Golden Acre Park & Brearley Marsh

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Route: Black Hill, Adel Dam, Golden Acre Park, Breary Marsh, Leeds Country Way, Paul's Pond, Marshes Plantation, Marsh Beck, Bramhope Grove, Breary Grange, Swan Lane, Blackhill Farm, Black Hill

Date: 10/02/2019
From: Golden Acre Park

Parking: Golden Acre Park
Start Point: Golden Acre Park
Region: West Yorkshire

Route length: 5.7 miles (12.7km)
Time taken: 01:59
Average speed: 2.9 mph
Ascent: 94m
Descent: 90m

Summits: None

Other points of interest: Adel Dam, Breary Marsh

Leeds, like most UK cities, has a generous sprinkling of parks. Roundhay is perhaps the most famous - certainly the largest in the city. Golden Acre Park, our local park, is a lot smaller but no less enjoyable.

Golden Acre Park started life as an amusement park, privately run until the outbreak of World War 2. After the war, it was taken over by the council, who still own and maintain it today. The park is set in 179 acres of mature woodland with gardens surrounding a lake. Our walk today would visit the park before venturing beyond its boundaries to Breary Marsh - a short outing for a breezy Sunday morning.

Golden Acre Park has two car parks, one directly off the busy A660 Otley Road and a quieter one on the eastern side. Both are free and can fill up quickly. Once we had parked we grabbed our modest selection of gear and set off.

Golden Acre Park at Black Hill

Golden Acre Park

Firstly, we followed the path through the park to the south and then west, reaching the location where water flows from the lake at the centre of the park. Here, fenced off but accessible via a gate, is the Adel Dam nature reserve, managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. We decided to venture in.

Adel Beck

As its name suggests, Adel Dam was a historic reservoir built in the 1700s to power a nearby corn mill. After its abandonment, a rare combination of wet and dry woodland has emerged surrounding the lake. The site’s past as a Victorian garden is evident from the mix of native and exotic trees that are found growing here. Recently renovated bird hides give views across the lake and the marshes - we were lucky to see a woodpecker on one of the feeders. It's a short circuit of 1 mile around the entire reserve and a worthwhile diversion.

Woodpecker

The pond at the bird hide in Adel Dam

Adel Dam

The remains of the reservoir

Adel Dam

After Adel Dam, the path skirts the old boating lake at the centre of the park, heading for the main road. As I mentioned, the park was originally an amusement park, opened in 1932. The park was inspired by New York's Coney Island theme park, though was only open for 6 years. As the war in Europe gathered pace, the park closed at the end of the 1938 season. All the rides were put up for sale or demolished, and half of the boating lake later filled in. Some remnants remain if you know where to look.

The old boating lake at Golden Acre Park

We crossed under the A660 and joined the Leeds Country Way which runs through the Breary Marsh Nature Reserve. The reserve is the best and most diverse example of a wet valley alder wood and associated floodplain habitat known in West Yorkshire, which is why much of the reserve is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The Leeds Country Way cuts through Breary Marsh

The path leads to Paul's Pond, also part of the nature reserve. Paul's Pond is a fish pond belonging to the Cookridge Hall estate, which was dug in the 1820s by Richard Wormald to provide fish and ice to the kitchens, but actually named after William Paul who bought the estate in 1890. The path does a circuit of the pond before continuing on its way to the west.

Paul's Pond

The path leads to Marshes Plantation before turning a right angle to head towards our local rugby club, who looked like they were on the end of a good thrashing from a rival team from Sheffield.

Marshes plantation

Following the footpath signs to Breary Marsh farm

 Back at the A660, we crossed the road and made our way across open fields, climbing slightly as we did and revealing some sneaky views of far Wharfedale. We reached the farm at East Breary and, shortly after, the local donkey sanctuary at Eller Beck (sadly closed due to the equine flu outbreak). The narrow Swan Lane led us back towards Golden Acre Park and the conclusion of a short but satisfying outing.

Breary Grange

Breary Grange