Leeds Country Way

Leeds Country Way
LCW waymarker near Wike
Length	62 mi (100 km)
Location	Leeds, West Yorkshire. England
Trailheads	Circular walk, accessible by bus or train at many points
Use	Hiking, Running
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Easy: some short hills and can be muddy in places
Season	All year
Hazards	Crosses some busy roads

The Leeds Country Way is a circular long-distance footpath of 62 miles (99 km) around Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is never more than 7 miles (11 km) from Leeds City Square, but is mainly rural with extensive views in the outlying areas of the Leeds metropolitan district. It follows public Rights of Way including footpaths, bridleways and minor lanes, with a few short sections along roads.

A route was first devised by Fred Andrews of the Ramblers Association, and then developed by West Yorkshire County Council in the early 1980s. This council was abolished in 1986, and the path is now under the care of the Countryside section of Leeds City Council. The Leeds Country Way was realigned in 2006, using a route devised by Bob Brewster, to bring it entirely within the boundary of the Leeds metropolitan district (previously it crossed the boundary into Wakefield), and the path was officially relaunched on 26 September 2006 with a revised set of map leaflets (see external links) and improved waymarking.

The path is waymarked in both directions and can be started at any point, but is described here clockwise from the A660 road at Golden Acre Park (grid reference SE267417), divided into parts and sections which correspond with the official map leaflets.

Section 1: The path crosses Golden Acre Park and passes the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Adel Dam Nature Reserve, following the route of the Meanwood Valley Trail. It coincides briefly with the Leeds link to the Dales Way north of Eccup Reservoir, before crossing the Ebor Way and entering the Harewood Estate. Here there is a glimpse of what looks like a small village, not marked on any map, but which is actually the set for the TV series Emmerdale. Walkers may also see red kites which have been successfully reintroduced in this area.