WALKS AROUND DARRINGTON (click picture to enlarge)
All the walks start underneath the A1 flyover near the Darrington Hotel but as they are all circular walks you can start and finish where you want.
                                                   MAP

Walk 1. about 1.7 kilometres easy Red
Take the footpath up the side of the A1 North, keep animals and children close as this very exposed to the A1 traffic and there is no crash barrier for some of the way. After 400 metres there is a signed footpath to the left at right angles to the A1, this is called Back Lane and you can follow this path all along the back of the village. Past Church Farm at the top of Phillips Lane, please keep dogs under control and do not let them wander into the farm yard as this is a disease control area. Some of the farm barns date back to the 1600s but are now being restored for residential use. Carry straight on past the farm and you are now on a recently adopted new path for the Village that has only been a permissive path before. In the distance on your right you can see the chimneys of Ferrybridge power station. At the end of the field you join Marlpit Lane, here you need to turn left, walk down the the footpath to the crossroads and turn left again. Follow the main street and this will take you back to the A1.

Walk 2.  4 kilometres Yellow
Take the same footpath as in walk 1. and as you turn left on to Back Lane turn right   inside the hedge with the A1 still on your right. This is a new footpath that replaced the path that went diagonally across the field. Continue for about 200 metres and you will come to a sty  through the fence and hedge,  continue north for about 20 metres you come to Spitalgap Lane that has been blocked to stop traffic access.  At the present time you can walk down this Lane, but as the new A1 work develops this might change. This is now a pleasant walk with no traffic for 1.6 kilometres. Just after you get to the three metal posts used to block the road turn left on to Marlpit Lane this will bring you back to the Village (1.3 kilometres). When you reach the houses you can turn left on to Back Lane footpath and this will bring you back to the A1 (1 kilometre)

Walk 3. 7.25 kilometres Blue
From the A1 flyover walk towards Pontefract for about 0.8 kilometre at the cross roads at the end of the Village turn left into Westfield Lane, follow this lane  for 2.0 kilometres and at the T-junction  turn right on to the Old Great North Road. Go down the hill and just before road bears left there is a sign post  indicating a footpath on your right, with some steps cut into the hill. You can take this route now or if you prefer you can carry straight on down the hill over the River Went and visit the    Blue Bell Pub, or the Wentbridge House.  If you have quenched your thirst retrace you steps over the river and read the blue plaque about Robin Hood then carry on to the path mention earlier, follow the path up the hill through the woods and along the ridge. When you come out of the woods you are on Went Hill (or The Pimple local name) with spectacular views over Pontefract and across to Emley Moor Yorkshire Television Mast. Carry on along the ridge until you come to the wood here you have to turn left down the hill, as there is no footpath through the wood and join the road turning right at the bottom. There is a  grass verge you can walk on most of the way until you come to the T-junction with a large house on your left called Manasseh. At this junction turn right and follow this road back to Darrington, in the Village you pass the Spread Eagle Pub on your left if you are still thirsty or hungry.

Walk 4.  7 kilometres   Green
This starts the same as walk 2 until you reach the junction with Spitalgap Lane and Marlpit Lane at this point you carry straight on until you see a farm track on your left just before Baghill Garden Centre.    You take this track across the fields you are heading towards the centre of the trees on the left. This is know as the Rookeries, when you reach the end of the fields on the ridge you can turn right or left, to make the walk slightly shorter turn left. If you take the right turn along the ridge there are   fine views across to the Pennines, at the end of the ridge you turn down the hill and head to the right of the school at the bottom. The path joins the road close to the mini roundabout here you turn left and follow the road back to Darrington. If you take the shorter route to the left when you reach the ridge, you follow the track for a short distance then turn right down the hill on a wide track cut into the hillside, follow this track past the farm and houses and you will reach the road, turn left here and follow the road back to Darrington.