A few hours in Post hill and the destruction of my childhood playground.

[Druss]

My wife and I took the dog for a nice long walk in Post Hill Woods in Leeds. I used to spend a lot of time here growing up and it was a magical place to us back then, camped out many a night in the school holidays badger spotting, we never saw a single one but the experiences are some of my fondest memories. Going back after all these years has shown me that my memories will have to do as it is slowly becoming a beer can and graffiti infested patch of trees. So much damage has been done that it wouldn't surprise me if it was gone altogether in the years to come. Already a large part has been sacrificed for a housing estate. Such a shame as it is the only decent sized woodland in the Armley/Pudsey are of Leeds. Genuinely makes me feel sad.

Charlotte and Dodger

Dodger picked up the sent of something and kept pointing for us.

Roman Road from the top

Was a nice spot once. this is just one of many parts that look like this now.

Steeper than it look but she made it down nervously.

Roman road from the bottom.

Can anybody help me IDing what's growing round this Oak please?

 

[crosslandkelly]

Looks like Ivy to me. Shame about the vandalism.

 

[petrochemicals]

it is a shame aboul the missuse, the same cam be said for Kinver Edge by me, parts of that are a teenage drinking den. The housing estate hasn't happened yet, I didn't think they could do that sort of thing anymore. Planning permission is hard enough to get anywhere, but I suppose they are not built by people from the area.

 

[Badger74]

I'm not sure, but I think your Roman road is in fact the remains of the old hill climbing race track from the early 20th century.

sent by weird means

 

[Shewie]

That's a real shame, I'm not familiar with the woods but I'm only over the hill in Morley.

A quick Google shows it's owned by Leeds council, do they maintain it or has it been left to ruin?

 

[Trunks]

That's a real shame, I used to live in Pudsey until I was eight. I used to play up there all the time. It's not how I remember it either

I take it you didn't see the ghost legion?

 

[Druss]

Looks like Ivy to me. Shame about the vandalism.

Cheers, Ivy was my novice guess, just never seen it that thick.

it is a shame aboul the missuse, the same cam be said for Kinver Edge by me, parts of that are a teenage drinking den. The housing estate hasn't happened yet, I didn't think they could do that sort of thing anymore. Planning permission is hard enough to get anywhere, but I suppose they are not built by people from the area.

Yes they built the housing estate a few years back, quite a good chunk of the woods taken up by it, they are built right up against the hillside which doesn't look stable at all to me. Leeds council are shocking, they sold Bramley rugby ground years ago and that was common ground which was left in the owners will to the people of Bramley, that is now a housing estate.

I'm not sure, but I think your Roman road is in fact the remains of the old hill climbing race track from the early 20th century.

sent by weird means

It's known locally as roman road I don't have any idea what it is, they used to film Kick Start with the trials bikes there in the 80's. apparently there was a prisoner of war camp there at some point I don't know what era but i was told it was full of Italians that were forced to work on the local farms. I'm not sure if that's true just something i was told. Google does have some vague references to the POW camp but no real information about it.

That's a real shame, I'm not familiar with the woods but I'm only over the hill in Morley.

A quick Google shows it's owned by Leeds council, do they maintain it or has it been left to ruin?

There are a few maps and benches that have been put up there since i was young so they have had a go. Would be a hard place to police i suppose, we used to camp there all the time growing up and there was never any bother, they were proper woods and there were rabbits everywhere, and apparenly a large badger population but they must have heard us coming a mile off becase I never saw a single one. Was talking to a dog walker there and he said he's been going there for years and years and hasn't seen a rabbit in a long long time. It seems like a popular place for kids to camp out now or just throw parties and burn trees. There were beer cans and broken glass everywhere. Seems the dog walkers have given up too as there is crap everywhere, right on the paths. Even saw some that had been bagged in plastic and hung from trees, i couldn't figure that one out at all.

