Leeds to Rodley Walking with Lacey
Leeds to Rodley
Walking with Lacey
08/05/24
Lacey is my much loved granddaughter. I make no bones about
it I love walking with her and my grandson Max and other granddaughter Lola though
the latter pair were at school so unavailable.
The day started at Lacey’s home in Worsbrough. We walked the
2 miles from there to Barnsley train station along Sheffield road and through
the Alhambra Centre and Glass works. A good start to the day as it was dry and warm
and Barnsley town centre is clean, bright and welcoming.
There was a short wait on the platform before the quick
train to Leeds whisked us away to the city with only one stop at Wakefield. It
only took half an hour.
At Leeds the busy station and the development chaos outside
was in great contrast to the calm and relative quietness in Barnsley. The big
city vibe hit us instantly. After a short detour around the road works etc we
found the canal basin and commenced our city walk to Rodley alongside the Leeds
Liverpool canal.
The city high rises attracted Lacey’s interest as she took a few artistic modernist photos. She is studying photography at college and uses our walks to find photographic opportunities.
The canal itself flanked by the river to one side and the
railway to the other was a gallery of graffiti juxta positioned with geese,
goslings and historical bridges.
These photos are mine but I am sure that Lacey’s will be
much more professional, but hey this is my blog.
We continued along the urban walk for a few miles with swans
for company and cute signets.
The weather remained bright and warm but not too hot. There
were plenty of joggers, dog walkers cyclists and runners but everyone we passed
or passed us were respectful and careful. The walk was really pleasant as I was
expecting a post-industrial wasteland but only glimpses of cleared land waiting
for redevelopment hinted at the recent past.
As we passed about 3 or 4 miles from Leeds the amount of passers-by
started to reduce and it became possible to make small chats as we passed by. A
little chat goes a long way on any walk.
Being a canal walk the only hills we climbed were at the
many interesting locks we passed. Passing Kirkstall Abbey across the valley the
greenery became the dominant back drop to the walk.
At one point we paused on a bench for a snack and were
treated to a tree creeper in a tree on the opposite bank. It’s the little bump
on top of the branch in this photo.
Finally we reached Rodley and jumped onto a double decker
bus back to the city centre. In the city we had a wander around mainly so that
Lacey could take a few photos. She has an eye for the unusual and got some
great shots particularly of street life. We lingered for about an hour and then
returned to the station and the train back to Barnsley. Both of us agreed that
the 2 urban centres were different but equally interesting. The modern open spaces
of Barnsley and the big city buzz of Leeds having equal validity. We also
agreed that we would repeat the journey for a different Leeds walk. Next week though
Mam Tor is the destination.
The day covered approximately 13 miles. I couldn’t recommend
it enough for a cheap, healthy and interesting day out. Even better if you have
a granddaughter to share the experience.
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