An 8km run based on a route suggested by Vivienne Crow.Route: leaving the car in the Kirkgate Centre (free for 3 hours disc parking) and crossing Kirkgate into the car park to reach the River Cocker, turn left and then cross on the footbridge (Quaker Bridge) to follow the waterside lane further up hill. Having passed under the road bridge, taking the steep steps to the right and turning left on the railway path, continuing under Lorton Road and along to the left of the cemetery. Turning right along Sustans Route 71 but, where it turns left, taking a hand gate into the cemetery heading roughly straight until eventually bending left to pass under the archway to exit onto Lorton Road doglegging right-left onto Vicarage Lane.
At the end, turning right and descending but foolishly missing the right-left turn to descend to the intended riverbank path and instead carrying on through the housing estate to reach the Double Mills footbridge directly. Crossing this and turning sharp right into Harris Park taking the leftmost of a three-way fork and then right to traverse a level terrace through trees before bending left to exit the park onto a short street, turning right to descend the main road and bend left at traffic lights onto Gallowbarrow.
Taking the road on the right of Wordsworth House - Bridge Street - to cross the footbridge and then sharp right to follow the river with views of the castle to a stile onto a field. Round this anti-clockwise to another stile then turning left back onto a right-of-way along a track and then roads to emerge at the Memorial Gardens car park. Back over the footbridge and turning right round Wordsworth House, right again to find the riverside footpath. Along this to emerge by Number 1 Waterloo St and then left over another footbridge to Brewery Lane. Diverting from Viv Crow’s route by ascending the hill and turning left to take the path through the swimming pool grounds emerging on St Helen’s Street. Failing to find a marked but non-existent footpath at the start of Waste Lane so continuing to near number 62 St Helen’s St to a footbridge over Bitter Beck and thus back to the start.
Conditions: initially cloudy but dry and then drizzle by the end.
Pub: the Swan for Bombardier Gold.
