Boats, beers and boozers 2.

Last April we were on the Calder and Hebble Navigation. I think it was a little different to this year! We stopped over in Wakefield at the mooring by Fall Ings Lock that drops the canal down on to the River Calder. We had a good look around Wakefield that is well worth it as it has some lovely buildings and good shopping along with the Museum Hepworth Gallery if you like contemporary art. The moorings are very close to the Hepworth and the Chantry Chapel on the bridge over the Calder.

We had a lovely day and decided to go for a walk From Fall Ings Lock we walked along the towpath by the river bank and ducked under a rail bridge. There seems to be some major project about to happen in this area. A little further on you come to the site of an Wakefield's old power station. There is still a sub station and the cooling pipes and pipe rests can be traced too. The walk is on the bank of the river and is called the Ashfields walk. These were the ash lagoons for the waste from the furnace of the power station but have been recolonised now. The path is in good condition and is a popular walk at the weekend. Walk to the next rail bridge and bend round to the right along side the marsh area. When you come to the hill follow the path up to the road and follow that to the Village of Heath. (The walk can be extended by going under the rail bridge and following the river to opposite Broadreach Lock head in land from here or continue by the river, then under the railway again and follow the path round the Half Moon Lake to the Hill).

On the banks of the River Calder and the Ashfields walk.

 Broadreach Lock  where the cut leaves the river. About a mile further on the River ducks under the canal at Stanley Ferry.

Looking down the River Calder with the walk extension to Half Moon Lake on the right.

 Heath village is a huge common with several big houses round it. Very good for dogs I should think. Many of the houses are very grand and must be worth a bob or two.

Heath Common, nr Wakefield.

Past a few of the houses, on the left, you come to the Kings Arms. The building dates from 1700 and was originally a terrace of houses. It was converted to a pub in 1841. It is really all you could wish of a Yorkshire pub. There are several small rooms all with stone flagged floors and gas lit. Open fires makes the settles and benches hard to get out of in the cooler months, but in the good weather there is a beer garden and the views across the common. Mind you it does get busy in the good weather and weekends as the food looks great. They do bar food and there is the Gas Light Restaurant for the full Monty. A baguette and chips is about £7. But you don't need to eat as the beer will sustain you. The pub is owned by the Osset Brewery that is not too far away at all, and the Kings Arm's Bitter is brewed by them and was lovely and slid down a treat after our walk. For seconds I went for a thick dark pudding called Portland Black from Welbeck Abbey Brewery, Notts. It was just like a pudding as it was rich and smooth and was full of toffee, vanilla and liquorice touches. It was a good job we had a bit of a walk back to make room for tea!

Kings Arms, Heath.

http://www.thekingsarmsheath.co.uk/

Across the Common is a short cut that takes you down the hill and comes out at the old power station site.

On the side of the hill overlooking the Calder valley is this tower that I took to be just a folly. However it turned out to be Lady Bolles Water Tower that was built in around 1690. It seems at the foot of the tower was a spring. a water wheel worked from this spring that pumped some of the water up to a tank at the top of the tower. From there it was run via lead lined piping of some sort to another tank at the gates of the Old Hall where she lived. That tank was covered by a similar looking building. It worked up to the 19th Century.

The next day was still nice so we left Wakefield and headed further east. Fall Ings Lock seems to be very deep but this winter I expect the river was way up so wasn't such a drop. Castlefield next stop.