BRAMHAM & OGGLETHORPE HILLS

A 4.5 mile walk which is generally flat apart from a slight incline out of Bramham Village and a longer walkup Ogglethorpe Hill (though not strenuous). There are no stiles and the surface is usually not too muddy,even in wet weather, apart from the short wooded section.

Start point: Bramham Post Office on Front Street, Bramham. LS23 6RD

Bramham cum Oglethorpe, better known as just "Bramham” dates back to Roman times and has manySaxon, , Medieval and English Civil War connections. The oldest part of All Saints Parish Church inBramham was built in about 1150 by the . The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower andshort spire; and has a fine pointed doorway. The churchyard is oval in shape and therefore Saxon in origin.The Battle of Bramham Moor was fought, in the snow, on the 19th February 1408. Henry Percy, 1st Earl ofNorthumberland, who with other nobles had rebelled against King Henry IV, was met here by Sir ThomasRokeby; the rebels were cut to pieces and Percy was killed, his head, with its silver locks, being carried offand set on a stake on . It is known that English Civil War soldiers, who died during the Battle of MarstonMoor in 1644, a few miles to the north-east, are buried in the churchyard at Bramham. By 1686, Bramhamwas an important staging post on the London - Edinburgh coaching route and surprisingly had a populationof 291, which was higher than that of Wetherby at only 279. During World War I there was an aerodrome atBramham Moor at Headley Bar, which opened on the 18th March 1916. Following a bombing raid on Yorkon 2 May 1916 by Zeppelin airships, the airfield on York racecourse was closed, and 33 Squadron at RFCBramham Moor became responsible for the air defence of Leeds, Sheffield and York against furtherZeppelin attack. After World War I, with a reduced need for warplanes, the aerodrome was closed down inDecember 1919. One large hangar remains, as a listed building, among the barns of Headley Hall Farm.During World War II, dummy aeroplanes were left on the old runway so that from the air, it looked like anoperational airfield. For many years, the village had a rural emphasis although as the grew in importance,the number of coaching inns and stables increased to service the passing trade. Over the years, a significantamount of employment has been provided by the local estates, particularly Bramham Park and the othergrand houses in the village. The late 20th century saw a decline in employment in agriculture that coincidedwith the growth of the village as home to a significant number of commuters. As a result, the village hasbecome increasingly diverse in nature. A large part of the village is included in a Conservation Area and allthe land outside the present built area is currently designated Green Belt.

From the Post Office, walk down Front Street towards the RedLion turning left at the War Memorial signposted to Cliffordand Boston Spa. On reaching a fork in the road, bear leftpassing an old chapel heading towards the spire of and onreaching the church, turn left and then right, along with thechurchyard now on your right. As becomes , turn left up somesteps and along an alley, between houses and at the end, turnright heading up a road with houses on both sides.

At the top of this road, turn left and then immediately rightalong a wide track called Heygate Lane. Now continuealong this lane for ¾ of a mile and eventually, over to yourleft, you will see fine views of Clifford Church and BostonSpa and fields of tall Elephant Grass on your right.

MISCANTHUS (Elephant Grass) is a bio fuel crop grownfor use at Drax power station. Family: Gramineae Genus:Miscanthus Species: sinensis, sacchariflorus, species.General background on the plant Miscanthus is a "woody"

perennial tufted or rhizomatous grass, growing to3-4m in height. It produces new shoots annuallywhich produce erect, robust stems and appearsimilar to thin bamboo cane; having a diameterof approximately 10 mm. Spikelets are usuallydensely hairy, awned or awnless. Flowering doesnot occur in . Miscanthus is sometimes calledElephant Grass. Several species have beencultivated in for many years as ornamentals.Miscanthus is one of several coarse grassesunder investigation for biomass production andfibre production. 1 kg of crop dry matter = c. 0.4kg of oil in energy content.

When you reach public footpath signs, turn right to walk between the Elephant Grass heading straight towardsa wood. Towards the end of the field, bear diagonally slight left towards a sign and enter the wood. Nowfollow the footpath straight ahead through the trees for about 300 yards and on reaching a way marker, turnleft along a wider track to exit the wood by the side of more Elephant Grass. Now, at this point, turn rightfollowing another wide track for ½ a mile going over Ogglethorpe Hills where, on a clear day, you can admirethe countryside around you.On reaching a road, continue directly ahead, alongfollowing the road for about ¾ of a mile passing WiseWarren Farm on your right and further along, HeadleyCottages on your left and on reaching Headley Hall,turn right along a public footpath. Heading backtowards the houses of Bramham, follow this widepathway for about 1¼ miles. On reaching the end of ,cross straight over the road and along continuing as itbears right back down into the and you originalstarting point.

Except where explicitly stated, all rights are reserved, and content should not be copied, adapted, redistributed, or otherwise used without the priorwritten permission of Harry Bratley the author. The author permits the use of this document for the purpose of following the walk.