Riffa Woods

How to get to Riffa Wood from Leathley

1. Beginning at the Village Hall, head down the bank, with the main road and church on your right, and turn left onto the single track road. On your left you will pass the 18th Century Almshouses. This was once a school and hospital. Directly ahead of you is a driveway. It looks like it’s private, but never fear, it isn’t! On the driveway posts, you will see the signpost for the stunning Leathley Hall. Head through the gateposts.

2. Keep along this tarmacked track until you pass Leathley Hall on your right and the walled garden on your left. Shortly after this point, the track turns to a dirt track, and splits into to. You need to keep heading straight ahead, ignoring the fork off to the right.

3. After a short while, you will reach a little path cross roads. Head through the gate and take the footpath, which continues straight on. Keep on this track, almost as the woods. A short distance after the cross roads of paths, the path bends sharply to the left, then heads slightly up hill to the right.

4. Continue along the track, until you see the mound of the woodland ahead of you. There is a further gate into the field, and in this last field, you need to head diagonally left and to the lower corner of the field, where is descends to the beck. COW WARNING! I know some people prefer to avoid cows, but at the time of our visit, there were cows grazing in the field. They were clearly well used to people and did not bother us, but this is your official heads up!

5. At the beck, cross the stepping stones., and head up the bank to the waymarked gate into the woodland. Explore to your heart’s content. You can take in as little or as much of the woodland as you like! There is a stick den about half way up the main track. Whatever you do head back to this entrance to complete the walk.

6. Head back out of the woods from the same gate you used to enter them, head back over the stepping stones, and back up the bank to the field. This time, you will head along the path, keeping the wire fence closely to your right until you reach the wide dirt track again at the top, and a metal gate to your right. Head through this and follow the wide track through several more gates until you reach Hilltop Farm.

7. At this point, the track joins a tarmacked road, turn left and walk down it. Very soon (a matter of seconds) later, you will see a metal footpath sign on your left. It heads up the bank to a stile at the top.

8. Cross the stile and turn left. Keeping the boundary fence close to your right hand side, follow it until you reach a stile into the farm yard. You will turn immediately left, and take the stile out of the farmyard again, and into a grassy field. COW WARNING! There were no cows grazing at the time we walked this route, but there was evidence that cows do graze there, so here is your cow warning again!

9. Keeping the boundary fence/hedge to your left, follow it through three fields in total. The path does not deviate away from the perimeter so is easy to follow!

10. At the bottom, you will reach that crossroads of paths again that you encountered earlier. This time, turn right, back through the metal gate, and head back along the road past Leathley Hall and back to where you started!

Last walked April 2022