Sunday ? January 9:30am

Start and Finish at the Yorkshire Lass, Low Bridge, Knaresborough

The route closely follows the Harrogate Ringway footpath

£10 per team, no prizes, all proceeds to Bilton Conservation Group

Team (of five) must have at least one lady, at least one O-40, at least one O-45.

Ladies run the first leg.

Any combination of men/women is permitted as long as there are no more than two young men and at least one lady e.g. you could have L, L45, M40, M40, M

Start : The World's End pub (345571). (Parking : Conyngham Hall Car Park (pay & display - approx £2 for all day))

Changeover : On Forest Moor Road 250m West of Moorlands Nurseries (341556). (Parking : Moorlands Nurseries)

Changeover : Leeds Road - top of Almsford Bank (309528). (Parking : Stone Rings Lane)

Changeover : Beckwith Head Road / Nat Power car park (283537). (Parking : Beckwith Head Road)

Changeover : Knox Mill Lane (290576). (Parking : Knox Mill Lane)

Finish : Yorkshire Lass Pub (345571). Parking : Conyngham Hall Car Park (pay & display)

Parking : Conyngham Hall Car Park (pay & display)

Start : The World's End pub (345571)

• Along Waterside to Mother Shipton pub
• Up hill, footpath R after 100m
• Along short path, then into a very boggy fields
• The route isn't obvious here, but from the Rambler's Association guide leaflet it says: Keep hedge on your left and then at end if field turn right, then turn left, still keeping hedge on your left
• Cross two (?) stiles into a large field
• You should be able to make out a path. You will see some houses over to your left. You want to head towards a yellow/cream farm building on the horizon while keeping parallel-ish to the houses. You are aiming for a Ringway sign which is hard to find because it is in a hollow. When you see a group of 3 aluminium silos and a fourth silo about 300m to your left you are getting near.
• Follow line of trees to Ringway sign
• At the Ringway sign take a sharp L almost doubling back on yourself and head for the silos, passing through a very muddy farmyard, then a good farm track to Forest Moor Road
• R along road uphill to Moorlands Nurseries
• Continue past Moorlands Nurseries a further 250m. The Ringway Path continues the other side of the road. The changeover point is opposite.

Changeover : On Forest Moor Road 250m West of Moorlands Nurseries (341556)

Parking : Moorlands Nurseries

Changeover : On Forest Moor Road 250m West of Moorlands Nurseries (341556)

Parking : Moorlands Nurseries

• Cross road to opposite side from Moorlands Nurseries
• L to Rudfarlington Farm (path is quite good to start off with but along side of stream is quite slippery)
• Where the path seems to turn sharp left, keep straight on (very slightly right) onto another path and then through a gap in a hedge(?)
• to Rudfarlington Farm
• at Wetherby Road R to Freeman's Corner (motor dealer)
• L onto Crimple Lane
• Bear R go Past Travellers Rest Pub
• Continue on track
• Under viaduct
• Join concrete road (part of Harrogate Showground parking)
• Just where the concrete road starts to bear R, there are two stiles, one on the L, the other straight ahead. The original instructions were "L to woods. Up along R of woods to Crimple Farm"
• Go over the L stile. Do not bear right after 10m (you end up in a stream), but bear right after 20m. After a further 50m you will go over a concrete bridge and then go onto a muddy path that runs alongside a wall. Continue up the path
• Through a gate at the end.
• Bear L, and pass by a farm
• Bottom of industrial estate
• Reach road, turn L 20m, then at gates to St Michael's Hospice, turn R
• Cross railway
• Follow road round to L
• R into Fulwith Mill Lane (not down hill)

Changeover : Leeds Road - top of Almsford Bank (309528)

Parking : Stone Rings Lane

Changeover : Leeds Road - top of Almsford Bank (309528)

