Hollinhares Mammoth Follywalk 2008!

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Here's my attempt at a Follywalk incorporating a lot of filming locations.

For those who don't know, I am lucky enough to live in Harewood & have scoured the dvds for places I recognise, resulting in this walk incorporating a lot of them! A word of warning though it is about 7 miles long & involves some steep hills!! (Ask Loopy as she was the first Follyfilly to try it out - & on the hottest day of the year!) Anyway here is the basic map...

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I would suggest parking in Harewood Village Hall car park on Church Lane (in the brown hatched area to the right of the word Harewood on the map) as it is far safer than the laybys on the Avenue (A659) or the Wike Lane turn off from the A61 (just up from Lofthouse Farm on the map) There is an honesty box on the wall & we are desperately trying to raise money to save the Hall from demolition...which would be a catastrophe as this is our first location - the disco where Dora had her date with Chip to a Gary Glitter soundtrack ( & scene of many floral/woolly fashion travesties!).



Dora sat by the window (the table is still in the Hall)



Strutting their 70's stuff.



The Hall today.

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Here's Ron - mean, moody & very woolly in the doorway...



& now... sadly no Ron, no floral wallpaper or matching dress but the noticeboard is still there...



OK, on with the walk...I have found a webpage (www.yorkshirewalks.org/diary08/diary256.html) which documents the whole walk in photos (albeit in monsoon conditions) they even have a picture of Hollin Hall lake, although they've credited it to New Laithe Farm. There is an option to click on a route map & also to see the route on Google Earth which is well worth a look!
From the Village Hall, if you follow the map you'll cross the A61 & walk down Maltkiln Lane (to the left of the Harewood Arms) eventually you'll see a gas pipeline compound on your right & an old water tower in the trees, this is Gallows Hill. There is a beautiful view over the Wharfe valley from here & somewhere over the river is the Clapgate Inn, although I suspect it's just over the hill as I can never see it!
Follow the track through a couple of gates (or stiles if you're feeling athletic) turn right & along the edge of a field (a bit overgrown the last time I went) & out onto the Avenue (A659) Turn left & follow the road, cross wherever you feel safe as you need to take the next turning on the right for New Laithe Farm.

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Follow the track to the left of the farm buildings & in the distance you'll see Follyfoot nirvana...



My poor family nearing hallowed ground with only the promise of a picnic to keep them going.



The new entrance, Ron would have trouble flying round the corner & kicking this gate open.

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When you do leave/are dragged bodily away* from Hollin Hall (*delete as applicable) follow the path past the second lake wood & up the hill.



Here's the view from the hill looking back at the farm during filming in the 70's...



& as it is now ( the path is in the bottom right of the photo)

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As you stand on the hill with the view of FF in front of you a little way on your left is another location which is off the public footpath but you could always pretend you were lost...



Here is Dora, seen through the remains of an old hawthorn hedge, training Shadow, in the 4th episode from the 1st series.



& here's the same hawthorn tree hedge as it was last year.



Dora & Shadow by the hedge again, this time shot from the other side.



& in 2008.
This location was used in many episodes, both Steve & Dora have been seen riding along it & through it, even Ron has ridden his motorbike past it.

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Go back to the path & follow it to the top of the hill when you will come to a T junction (!) turn right & follow this path past a small wood on your right & out onto Wike Lane. (If you turned left here you would eventually arrive in Wike at the Old Forge which was used as a location in 'Walk in the Wood' this road was used in many episodes, Ron regularly rode his bike along here & found the poster advertising the joust in 'Birthday at Follyfoot' here, I will re-post my Wike location photos soon as a separate thing as it's not on this walk)
So to continue the walk, turn right as you come out onto Wike Lane & head towards the A61. Now take your life in your hands & cross over the main road - be careful it's really busy - & walk through the ornate Lofthouse Gates into parkland. You get impressive views of Harewood House to the right & the prehistoric Grey Stone to your left on the skyline) follow the path into Piper Wood & things should start to look familiar. The bridge you walk over was used in 'The Bridge Builder' episode.
Here is Tina on the bridge looking gorgeous.



& the bridge now.

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Here's another shot from the Bridge Builder...



& as it is now.

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The same bridge was used in 'The Four Legged Hat' - here's Dora riding Copper over it, she's just seen Clem Barrett 'putting a fish out of it's misery' in the stream.



& now... I love this, it's really atmospheric - like Dora's only just ridden away (except for the felled tree on the bank)

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Incidently Loopy has some lovely photos on her Gallery of the waterfall just upstream from the bridge. Back to the walk... leaving the bridge, follow the Leeds Country Way up through the woods. On your left through the trees & over the wall is the Emmerdale Village - eventually the wall ends & if you followed the path to the left you'd walk past the Dingles place & you'd also be on CCTV - it's worth pointing out that Harewood security drive round the Estate regularly & they're mainly Gurkhas, so you might not want to cross them!
   But!!! you DON'T want to turn left onto the nice level footpath to Emmerdaleland, you want to turn right down the old, steep track & then right again onto the bigger path which leads to Carr Houses - this was where Dora stopped the little thugs throwing stones at the horse & in return they scared Copper away in 'Walk in the Wood'

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Carr Houses were derelict until about 2000 when they were renovated. Somewhere I have photos of the derelict buildings taken in the late 90's (which I cannot find now) they were in a slightly worse state than they are seen on FF & the wildly overgrown privet hedge that the boys chase Copper through was exactly the same. Today they are very different...





Dora was in the garden of the cottage to the left, there was a metal fence dividing the gardens as you can see in the screenshot (still there in the 90's) the privet hedge was at the far end of the cottage to the right. I assume the filming of the search for Copper & the 'cutting down the strong to help the weak' chat with the woodsman also took place in the woods here.

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From Carr Houses, follow the path to the left of the lake & the walled garden, carry on down the hill (another path crosses yours at the bottom) & as you start to climb the next hill you'll cross over a little bridge - on your right now you'll see a dilapadated building which was the Old Laundry. This was also used in Emmerdale in the 80's, a character called Sandy Merrick lived there who was played by the actress Jane Hutcheson who was also Julie in the FF episode Someone, Somewhere!!
But from the Laundry you are now faced with the first of the steep hills. Walk past the old home farm buildings & at the top cross the cattle grid, follow the concrete road, cross another cattle grid & follow the road round to the right as it takes you up the next steep hill! At the top of this last hill (eventually!) is the location for the cross country race in 'The Challenge' (you have to look behind you to get the same view as the photos)
Here is Dora with the 3 trees behind her in the episode.



& the trees now.



You can see them better without their leaves in this winter shot.

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Some more then & now pics

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The hill on the skyline behind Dora is Almscliffe Crag.

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Ok it's the home straight now, just a short walk over the cattlegrid (it's actually to keep the deer from escaping!) & down Church Lane, before you arrive back in the village.
You'll emerge from the side of the Lodge just behind Steves head in this still from 'The Hundred Pound Horse'



Here's the Lodge earlier this year & on the right is the Village Hall.



So there you are, you'll be ready for a cup of tea or maybe something a bit stronger after this walk - but I hope you enjoy it!