4 Mile Walk Around St Ives Estate, Bingley

Distance: 3.7 miles

Walking: Andrew & Gaynor

Weather: Sunny

OS Map: OL21 - South Pennines

Parking: Blind Lane car park

Photography: Andrew using Nikon D750 / Nikon 24 -70 mm f2.8

A favourite place for us to walk. The huge amount of different woodland paths and variety of views allow the visitor to wander without pre-planning a route. 

The sprawling estate has been owned by Bradford City Council since 1929, with a golf course being added in the 1930s, and was opened to the public in 1974. It was originally the grounds of a mansion owned by the Ferrand family and this Grade II listed building, along with others on the estate, are currently being restored and converted into residences and business units.

Cow parsley or, if like me you come from Northamptonshire, keck. When we were kids we used to make whistles and pea shooters from the hollow stems. The smell of the stuff takes me right back.

A lovely old yew tree marks a parting of the ways. We went right.

Bluebells at the end of May. The cold winter and early spring have led to a lot of stuff flowering together that would normally be weeks apart

Copper beech

There are loads of really old rhododendrons here and they were pretty much at their peak today

This one was particularly beautiful and quite unusual

Coppice Pond. Note the cygnets

A huge copper beech that glowed in the sunlight

Fresh beech leaves

Look closely and you'll see a great spotted woodpecker

A massive old oak tree

Greater stitchwort, also known as Star of Bethlehem or popgun because of the way it's seed pods burst open with a pop to disperse the seeds.

Hawthorn blossom, also known as May blossom for obvious reasons. It is a pagan symbol of fertility, although it is believed that if you take hawthorn into your house, it will be followed by illness and death. Probably best not to in that case. The old saying "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out" refers to the hawthorn coming into flower, not the end of the month as many people believe.