St Aidans Nature Reserve with a wee loop around Leeds city centre

Join us for a firm favourite of a ride to the stunning St Aidans Nature Reserve

The surface at the Nature Reserve isn't suitable for skinny road tyres

Setting off from Kirkstall we head down A65 to the lights turning right past the retail park and pick up the towpath into Leeds coming of at Monk Bridge Viaduct onto Whitehall road where we loop round and visit the Garden Bridge (using the lifts), returning to Whitehall road we head into Wellington place check out Tower Square, an old wagon hoisting building which is now a mini museum (it's tiny) from here it's onto Park Square, past Leeds Town Hall and Art Gallery making our way up the Headrow, turn right onto Vicar lane passing The Corn Exchange, we turn left onto The Calls over Bridge End and into Aire Park past The Tetley, its then onto Leeds Dock and Royal Armouries, here we pick up the transpennine trail that runs alongside the River Aire and Aire and Calder Navigation, pass Stourton Stone Circle, Thwaites Mill and onto Skelton Bridge, where we cross and use the stairs, assistance will be given to those with the heavier bikes, we stay on the path until we reach the old oil tanks, we come off the path heading over the bridge on Fleet lane and into St Aidans, where we hopefully will see some fabulous wildlife and my favourite Oddball, a dragline from the open cast mine which was the original site, which featured on an episode of Yesterday channel Abandoned Engineering

There is a cafe - bringing your own sandwich/lunch is advisable

https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/st-aidans

Leaving the reserve we head back to Fleet lane and pick up the path that runs the other side of the Aire and Calder, popping out on the road and onto Newsam Green and Skelton Lake, where new paths are cycle lanes have been created in the new housing development, around the services we rejoin the towpath back into Leeds, passing Hibiscus Rising sculpture, follow the path at the rear of Asda House coming out at Bridgewater place and pick the towpath back up to Kirkstall where we come off, pass the retail park and pick up the path that runs into the Abbey and back to our start point

Pennies for coffee/sweet treat, spare inner tube

https://wanderlog.com/place/details/11008024/monk-bridge-viaduct-garden

https://www.wellingtonplace.co.uk/amenities/tower-square/

https://yorkshirecontemporary.org/the-story-of-hibiscus-rising/