Walks in Bradford
From easy city strolls to challenging trails, discover the best of Bradford on foot.
Walk: Pudsey Circular
A pleasant walk around the countryside of Pudsey. The Route Start / Finish Point: On-road parking along Smalewell Road, Pudsey, LS28 8HU - Close to the Fox & Grapes pub. Distance: 5 Miles GPX Route Map walkshirepudseyDownload Walk Description From where you’ve parked on Smalewell Road, walk down towards the Fox and Grapes pub. Just before you get to it, turn left down the Public Bridleway and follow it as it snakes around to the left. Keep on the clearer track to the left and follow it through the wood. When you reach a track running left to right, turn right, and then left into the field, just before Tyersal Beck. Follow this clear track across the field, and through the trees, until eventually you are walking along the beck. Soon, you reach another track coming from the left, on the corner of Fulneck Golf Course. Carry on straight across into the trees and moving to the left away from the beck. Follow the edge of the trees, along the clear path on the ground until you reach a line of trees directly in front of you. Find the clearing in the trees, and enter to walk past a mill on the left and then out into open fields. Here, you follow the line of Pudsey Beck on the right for a while, following the path as it veers to the left around one cluster of trees, and then a little while later around another. Follow the path as it comes out onto Roker Lane beside an electricity substation. Turn right here, cross over the road and turn left through the gap in the wall just past the bus stop. Veer to the right and follow the boundary along the line of the trees and following Pudsey Beck on your right. Eventually, the track turns left, but you carry on into the next field to the next boundary. Turn left here just after the line of trees, and you can follow a clear path along the boundaries of several fields to reach Roker Lane again. Turn right, and follow Roker Lane until the sharp right bend when it becomes Southroyd Park. Turn left and walk down the road Fulneck until you reach a junction on the right. Here, carry on past the bins and down the gravel track straight ahead, not the road to the left for the Trekking Centre. At the gates at the end of the road, take the public footpath through the stile on the right and then turn right to follow the clear path across the field to the line of trees. Follow the line of trees to reach the road Greentop. Cross over and carry on through the snicket to Smalewell Road. Turn left and follow the road until you reach where you parked.
Walk: Shipley and Route 66
A jaunt along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, through the streets of Shipley and along part of the massive Route 66 of the National Cycle Network. The Route Start Point: Shipley Railway Station, Station Rd, Shipley BD18 2JL Finish Point: As start Distance: 7 Miles GPX Route Map walkshireshipleyDownload Walk Description Leave the station via the access road to reach the A657 Briggate. Turn left and then use the traffic lights to cross over Briggate. Turn right at the concrete bollards and follow the path to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Cross over the canal using the bridge, and turn right. Follow the canal tow path for a long time until you reach a swing bridge underneath a very tall electricity pylon on the right hand side, with a road coming in from the left. Turn right and cross over the canal using this bridge. Follow the road as it bends around to the left to become a track, which joins the top of Thackley Road through a gate. Turn right, and follow Thackley Road until the big junction. Turn right onto Windhill Old Road and follow that all the way to the end, eventually veering left to go underneath the old railway bridge. After Cypus Avenue on the left, look for a green snicket on the left, and take this all the way to the A657 Leeds Road. Cross over the main road and turn right. At the next public bridleway sign, turn left and follow this trac, called Crooked Lane, to eventually come out at Westfield Lane. Turn right here and follow the road until High Busy Lane branches off on the right. Follow this road, which becomes a path through trees. Continue to follow it into Catstones Wood, where the path is clear throughout. Exit the wood and once you are through a hedgerow, turn right on Low Ash Road. Just after the turning for Low Ash Drive, take the public footpath on your right, and walk between the houses. Follow it as it crosses Elm Road and continue until Snowden Road is opposite. Cross over, and walk down Snowden Road, turning right after the Youth Centre, to cross over the grass down to Carr Lane. Cross over Carr Lane and turn right, then left all the way down Hollin Lane. At Owlet Road, turn right, then cross over to turn left down Crag Road. Turn left down Poplar Road, and take the clear path across the green on the right opposite Poplar Crescent. Join the National Cycle Route 66 as it continues along the line of the trees on the right and follow it all the way to reach Leeds Road. Turn left, then left again to get back to the station.
