Discovering Bingley: Walk to Gilstead Crag & Gilstead Moor

1. Plan your walk

• a. Where to start
• b. Elevation Profile
• c. Route files for GPS & mapping apps
• d. Toilets & Refreshments
• e. Walker-Friendly Stops

2. Walk directions

3. Frequently Asked Questions

Bingley Railway Station

Wellington Street
Bingley
West Yorkshire
BD16 2NA

Grid Reference: SE 108 391
What3Words: ///boat.sideburns.comet

This is a car-free train walk! We encourage walkers to use public transport, rather than cars, as much as possible.

We have provided an interactive map below, powered by OpenStreetMap. You can zoom in and out, explore the route in detail, follow your live location along the walk, and view points of interest, cafés and facilities directly on the map.

The Brown Cow 

The Five Rise Locks Café

The Loft Café Bar

Starting from the railway station, make your way towards Market Square via the alley way on the side of Peacock Bar. Cross Main Street and go towards Bingley Arts Centre. Once there, have a look at the historical Bingley Market Hall and Butter Cross – to the right of Bingley Arts Centre. This reminds us that Bingley is an old market town and was granted the status in 1212 by King John. Then from here, the walk will take you towards Myrtle Park. Go left on a street called Myrtle Place leading towards Myrtle Grove and the entrance of Myrtle Park. You should see Bingley Pool on the right and the new Lidl supermarket on the left. Once in the park, keep the path going left after the cenotaph and the playground and go down towards the river. Cross the bridge over the River Aire, follow the alley along the allotments and once at the end turn right towards an old hamlet. There you will find the old Beckfoot Packhorse Bridge over Harden Beck.

Cross over the packhorse bridge and take a right turn just after it through a hole in the wall to find yourself in a field. Then go up the river bank towards a house at the top. Walk in front of the house keeping to the path above the river bank – please be considerate to the house owners and only leave footprints! Go through the narrow hole in the wall and you’ll enter a stretch of woodland that forms part of the Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve – a designated NNR protecting the river corridor and its wildlife along this section of the Aire. Follow the path through the woods and when you’ve reached some steps, go right and you should arrive in a meadow close to the river and see a green tubular steel foot bridge. This bridge was erected in 1951 for the Festival of Britain. Do not cross the river on the bridge, stay on its left hand side and walk across the meadow towards a path in the woods which will lead you to Harden Road.

Once on Harden Road, turn right going down the road towards the Brown Cow pub

Note: Brown Cow pub is a great place to have a drink, so don’t hesitate to have a break there!

From there, cross Ireland Bridge over the River Aire towards Main Street. You should see All Saints Church on your left hand side – one of Bingley’s oldest landmarks, with parts of the building dating back to the 12th century. The stretch of road in front of the church is Old Main Street, the historic heart of Bingley and the oldest part of the town, where you can still see some of the original stone buildings that lined the ancient market route. At the lights, cross the road and turn left, pass the Fire Station and on the right you will find a pedestrian bridge crossing over the bypass which was named after Bingley born astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle. Make your way towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Once on the canal, the first set of locks you will see is the Three Rise Locks with the Damart Mill chimney in the background – a striking reminder of Bingley’s textile past. Go left and follow the towpath, then after the first turn you can’t miss the astonishing Five Rise Locks – see picture. This staircase lock is the tallest of its kind in the country, a remarkable feat of 18th century engineering. Opened in 1774, it was a key element in the economic development of Bradford’s textile industry, allowing heavily laden barges to climb over 59 feet in one continuous flight. The canal and the locks are now cared for by the Canal & River Trust. Take a look at our Bingley Five Rise Locks Family Walk to find out more about this iconic site.

Note: At the top of the locks is the Five Rise Locks café. Another great place for a break and an ice cream!

Cross the Five Rise Locks on the swing bridge, then make your way towards Beck Lane and follow the road with the allotments on your right. This is a residential area full of charm, lovely gardens and quiet alleyways – or snickets as we say locally. Where Beck Lane meets Hall Bank Drive, you will find a snicket opposite leading to Gawthorpe Drive. Once there, on the left you can take a look at Gawthorpe Hall through the gates. This grade II listed building is probably one of the oldest in Bingley. It’s a private property, so unfortunately no visit is allowed unless you are authorised.

Then from here it’s all up hills! From Gawthorpe Drive, turn right and make your way towards Spa Lane which leads onto Park Road. Stay on the left hand side and go up the road. Cross Lady Lane and in front of you is the Prince of Wales Park. Opened in 1865 and named after the then Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, this park has recently undergone a full restauration. The Friends of Prince of Wales Park are now looking after the park and received many grants to make it what it is today. Well worth a visit!

Go through the park entrance and pass the beautiful lodge. After the bend, turn right and follow a path going up until you reach a path junction. Carry on straight towards the park exit. Then you’ll need to cross Parkside Road – be extremely careful on this busy road. Opposite are a couple of garages and on the left is a track. Start walking on the track but as soon as you can, take a path going up through the wooded area.

This will bring you out onto Gilstead Moor – a small area of open access moorland on the edge of Bingley, sitting at the northern fringe of Rombalds Moor, the wider plateau between Airedale and Wharfedale. At its heart is Gilstead Crag, a dramatic gritstone outcrop characteristic of the South Pennines, where a bench rewards all the climbing with one of the finest views in the area. On a clear day you can see across Bingley town, the Harden Valley, and as far as the Worth Valley to the north. In late summer, the surrounding heather is in full bloom – well worth timing your visit for.

Interesting fact: It takes about 2 hours to do this walk, and if you time it for sunset, you are in for a real treat on top of Gilstead Crag. It only takes about 15 minutes to finish the walk from here, and the route is well-lit.

Make your way towards the communication tower in the distance, still walking on top of Gilstead Crag. Near the communication tower are a group of rocks high above the valley. Again a fantastic spot for admiring the valley and looking down at Bingley. You will now need to make your way down. Use the path just before the communication tower to find yourself below the the group of rocks and onto a well defined path. Turn right on the path up until you reach a junction, turn left and go down the path with a fence on your right. You should now see some houses and a tarmacked road called Moorbottom Lane. Turn right and the road will soon become a narrow track between gardens. At the end of the track you are now at the junction of Fernbank Drive, Crownest Road and Crownest Lane. Turn right on Crownest Lane and after 30 yards, opposite the road and behind a tall narrow house is the entrance to a snicket – sign posted “Public footpath". Walk down the path, turning left at the bend (don’t go through the wooden gate) and carry all the way up until you’ve reached Belgrave Road. Turn right and then left on Percy Street.  Right on Mornington Road and left on Britannia Street. At the bottom, cross the canal and bypass on the pedestrian bridges. After the zebra crossing, turn right onto Ferrand Street where you should see the Aldi supermarket from. Pass the Bingley Five Rise Taxi, cross the car parks and go back towards the train station to finish this walk.

Note: if you are looking for a place to stop for refreshments or something to eat, we recommend The Loft Café Bar, on Main Street only a stone throw away from the train station.