Where is the oldest footpath/track in Leeds that is still used?

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raveydavey
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Post by raveydavey »

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Tasa
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Post by Tasa »

Thanks Tilly and raveydavey for your suggestions and links to what looks like an excellent circular walk!When we did the Fulneck to Tong walk last year we continued down Springfield Lane (part of the walk linked by raveydavey), then joined another lane and eventually emerged on Whitehall Road.

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tilly
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Post by tilly »

raveydavey wrote: Double post, sorry!     Hi raveydavey I know this area like the back of my hand Jim and I did this walk about three years ago we found the sites of three very old mills or should I say Jim did. You have to know what to look for until Jim pointed out the signs I would have missed them. They are at the Sykes Wood end of Troydale.If you ever go to look for them look for a water holding area on the right above the beck heading away from the wood I think that even in summer it still retains water this is where the water was diverted from the beck to drive the wheel for the mill it then went back into the beck.This is the best place to spot this mill the others are not that easy to see.You can enter the wood from Tong Road take the bottom path along the beck side until you see a metal bridge cross over then go up the field the site is not far along this path at the top.    
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Steve Jones
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Post by Steve Jones »

great question.Anywhere that was track prior to Roman times?Bronze age remains etc would indicate settlement.i would think around meanwood/Adel possibly?barwick in Elmet has a hill fort and there are tracks around it srtill walks today so that must qualify as some of the oldest?
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simong
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Post by simong »

Some of the paths across the Chevin are ancient - York Gate is believed to be Roman and based on existing paths, so parts of that will be pre-Christian. I was told that World's End behind the New Inn in Yeadon is an ancient path that was originally the boundary of Yeadon Moor.

polo
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Post by polo »

just a guess but maybe the shaw lane area is a good spot

raveydavey
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Post by raveydavey »

Tasa wrote: Thanks Tilly and raveydavey for your suggestions and links to what looks like an excellent circular walk!When we did the Fulneck to Tong walk last year we continued down Springfield Lane (part of the walk linked by raveydavey), then joined another lane and eventually emerged on Whitehall Road. tilly wrote: raveydavey wrote: Double post, sorry!     Hi raveydavey I know this area like the back of my hand Jim and I did this walk about three years ago we found the sites of three very old mills or should I say Jim did. You have to know what to look for until Jim pointed out the signs I would have missed them. They are at the Sykes Wood end of Troydale.If you ever go to look for them look for a water holding area on the right above the beck heading away from the wood I think that even in summer it still retains water this is where the water was diverted from the beck to drive the wheel for the mill it then went back into the beck.This is the best place to spot this mill the others are not that easy to see.You can enter the wood from Tong Road take the bottom path along the beck side until you see a metal bridge cross over then go up the field the site is not far along this path at the top.     Thanks both - the walk is in a book of local walks we got a while ago and have been intending to do for a while, but we've also been warned off about it being a bit moist underfoot in parts if the weather has been inclement - that said, we'll have to do it this summer. Steve Jones wrote: great question.Anywhere that was track prior to Roman times?Bronze age remains etc would indicate settlement.i would think around meanwood/Adel possibly?barwick in Elmet has a hill fort and there are tracks around it srtill walks today so that must qualify as some of the oldest? Great point Steve.There are a couple of clear paths from Barwick back to Scholes and then the path down to Cock Beck (past where Chippie's Quarry was) - and it's not a great leap of faith to imagine that path continuing on to Monkswood, where we know the Kirkstall Abbey monks were busy before the reformation, or on to Wyke Beck.And of course Barwick was the capital of the Kingdom of Elmet, so it must have been a bustling place once upon a time, with people traveling from all over the area.
Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act – George Orwell

grumpybloke
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Post by grumpybloke »

I'm sure a lot of paths must go way back into prehistory. If you see a path that takes the easiest route then it is not a great leap of imagination to assume that people have used the same route from one generation to the next. There are certain paths locally that my dog will not go down, which is a bit worrying, she comes to a stop and cowers on the ground! You can't help but wonder what she is sensing...oooer...creepy!

polo
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Post by polo »

beggars hill in beeston that was used by the monks therefore has to be pretty old

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Steve Jones
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Post by Steve Jones »

The mysterious Pompocali (subject of a separate thread) near Bardsey lies between 2 Roman roads. i think it is also a hill fort which means that tracks to it would predate the Roman roads.The fact that a Roman altar was found in the stream nearby and the only known Roman villas in the area were about a mile away also indicates an important site for the Romans and as the roads specifically converge there,it must have some significance to them.
Steve JonesI don't know everything, I just like to give that impression!

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