Walk: The Spen Valley Greenway
This fantastic urban walk is along the old Spen Valley railway line that used to link Bradford to London directly, via Wakefield. This was closed in the 1960's as part of the Beeching cuts but has been revitalised by being appropriated as walk and cycle route. The Route spen-valley-greenwayDownload what3words for start point: ///congratulations.beams.junior Start Point: Low Moor Finish Point: Dewsbury Distance: 8 Miles GPX Route Map Walk Description Starting at Low Moor Train station in the outskirts of Bradford you follow the route of the railway line. This is a paved all the way and an easy walk for all. Enjoy the heritage of the bygone railway age as you pass through several tunnels and sights of former stations. Keep an eye out for the signs of where they used to be sighted by spotting old platforms, stairways and the odd lantern enroute. The route runs parallel to the M606 and actually crossed the M62 on an old railway bridge, there aren't many walks that cut over a major motorway! Follow the route and enjoy the art installations, including sheep and many call backs to the old usage of this stroll. Follow this through Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike, Liversedge and on towards Dewsbury where at the end of the walk you can join the river walk into the centre of the town.
Walk: Bradford City Centre Heritage Trail
This self-guided walk takes you around Bradford’s historic and fascinating city centre, highlighting some of its remarkable architecture and other features of interest. Your walk will take in landmarks of all ages and styles - from medieval to modern - to show how Bradford has developed over the ages. The Route what3words for start point: ///groups.moves.cave Start Point: City Park Mirror Pool and Fountain, Peel Centre, Bradford BD1 1SD Finish Point: Bradford Cathedral, 1 Stott Hill, Bradford BD1 4EH Distance: 2.7 Miles GPX Route Map bradfordcityherDownload Walk Description We recommend beginning the walk at City Park, but it can be picked up and followed at any point on the route. The first part of the walk should take approximately two hours, although may be a little longer if you choose to include the Little Germany and Cathedral parts of the route. Bradford gets its name from a large stream, probably where it was once crossed by an ancient Roman road. This “Broad ford” of water was probably located near to the site of the current Cathedral. Highlights along the route: Bradford City Hall is one of Bradford’s most distinctive buildings. The original building, with its ‘Italianate’ clocktower, was opened in 1873 and was designed by Bradford architects Lockwood and Mawson. The Wool Exchange symbolises the great wealth and importance which Bradford had gained from the wool trade by the mid-19th century. St. George’s Hall built in 1851–53 and the first major public building by Lockwood and Mawson. It is a truly grand building, designed as a classical temple on a podium. Little Germany - a compact area of late Victorian warehouses and offices built on a steep slope and having a highly distinctive character of its own. The Cathedral Close provides a fine vantage point from which to appreciate the townscape and terrain of the ever-changing city and to conclude this walk.
Walk: Yorkshire Heritage Way
The Yorkshire Heritage Way is a long-distance walking route spanning 42 miles through West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Linking the vibrant city of Bradford with the historic cathedral city of Ripon, the trail takes in two UNESCO World Heritage Sites—Saltaire and Fountains Abbey—along with stunning countryside across Baildon Moor, the Washburn Valley and Nidderdale. Designed to connect urban and rural landscapes, the route blends spiritual, cultural, and natural heritage in one continuous and varied journey. The Route what3words for start point: ///purely.state.movesStart & Finish Point: Bradford Cathedral to Ripon CathedralDistance: 42 miles (68 km) GPX Route Map yorkshireheritagewayDownload Walk Description The Yorkshire Heritage Way begins at Bradford Cathedral, an ancient place of worship in the heart of the city, and heads north along green corridors and towpaths toward the model village of Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its industrial and social history. From Saltaire, the route climbs gradually through Shipley Glen and out onto Baildon Moor, where wide views open across the moorland. The path then descends toward Burley in Wharfedale, where walkers must cross the River Wharfe—either by a traditional stepping stone crossing or by diverting two miles upstream to Denton Bridge. A new footbridge here has been a long-standing ambition of the local community. Entering North Yorkshire, the trail winds through Timble, past Blubberhouses Church, and into the Washburn Valley, climbing toward Thruscross Reservoir before descending into the wooded reaches near Glasshouses. Soon after, the dramatic formations of Brimham Rocks offer a spectacular natural landmark. The final stretch leads to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park, a second UNESCO site combining Cistercian ruins with Georgian water gardens and deer-filled parkland. The walk concludes at Ripon Cathedral, a fittingly peaceful end to a route rich in history, beauty and Yorkshire character.