Parking : Stone Rings Lane

• Along Stone Rings Lane
• L at little stream, going downhill
• Over bridge, take left fork through gap on wall, head downhill
• Follow main stream for 400m.
• At a stile, bear right away from the riverside path and head off across a field
• Over 2 more stiles
• through Pannal churchyard
• L onto road, over stream
• R into Mill Lane
• past duckpond, pass to right of cricket ground to road
• Cross road, Cross field
• Cross Brackenthwaite Lane
• Pass to L of Warren Wood
• R at far end of wood, continuing uphill
• Down through corner of wood
• Cross Brackenthwaite Lane again (R then L in 20m)
• Over stream, across a field
• Aim for and go through white gate (looks like part of someone's land, but isn't).
• Cross Hill Top Lane (R then L in 20m)
• Path between houses
• Straight up through 4 fields (over stiles). At end of last field turn L (away from road). (NB you could have taken a short cut and turned immediately left after last stile!)
• Follow line of trees. Then keep straight along with hedge on L to stile. Turn left over last stile.
• Pass near rear of Squinting Cat to Lady Lane
• R for 100m, then L
• Through small field, then Diagonally R through 2nd field (aim for white post)
• Past farmyard with barking dog on tether. Suggest go straight for road down farm entrance rather than down ginnel for 20m (it has slippery paving slabs) - To road
• R to crossroads
• To National Power car park

Changeover : Beckwith Head Road / Nat Power car park (283537)

Parking : Beckwith Head Road

Changeover : Beckwith Head Road / Nat Power car park (283537)

Parking : Beckwith Head Road

• L towards Beckwithshaw
• after 200m R onto footpath along back of Harlow Carr Gardens
• Path bends right at end, then comes to T-junction - turn R
• after 100m L, down steep path to little footbridge and up steep path other side
• keep on high side, keep to L of fence
• through Birk Crag (do not go into Birk House)
• drop down and back up again
• at road L dropping downhill then after 100m R onto Kent Road (poor road surface)
• footpath 400m on L (passage between houses) (there is a white 1930's house opposite)
• down to beck
• R (just before packhorse bridge)
• Continue with stream on your left for 600 yards or so, just before streamside path peters out, take path that bears right and gently uphill away from stream
• Pass to R of Oakdale golf course
• L immediately at fingerpost at end of golf course car park down short narrow passageway
• Before the stream R to "the Academy" along tarmac path
• Coming out onto minor road, bear L, Cross Oak beck
• L along Jennyfields Drive (power station is on your left)
• Cross road when possible
• (ignore footpath on R after about 300m) (Grantley Drive is opposite)
• after 500m R (Grantley Drive is opposite again - it is a crescent!), down (unsigned) path with wide grass verges to A59 at Saltergate School (which is on your right)
• R, cross A59, then almost immediately L onto farm track
• Pass Cow Dyke Farm
• Through (or go around to L of) Grange Farm yard
• At end turn R to A61/Knox Mill Lane

Changeover : Knox Mill Lane (290576)

Parking : Knox Mill Lane

Changeover : Knox Mill Lane (290576)

Parking : Knox Mill Lane

• along Knox Mill Lane
• over bridge at ford
• continue then L into Old Trough Way, then L into Old Barber, onto path at end
• through wall, then R along cinder track
• Pass to R of Bilton Sewage works
• Sharp L follow path downhill with Sewage works on your left, down to Nidd Gorge
• Down to riverbank
• Under viaduct
• Follow gorge for 3 km, along muddy footpaths and slippery duckboards
• After 2km, path crosses a little bridge and starts to go up hill, but almost immediately take a L turn to go back down to the riverside
• You are getting to the end of this section when you Pass a footbridge which spans the Nidd (do not cross the river!)
• Follow path R up bank to Bilton Lane
• On reaching a track* L to Bilton Hall
• At bend (to R), go straight on through gap to footpath
• Keep straight on downhill to riverbank
• Head downstream (do not cross the river)

Finish : Yorkshire Lass Pub (345571)

Parking : Conyngham Hall Car Park (pay & display)