Walk Description - West Yorkshire - Notton and Newmillerdam Circular (6miles 2.5 hours)
Parking - limited spaces at the village hall, or on the roadside by the triangular village green opposite.
(S)Start - Village Hall - Notton - 352131 (Landranger 110). Turn right out of the village hall carpark and walk about 100 yards to turn right into Ingswell Drive. Look for Finger Post to the right between two houses at start of Ingswell Ave - follow path which takes you behind the houses and alongside a field to a small bridge over a brook and then bear half right and follow a strong track between open fields heading for the tree line which identifies the disused railway.
(1)The track leads to a bridge over the old railway line (now a cycle track). On crossing to other side, there are some steps down to the cycle path, alternatively take the path left along the top of the cutting which drops down to the track level after about 100 yards (ignore path breaking off to the right at this point). On gaining the disused railway track, follow this under a canopy of trees westward for a couple of kilometres taking you past the edge Newmillerdam Country Park (ignore paths into the park to the right). Eventually, after passing under the A61, the cycle track rises and the path bears off to the right to end at a minor road called Wood Lane on the edge of Newmillerdam (326152).
(2)Turn right onto Wood Lane, and follow this for a few hundred yards until meeting the main road (A61). Turn left and follow the road past the Best Western Hotel and down into the centre of Newmillerdam.
On reaching the lake there are pubs and cafes if you want a drinks break, or there are seats by the lake for snacks and sandwiches.
(3)To continue the walk, enter the Public car park at the south end of the lake, and follow the strong path alongside the South side of the lake which loops around the lake in deciduous woods.
Eventually you come across a track to the left that crosses a bridge over the lake. Ignore this and follow the lakeside path a little further until it curls left at the very end of the lake.
(4)As the lake path curls back up the other side of the lake spot a strong track heading right and follow this slightly uphill for a while to join another main path from the left and head SSE further into the woods for about half a mile. Eventually this path leaves the woods at a gate/stile and heads SE straight across the middle of a large field until the path reaches the edge of the field (345142) and then turns sharp right, over Bleakley Dike and climbs through another field towards a line of trees which hides the disused railway track again, rejoining it at the point referred to in (1).It's possible to shorten the walk at this point by retracing the steps in (D) and (1) to regain Notton village. but
(5)The main walk rejoins the disused railway at this point and turns left to follow the cycle path eastwards for about a mile.
(6)Watch out for a path branching off the cycle path to the right as the tracks goes under a bridge carrying the B6132 (356138). Follow this up into a rough car park at the side of the road (an alternative start/finish point).
At the car park entrance (and under a yellow metal height barrier), turn right up Smawell Lane which is a very minor road/track. Follow this now for about half a mile as it winds its way up into Notton village. On reaching the main road, turn right and after about a hundred yards regain the start point at the Village Hall.
