Deighton Trail

Deighton was originally a hamlet known as East Bradley until the Deighton family purchased the area. It lacks an historic village core, although the walk is not without interest as it follows the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and paths through woodland for much of its length.

Deighton Trail Google Map

Deighton Railway Station opened in 1982 on the Huddersfield Line and is a simple two-platform affair with a waiting shelter on each platform. At the time of writing (August 2025), the station is due to close for two years and be rebuilt as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade, so anybody wishing to do this walk during that time will have to use replacement bus services. An earlier Deighton Railway Station opened in 1871 on the now-defunct Kirkburton Branch, of which only a few sections of track bed remain. The original station closed in 1930, although the line continued to be used for freight until the nineteen-sixties. Leave the station and turn left long Whitacre Street (the original station was located down the road to the right), then turn right along Birkby Bradley Greenway. Follow this to Deighton Road, cross straight ahead, and continue along the greenway to Leeds Road.

Turn left and follow the road to the junction with Brooklands on the left, then turn right, cross the road, and continue straight ahead along a road into an industrial estate. When this reaches a T-junction, turn right and then left, now following the Calder Valley Greenway. Cross a footbridge (Colliery Bridge) over the railway track, follow the path as it bends right, and then take the first left turn just before the main path turns left. Follow the turn-off downhill and through one of the arches of Bradley Viaduct, which once carried the Kirkburton Branch. The path soon reaches the bank of the Huddersfield Broad Canal, then crosses Joe Kayes Bridge No. 5 to join the towpath. Turn right along the towpath, immediately passing Ladgrave Lock No. 3. After a time, pass Longlands Lock No. 4, shortly after which the canal passes under Vernon Bridge No. 6 (a metal footbridge), closely followed by Deighton Viaduct No. 7, another disused railway bridge. The canal then curves west to pass under Whittaker Bridge No. 8, which carries Leeds Road.

Joe Kayes Bridge No. 5.

Continue along the towpath, passing a former mill on the opposite bank immediately adjacent to Whittaker Bridge No. 8. The canal next reaches Turnpike Road Lock No. 5, soon after which comes Annis Lee Bridge No. 9 (which carries Peace Pit Lane), immediately above which is Reading Lock No. 6. The next lock is Fieldhouse Green Lock No. 7, immediately in front of which is Fieldhouse Bridge No. 10, an original stone arch bridge. The canal is tree-lined for the next section, along which Falls Lock No. 8 can be found. On reaching Red Doles Lock No. 9, leave the towpath by turning right and crossing Red Doles Bridge No. 11, which is located just before the lock’s lower gates. Follow the path across the bridge to reach the end of Red Doles Road, follow it underneath a bridge carrying the railway track, and continue straight ahead until it ends at Alder Street.

Turn right to reach the end of Alder Street, then turn right again and follow Woodhouse Hill for about a third of a mile, eventually reaching Christ Church on the right. This Gothic church was built in 1823-1824 and is a Grade II-listed building. Continue straight ahead along the road (which now becomes Sheepridge Road), shortly passing the former Providence Chapel (now home to the Church of God Fellowship), also on the right. Follow the road as it becomes Deighton Road and starts to run downhill, then when Browning Road appears on the right, turn left along a signed public footpath.

Follow the path to a junction, then bear left and continue next to a chain-link fence until the path runs into a belt of trees. Take the next right turn through the trees, then take the next left turn along a path that runs downhill to cross a wooden footbridge over a stream. On the opposite side, turn left, then follow a waymarked track right uphill along the edge of Bradley Gate Wood, one of three neighbouring ancient woodlands through which the walk passes. At the top of the hill, take a left turn to leave the wood and follow a short path to Grantley Place.

Bradley Gate Wood.

Turn right and walk to the end of the road, then cross straight over Redwood Drive and follow another path that runs through the edge of Screamer Wood, eventually reaching Redwood Drive. Cross straight over and enter Dyson Wood, then turn right and follow a well-marked path downhill through the wood. Eventually, turn right along another well-defined path, and when this ends at a junction, turn left. Continue downhill, eventually leaving the wood on Keldregate.

Turn right and follow the road until it ends at Deighton Road. Directly opposite, Deighton Working Mens Club can be seen, just in front of which is a War Memorial dedicated to those who died in World War One. Turn left along Deighton Road and follow it to a mini-roundabout. Take an optional detour to the left, further along Deighton Road, to see the former Deighton Sunday School on the right and Deighton Methodist Chapel Cemetery on the left (the chapel can also be seen on the left, converted into a house and much-altered); otherwise, turn right along Whitacre Street to return to the station.

From Deighton we proceed north along the Huddersfield, for a short journey to the town of Mirfield.