Laycock and Goose Eye
Start and Finish: Laycock
Approximate time for the walk: 4 hours
Distance: 8 miles
Landscape: Heather Moorland and wooded valley
Map: O/S Outdoor Leisure 21 South Pennines
Description of the walk:
1. This walk starts at the centre village of Laycock. Go left through the village of Laycock and when the road narrows, go down a paved track to join a narrow walled path. Follow this path to emerge at a road. Turn left down the road to pass the Turkey Inn. About 60 yards beyond this pub, you reach Dean Beck, take the steps on your right and re-cross the beck via footbridge. Go up the beck upstream and turn right over a footbridge, to cross a water channel.
2. Continue straight ahead, passing a mill dam. Now bear right up a paved path, passing the rear of a farmhouse and cross a stony track to continue straight ahead, via a gate. Keep along this walled track, signed Slippery Ford. Continue straight ahead, up-hill to reach another gate. Continue straight up to another gate where you meet the road once again.
3. Turn left and go along the road for about 100 yards, before turn left on an access path/track. Continue straight ahead, keeping right of the farm buildings, to reach a gate on your right. Follow this path straight ahead to meet at far end of the barn. Follow this path straight ahead up the valley, passing through three fields to reach Dean Beck. Cross over the beck and go through a gate and follow the other beck to a wall. Go up the wall uphill and take a gate on the left into the yard. Walk between farm buildings and out on to the road. Go left at the road and follow it down hill and cross over Morkin Bridge.
4. Now turn right through a gate, just over the beck and go straight up this track, passing over the beck once again. Continue straight ahead on this path (no diversions) to eventually reach the Keighley Moor Reservoir.
5. When you have reach the Keighley Moor Reservoir. Turn left at the reservoir and follow the path round the top of the reservoir. At the far end of the reservoir, turn left by a concrete post to join a moorland path which leads downhill. Continue straight ahead down this path(no diversions) to meet a wall. Carry straight ahead by the wall to reach a gate in the wall. Now go right to cut cross a line of grouse butts to find a narrow path. Go straight ahead down this path to a walled stile where you join walled track going right.
6. Continue straight ahead along this track, Broadhead Lane, to meet a road. Cross over the road and continue straight down the track to emerge in Newsholme.
7. Once you reach Newsholme, walk between houses to emerge at a lane. Now turn left down a lane which becomes a track path. Cross over the beck where you meet a road. Now turn left on this road to return back to the Goose Eye. Walk through the village and steeply up the road. The road then turn right to follow the road where this walks and ends.