New Crofton RFM Blue Line Walking with Peter

New Crofton 

RFM Blue Line 

Walking with Peter

31/10/25

New Crofton, Wakefield, part of the heart of the old Yorkshire Coalfield, was a totally different proposition to our usual Pennine hill walking. This is the end of the summer season and the start of the winter season when the walks are more low level and let us explore parts of Yorkshire other walkers don't reach.

In so many of these old mining villages the only thing left of the pits is the winding wheel. Time has moved on and the mining legacy is fading fast. New houses, new and young people that have no knowledge of coal many have never even seen it, have altered fundamentally these villages. Commuters are starting to dominate the scene with new developments and good transport links these are the dormitories of the cities and towns of West and South Yorkshire and further afield. And I personally welcome the change.

Walking along the main street through Crofton this post box was joyously decorated, brightening everyone's day.

Sir Titus Salt of Saltaire Mill and village in Shipley fame spent his teens growing up in this building an Inn converted into a house. I wonder if it was an Inn when Titus was there.

As we headed towards Hare Park Junction I didn't notice this little chap peeking through the fence until Peter pointed him out.

 After crossing the railway bridge we set off up the field into the milky gloom.

Over the brow of the hill the huge field was full of horses, cows and sheep who happily, almost totally ignored us. We discussed how to pass horses in fields and the only conclusion we could come to was to ignore them and walk slowly. I looked it up and this is pretty much the advice as well as to give them plenty of room and don't feed them.I always do a risk assessment in my head. I have been on the edge of fields with horses in that I wouldn't enter on any account because of the behaviour of the horses and we once ran out of a field in West Yorkshire because a group of horses were charging around the field. Luckily these horses today were chilled. I think it was like a retirement home for old horses.

Not for the first time on our walks we walked around Wintersett Reservoir a very popular walking area. It was still early so there were only a few people around.

We left the lake and passed through the village of Wintersett which was noticable by the number of very expensive new or redeveloped dwellings in the area....very posh.

Leaving Back Lane we went along the old railway lines and this view is typical of much of the route for the next few miles.

I am sure these ponds are a legacy of the mining industry but I don't actually know. It was very pretty though. 

There were a few railway remnants around such as bridges. The red shale paths are typical of paths crossing old pit heaps.

Part of the lake complex near Upper Lake had a couple of benches so we took advantage to have a break here. It was very pleasant and a variety of wild fowl traversed the lake. 

We couldn't identify this duck, part of a trio crossing the lake with some Mallards, turns out they were Teal. 

We crossed the A638 at Foulby, a nice little place but that road is a bit too busy to make it a great place.

The way out of the village was past huge fields and large farms. This one on the right must have been dealing in hay as it had loads of bales in many of the buildings but I didn't see or hear any cows.

Thy end of the track brought us the Sharlston another old mining village now a dormitory.

We followed the road to the wooded lane leading to Windmill Hill.

It was a short stretch from the view point to Crofton.

We were just about to set off when Peter pointed out Wakefield in the distance, another city from a hill. 'At least its nor Manchester', he commented acidly.

It was just a short walk from here through the streets back to our cars at New Crofton.

We both commented on reaching our cars that the walk was so easy compared to last week, but that is the nature of the winter walks. We agreed last weeks walk (Irontongue) will be the one we do again to prepare for the Coast to Coast walk next season. 

7 miles exactly and a few small hills adding up to around 500 feet makes this a good winter season walk. Quick too at nearly 3 miles per hour.

OS map

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/29403778/new-crofton-rfm-blue-line?lat=53.6527&lon=-1.4386&zoom=12.5934&style=Leisure&type=2d