16th June 2013
Golden Acre Park
A map of Golden Acre Park
Starting in the main Golden Acre car park off the A660 Otley Road, opposite the main park, head for the southern corner of the car park and take the steps down to and through the underpass, here you have the choice of going either way round the lake. There is a café if you go to the left of the lake (somewhere to get refreshments at the end of the walk if you want).
I went to the right of the lake. If you like to take photos, there is plenty of opportunity as there are plenty of birds and waterfowl, continuing the lake opens up and there is a covered viewing platform, where you can sit and watch the ducks and various other waterfowl on the lake. Carry on to the right of the lake going into a wooded area, you come to the end of the lake; go right then immediate left onto another track. A short way down this track there is a small wooden shed and shelter on your right just through a gate, this is Adel Dam Nature Reserve, if you want to take some more wildlife photos there is a hide a little way along this path. (Return back past the Shed through the gate, turn right) Follow the track to the road (T-Junction); go straight taking the road up to Five Lane End. (This road is narrow and can be busy in both directions, so be careful)
Golden Acre Lake
Take the 2nd left (Eccup Moor Road, this road is narrow, but not as much traffic on it), follow this road going past a boarding kennel on your left then shortly after a golf course on your right, ignore side turnings until you reach some outbuildings of Bank House Farm. Just before the outbuildings take the way marked bridleway on the left, this soon narrows and becomes a narrow path between hedgerows. Just before the path bears round to the right, there is a stile in the fence to the left, once over this go straight over the field to the wall stile, once over this cross another field over the next stile to join a road. Once on the road go left for about 20yds (18m) going over the stile on the right. Keep going straight over the intersection with the Dales Way path, to the gate and stile. Once over the stile follow the boundary to the way marker and then bear right across pasture to a stile, once over the stile go straight towards and bypassing Lineham Farm, through 2 kissing gates to meet a track.
Lineham Farm Children's Centre
Go right. Here there is a Donkey Sanctuary then go left over a stile which takes you onto an enclosed grass track to the next stile, keep going straight over a number of stiles until you reach a road, once on the road (This road is narrow so be aware of traffic in both directions) go right for around 150yds (137m) to the way marked kissing gate on the left. Go straight with the fence to your left through 2 more kissing gates. Bear left across the field keeping to the right of Breary Grange Farm to the ladder stile, once over the ladder stile keep straight to another stile at the far corner of the field. Once over this stile head left across the field to a stile which leads to a roundabout on the A660 Otley Road (this road is an extremely busy road so be careful when crossing), cross over here and head into The Sycamores ahead. Go straight down this minor road for around 250yds (229m) and then go through the way marked kissing gate on the left. Follow the field edged path with a hedge to the left, over three more stiles to Marsh Beck, go straight with woodland to your right to another stile, then turn left onto a track to a farmhouse, continue past the farmhouse to a gate into Fish Ponds Plantation.
The Donkey Sanctuary
Bear right through the wood, to the left of you is the banked dam of a small pool, the pool is called Paul’s Pond, follow the track right round to pool going over a small bridge, continue to the tree line where from here you can pick any one of the tracks leading away from the pool in a North East direction. There is a main pathway through which is easy to see, this will take you to the underpass, go past the underpass and up the steps back into the car park. There is an ice cream van here if you feel like a treat after your walk!
To summarise, as this was a spur of the moment walk, I thoroughly enjoyed it with its mixture of parkland paths, woodland tracks, fields and some road walking, also with the opportunity to take some photos of various wildlife (Note to self- make sure camera battery is fully charged before setting off)