to a
godforsaken retail park like Thorp Arch, but I understand it's now planned to extend
this to Tadcaster and York so that explains everything.
It would also be great to build a path from Leeds to Wetherby using the old railway
that runs parallel to the A58 Leeds to Wetherby route, but Leeds City Council have
been so bad at joining the National Cycle Network initiative over the years that
I can't see it happening. And while I'm on the subject of Leeds City Council, about
the only things they do worse than cycle routes are leisure centres and swimming
pools. The pools in Leeds are generally small, dirty and disgusting. In fact, they
didn't build any new pools or leisure centres between about 1977 and 2007. Might
be slightly wrong on the dates but not by much. Anyway, the
point is that Wetherby
has a really nice swimming pool (sharp left just before you cross the Wharfe going into
Wetherby), so that could be combined to make a nice full day out with kids.
There are two places to join the route in Wetherby.Directions assume you are entering
Wetherby from the A1/A58
- Linton Road. Turn left immediately after crossing the Wharfe. Go through the
market place and then turn left onto Linton Road. Look out for the blue cycle sign
which leads to a small carpark and the start of the route.
- Deighton Road. Go straight down the High Street and across the mini-roundabout at
the far
end. Go past the petrol station on your left and look out for the blue cycle
sign after about two hundred yards. There's no parking here so it's only suitable
if you're arriving by bike.
The two starting points are linked, so you can start at one place and finish at
another if you like. The few junctions are well signposted so you can't really go
wrong. The path is really well surfaced and well suited to city bikes or kids bikes,
the only problem being walkers who don't hear you approaching. I generally stop pedalling as I
reach walkers, but even with the back block clacking away most of
them still don't hear me. Which leads to the quandry of: do you whizz past them
regardless causing them to jump and shriek and hug their children as if they'd just
saved them from a fate worse than death; or should one poliitely ping one's bell
causing them to jump and shriek and grab their children to save them from a fate
worse than death. Is it too much to ask that pedestrians on a cycle path should
keep their wits about them?
Anyway, after three miles of nice flat pedalling the route ends in the middle of
a housing estate in Spofforth. Make your way through the estate to the main road
and then turn right into the village. There's not a whole lot to see in the village,
but if you turn left after the pub you reach Spofforth castle.
The castle has car parking but no bike rack (thanks English Heritage) . That is
compensated for by entry being free, but as there's not a whole lot to see that's
only fair. The remains are of a 13th/14th century manor house, and viewed in that
light are quite interesting, but anyone looking for a huge keep and fortified walls
will be dissappointed.
Spofforth was given to William de Percy after the Norman Conquest, as one of a package
of 86 lordships. Quite a bonus package there. The De Percy family moved North in the 14th century,
settling at Alnwick and building possibly the finest castle in England, after which Spofforth
fell into decline. The castle was burned by the Yorkists after the battle of Towton in 1461. Towton is just a
few miles away and is still the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, with over 30,000
perishing that Palm Sunday.
The house was rebuilt, but was finally destroyed in the Civil War of the 1640's. I don't know
which side destroyed it, but so many other Yorkshire Castles were "slighted" by Parliament that it's
a fair bet it suffered the same fate. Such a shame, as with those picture windows it must have been magnificent.
Plenty of room to picnic, but no facilities of any kind.