Our final stop on the Selby Line (for now, at least) is Micklefield, a former mining village that is fast becoming another detached suburb of Leeds, with extensive housing estates, some newly built and some former council estates dating from the early twentieth century. As villages go, Micklefield is decidedly unremarkable: its oldest is building is probably its modest church, which only dates from 1861 when Micklefield Parish was created, and as of Spring 2023, its single pub has closed. Most of its history is tried up with a couple of centuries of coal mining: Micklefield and Peckfield collieries both opened during the nineteenth century, but mining in the area ended during the nineteen-eighties. The walk includes a great deal of rural walking, although a significant amount of this is heavily farmed agricultural land, or reclaimed spoil heap rather than the open moors one might expect so close to the border with the modern North Yorkshire. Nevertheless, there is plenty to see along the walk.
Micklefield Railway Station opened on the Selby and York Lines in 1834, and although it is now another two platform unstaffed halt, a single original station building – the station house – does at least survive in private ownership. From the station, we turn right along Great North Road, then turn left along a track (Pit Lane) and follow this past Micklefield Skate park (taking an optional detour through the adjacent wildflower garden before returning the lane) and follow it to a pedestrian level crossing over the railway line. Cross this and walk to a small roundabout, then continue straight ahead, still on Pit Lane.
Turn right and follow a signed footpath through a narrow band of trees, eventually passing an industrial estate on the right, to reach Ridge Road. Turn right and follow this across a bridge over the railway track, and shortly turn right along another signed footpath running between fields back to the edge of Micklefield. The path runs across a shallow ridge between two fields, and offers pleasant views towards the railway line. Stay on the path as it turns left and runs through a modern housing estate to reach Church Lane, then turn right again and follow this to the junction with Great North Road, where the modest Church of St. Mary the Virgin can be visited on the right-hand corner – the churchyard, which contains a war memorial, is worth exploring.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin
Turn right past the church and follow the road until the currently closed Bland Arms public house appears on the right. Turn left just before this and follow a track to Davy Avenue, then cross this and continue straight ahead. Follow the track as it bends right and then left to cross a bridge over the A1(M) and on the other side turn right. Continue to follow the track past a water treatment works; shortly after this, the track bends left and becomes a footpath, running first between trees on the left and a field on the right then passing between two fields to a reach a bridge under the railway track.
Pass through the bridge to start what is undoubtedly the most scenic part of the walk, as we bear left at a junction and follow the path through trees to reach a gate. Continue straight ahead across a grassy area with Newthorpe Beck on the left until the path reaches a farm track. Continue straight ahead, shortly passing the Grade II-listed Newthorpe Cattle Creep Bridge (which carries the railway track) on the right. Shortly after this, the path ends a junction; turn right and follow a signed footpath (Highfield Lane) between fields, bearing left then right, then right again and finally left around to follow it around Newthorpe Quarry. Continue straight ahead into a wood, then turn right.
Follow a path slightly downhill and on reaching a junction turn left. The woods occupy the site of Castle Hills prehistoric settlement, a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Castle Hills prehistoric settlement
This is an Iron Age field system with an enclosed settlement, which survives within the woodland as earthworks; despite technically being the most historic part of the walk, this is not obvious from a casual stroll across the site. Continue straight ahead along the path, then turn right to join the drive leading to Micklefield MX Track. Turn left and follow this under the A1(M) to reach the Great North Road. Finally, turn right and follow this back to Micklefield to where a bridge (Old North Road Bridge, another Grade II-listed railway bridge) carries the railway track over the road. A memorial to Micklefield Colliery can be seen on the left, just below the bridge. From here, turn right to return to the station.
From Micklefield, we now head back along the Selby Line to Leeds, for our next leg of our railway tour around the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. Next, we head south-west along the Huddersfield Line, to a pair of stations, the first of which is about to be superseded…
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