Our Top 5 Yorkshire walks from the Land Trust to celebrate National Walking Month this May
by Northern Life
Walking to Wellbeing – Our Top 5 Yorkshire walks
Yorkshire is a wonderful place – fabulous scenery sculpted by a proud industrial history and brimming with beautiful spaces where you can while away the hours walking. The Land Trust maintain green open spaces for public good; many of which are former collieries and industrial sites that have become much loved community places. We love public open space and we love God’s Own County so we’ve put together our top 5 walks to get you started on your way to enjoying the benefits of walking for your wellbeing.
Rabbit Ings
Rabbit Ings country park
Best for
Families will love the footpaths, cycle paths and sports pitches that make this park so popular with the local community. Not to mention the stunning views.
You’ll be surprised
To find a striking image of a rabbit carved on the hillside and which can be seen for miles around.
Why you should visit
This much-loved park has fantastic paths for walking and cycling, lots of benches to take in the views, sports pitches for kicking a football around, and even bridleways for horse-riding – making Rabbit Ings a great day out for everyone.
Suggested walking route – VIEW the Rabbit Ings Country Park walk
The walk follows a stretch of the Barnsley Canal and passes through the wetland of Pool Ings before entering beautiful Rabbit Ings Country Park. This route will take around 2 hours and is 3 miles / 4.9kms.
Bentley Community Woodland
Best for
A walk or cycle for all members of the family, including the family dog – there are three trails to follow.
You’ll be surprised
To find such a beautiful secret place, right in the centre of Doncaster and an unexpectedly perfect spot for a woodland picnic. In the summer, remember to look up to see the swallows and martins giving an impressive display in the sky.
Why you should visit
Bentley Community Woodland is on the site of the former Bentley Colliery. The Colliery was closed in 1993 and the land became derelict, unloved and unsightly.
The site is now cared for by the Land Trust, and in addition to providing a beautiful place for local families, the land is also used for health and education projects, including a forest school – bringing this land back to life and creating a beautiful space where local communities can benefit from the outdoors on their doorstep.
Excellent paths make this perfect for all the family, including pushchairs, cycles and wheelchairs. The family dog with love it too.
Suggested walking route – VIEW the Bentley Community Woodland walk
There’s a wide range of paths to enjoy if you would like a leisurely stroll – but you could also try this 2.9m /4.6km walk – it should take you around two hours at a reasonably leisurely pace. Some sections of this walk are not accessible for wheelchairs.
Warren House Park
Best for
Families will enjoy the playground and sports pitches.
You’ll be surprised
To find such a variety of wildlife in the wildflower meadows.
Why you should visit
Warren House Park is a great place for families, with a playground, skatepark, basketball area and grass sports pitches. There’s also a fantastic woodland, planted by volunteers, and wildflower meadows.
Suggested walking route – VIEW the Warren House Park and Campsall walk
A much-loved and beautiful park, the perfect spot to walk, play and relax. This is a relaxing two-hour walk, with lots of wildlife to see, passing through woods and fields and by a lake.
This route will take around 2 hours, and is 3.1 miles / 5.1kms.
Kiveton Community Woodland
Best for
Active families will enjoy the natural play area and the buggy fit classes, and anglers will find the perfect fishing spot here.
You’ll be surprised
To stumble across a Brass Band Festival in the summer months, and a range of community activities at the park’s performance amphitheatre.
Why you should visit
This is a much-loved and very active woodland which holds a number of community events, including The Kiveton Brass Band Festival and the urban festival, ‘Urbfest’. There’s both mature and new woodland, natural grassland and a variety of wetland including fishing ponds – children will love the natural play area.
Suggested walking route – VIEW the Kiveton Community Woodland walk
A woodland full of activity for all the family, this 5.9 mile / 9.4km walk should take around 3 hours at a leisurely pace.
Pleasley Pit & Hardwick Hall Country Park
Garden at Hardwick Hall
Best for
Anyone with a real interest in the mining history of the region as Pleasley boasts one of the few remaining working winding engines – a truly amazing piece of engineering.
You’ll be surprised
To learn that the historic Pleasley Pit was awarded an English Heritage Angel Award in November 2011, highlighting the Derbyshire site as the finest restored industrial building in the country.
Why you should visit
This walk takes in the engineering wonder of Pleasley Pit, boasting one of the few remaining working winding engines, before heading on to Hardwick Hall – one of the finest Elizabethan country houses in England.
Suggested walking route – VIEW the Pleasley Hardwick Hall walk
This walk takes in both the engineering wonder of Pleasley Pit, and the beauty of Hardwick Hall. This walk passes through Pleasley Pit Country Park before heading west to Hardwick Hall Country Park, following the Oak Walk through woodland then two stretches of converted railway lines back to Pleasley. This route will take around 3 hours, and is 6 miles / 9.7kms.
These are just a few of the walks available on Land Trust sites across the country, with more walks being added to the Walk to Wellbeing collection on a regular basis. To find out more about the Walk to Wellbeing campaign to mark National Walking Month, go to Walk to Wellbeing with the Land Trust.