Badsworth RFM Blue Line Walking with Peter

 

Badsworth 

RFM Blue Line 

Walking with Peter

05/12/25

This was a 7 mile walk through the lovely south Wakefield countryside through the quaint village of Badsworth and starting and finishing in the old pit village of Upton. I mis-recorded the route using the OS map app so a little less detail this week.

We parked on a council estate in Upton and set off through the houses along ginnels and snickets.

At Upton Beacon we headed into the countryside. The weather was still but cool. The forecast was for rain but much later in the day so there was little or no threat to us.

We passed a young lady training a horse on a long rope in a paddock. It was a fine looking horse. Then into the wide fields dominating this wonderful Yorkshire countryside. This is a walk dominated by dog walkers and we met many friendly dogs and owners along the way. In this area in the photo we met a young collie dog called Heddy who was skittish but friendly and had beautifull light blue eyes. As always the lady walking the dog was friendly and happy to chat.

We passed Roger Thorpe Manor on the same path I had taken a couple of years ago on another blue line walk. It was just as muddy this time as last.

Crossing the quiet B6474 we headed along a well maintained path towards the Church at Badsworth, where we stopped last week and intended to stop again for our coffee break. The view of the church in the distance over the medieval ridge and furrow field system was timeless. More dog walkers and more stops for chatting and petting (of the dogs not the walkers who were mainly men).

I love the stone the old school house and church are built from, it is warm and satisfyingly substantial. The view of the church is exactly the same as last week because we sat in the same place, the only bench in the graveyard.

Leaving Badsworth via this green snicket was a bit of a dissappointment as there were only minimal Xmas decorations on view.

The fields are big, open and green with next years crop growing through the winter.

The Manor's buildings were hidden in the trees but looked some what ramshackle and overgrown. This field of weeds did not look very productive at all. We lost the path but found it again under a very low tree bough. Our walks are always an adventure.

We stood and watched across the field at a small murmuration of Starlings as they formed shapes in the sky for our entertainment, thanks Starlings.

In contrast the next farm Elmsall Lodge was immaculate and the fields productive and tidy.

Not sure why this area is called Grey Cocks but it really is very pleasant.

We crossed the railway, the road and the railway again in quick succession. The land here was muddy and had the look of a post industrial (mining) area but I don't know if it was. It was very muddy with huge puddles blocking the way and deep slippery ruts to contend with, not very pleasant.

We followed what felt like and old pit railway on a huge embankment probably where the spoil ended up which kind of confirmed the heritage of the area.

Crossing the wide A6201 was ok but as it is so straight and wide its not easy to judge the traffic. Luckily the traffic was light.

Our last road to cross was Doncaster road the A638 and past the the white house to our cars.

As we walked onto the estate a thrush musically serenaded us from a tree top on the side of the road.

A good seven mile walk of about 21/2 hours duration with no real hills but plenty of small ups and downs and a plethora of mud. The high light was defintiely the murmuration, what an unexpected treat.