Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve and Ledsham village - Sunday 14 October

Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve and Ledsham village

Date: Sunday 14^th October 2012

Walk Leaders: Martin and Jenny Jarred (Phone: 01904 636639)

Start: 10:00am. Meet in Fairburn Ings RSPB car park, Newton Road, near Ledston, Castleford, West Yorkshire (parking costs £2.50. Tickets available in visitor centre. Note the car park closes at 4pm in October)

Distance: Approx 8 miles (about 4 hours)

Level of difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Toilets: In RSPB visitor centre at start/end of walk

Refreshments: Sandwiches, ice creams, sweets etc available at The RSPB visitor centre. Hot and cold drinks from dispensing machine. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Horseshoe pub in Fairburn village.

The walk: This walk starts from the RSPB reserve, heads around its southern perimeter alongside the River Aire to Ledston Ings and back through the reserve, passing on a path near reed beds and across fields. We should see plenty of birdlife, so binoculars would be useful. After crossing a minor road we head along a track to Newton Lane where we briefly drop down along the road before turning into Newfield Lane. This is a track which takes us along the edge of a wood and across fields to the picturesque village of Ledsham (not be be confused with near-by Ledston).

From Ledsham we take a path across meadows and fields along Lambkin Hill down to Fairburn where we take the two-mile Riverbank Trail back to the RSPB visitor centre.

To get to Fairburn Ings from York take the A64 and join the A1(M). Take exit 42 and briefly pick up the A63 before joining the A1246. There should be brown direction signs to Fairburn Ings. At a roundabout on the edge of Fairburn village turn right, then left down Gauk Street and right at the next junction. Go along Caudle Hill and out through the village towards Newton. There is a large lake on the left and at the end of the lake is the entrance to the RSPB car park and reserve.

The walk is generally flat, particularly around the RSPB reserve. For keen twitchers there should be an opportunity to explore more of the reserve after the walk.