This lovely circular walk is around the Harewood estate perimeter, with great views towards Harewood House, through the deer park and across to Almscliffe Crag.
Route: We followed this route. Start at Wike Lane (as suggested) OR from carpark at the Muddy Boots cafe.
Accessibility: Muddy in places but generally fine with a buggy. There is one small set of steps in Harewood when you leave the path adjacent to the A61. Just be warned that there are hills- which is fine walking but can be tiring pushing a buggy!
Parking: there’s free parking at the junction of Wike Lane and A61 (where the walk starts). If you start at the cafe there’s an honesty box for their car park (can get busy).
Facilities: None, and limited places to picnic other than the field you start in and the deer park. The Muddy Boots cafe (great name) in Harewood has a children’s menu, high chairs and changing facilities.
The Route around Harewood Estate
This is a relatively easy route, with a couple of hills but nothing too strenuous. It’s just enough to let you feel that you’ve done a decent walk! Great if you don’t want to travel too far out of Leeds. If you’re not taking an OS map just remember you’re going on a clockwise circular loop around the house. So if there’s a junction of paths you’ve probably got to turn right (unless it’s private).
Starting at Wike Lane, the path takes you through a field with great views over Harewood House. I’ve recently watched the Downtown Abbey movie… and was delighted that Harewood played such a prominent role! And now I know I’ve been pronouncing wrong all these years; the ‘Hare’ sounds like ‘car’, rather than like Hare (the rabbit) as I’ve been saying it!
The route then heads through a gate, over a bridge and into woodland, eventually passing alongside the setting of Emmerdale village (you’ll only get a glimpse, sorry). When you reach a crossroads cut right to go downhill, towards the Lake and past the estate buildings. As you pick up the estate road, you lead uphill to the deer park, with more stunning views; this time towards Harrogate and Almscliffe Crag. And if you’re lucky, you might spot the deer. Just beautiful. There’s a well placed bench to enjoy the view, a good spot if you’re picnicking.
Continue on the estate road to head into Harewood village, past the Muddy Boots Cafe, where you can stop off for a cuppa and some great food. Back on Harrogate Road (A61), head past the estate entrance and before long you’ll see a gate into a wall (with a few steps) that takes you back to the start of the walk through more woodland. It’s a common error to miss the gate, so don’t forget to look out for it!
An alternative to this walk is starting in the village, so you can end your walk with a well deserved treat at the cafe or pub.
And if you want to get a bit closer to the action… try a visit to the House and Garden itself! 👉Blog post here.
Other walks in the area include;
- The beautiful Eccup Reservoir walk which is adjacent to the Harewood Estate, and you can easily combine the two to create a great day’s walking.
- Calverley and Apperley Bridge circular (4.5 miles)
- Otley Chevin, lots of different routes available.
- Roundhay Park, in North Leeds
For suggestions of other walks over 5km around Leeds (including buggy friendly routes) read this page.