That's a real shame, I used to live in Pudsey until I was eight. I used to play up there all the time. It's not how I remember it either

I take it you didn't see the ghost legion?

Haha i remember that story too, no unfortunately we never saw them although as a child we spent a few nights looking for them and there was a story about a guy that drowned in the beck that people used to see wandering the forest. Never saw anything but i remember been in my tent scared to death because of those stories when i was a child.

 

[Earthgirl]

Take a couple of bags with you, that's we do and collect it up to take home, plastic bottles and cans are light to carry and then we put then in a recycling bag and put them out with the rubbish. If you want to. Nobody will notice what you've done but the environment around you will and I always stand by 'what goes around comes around'

 

[ozzy1977]

Such a shame people cant show a little respect, at the end of the day if you can carry stuff in you can carry it out again. Last time I went to my old haunt I came out with 2 bin bags full of beer bottles and cans, broken tent poles ( no tent though) and assorted food wrappers, realy makes my pi££ boil

 

[Earthgirl]

Totally agree tagnut69 I have been known to react to such brazen littering on 2 occasions

There is a beauty spot not far from us with a fabulous view where everyone pulls in to have a look or just enjoy. There's only room for a couple of cars at a time and it even has a bench and a rubbish bin!

One day I drove down the lane there was a car parked there, young couple, girl in the passenger seat swigging from a bottle of beer and her other half also swigging from a bottle of beer in the driving seat.

5mins later I drive back up the lane to see that offending beer bottle had been lobbed out the passenger window and was now smashed in the middle of the lane for everyone to walk (it's a popular dog walk) or drive over.

So I stopped the van and asked nicely if she'd like to remove the broken bottle, window quickly gets wound up and all knowledge is denied even when I politely pointed out that I'd seen her a couple of minutes previously swigging from the bottle, the other half nows looks suitably sheepish in the driving seat while trying to hide his bottle.

Unperturbed I turned around opened the van door, produced a sweeping brush and took great delight in gregariously sweeping it into nice little piles either side of the front and back wheels bemused looks coming from inside the car while I did this but not one word was uttered to me. I then left with the passing comment, "your girlfriend luv, you must be so proud" and drove off.

I will add that I returned 5mins later to see if they were still there and swept up what was left of all the broken glass.

Another time at the same spot I was quietly driving up the same lane as a young lad proceeded to hurl a bottle over the fence and into the field in front of him. I don't know what came over me but I slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the van and launched into a tirade at this young lad, ending with if you 'flippin' big enough to lob that bottle then you're 'flippin' big enough to climb over that fence and get it back and he did, while this was going on a young girl got out of the other car that was there and proceeded to pick up what she lobbed out of her window as well without me saying a thing. I guess I must have been quite scary with my rant...

Never noticed either car there again.

 

[Druss]

We took what we could on that day but it was only what could fit in a Morrisons bag I had in my rucksack. I had books and electronics in the bag so didn't want to fill it without another bag. We will take a couple of bin bags when we go next time though and do what we can.

 

[Earthgirl]

We do what we can and that's a good thing

 

[Chiseller]

I know it as tank hill (possibly a connection with Vickers ?)
We once camped with a large group in the valley bottom . The police came and were fine.....(bit of a story , too long for here ) it was a grand weekend . Thanks for the pics. Always a shame when a few ruin it for others ....

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[Druss]

Cool, I've never heard it called Tank Hill, the police never bothered us when we were young but i suppose camped down the bottom in the valley you'd be visible from the road if you were having a fire. I think with it not been the biggest of woods the vandalism is more noticable.

 

[Badger74]

Here is a a bit of info regarding the steep track http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....t-hill-built-by-newspaper-s-readers-1-5847218 there is also an old video out there of one of the meets back in the 30's, but I can't find it at the moment. There was POW camp there as well. The wifes uncle was housed in it immediatley after the war as a goverment sponsered indentured worker.

 

[Druss]

Here is a a bit of info regarding the steep track http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co....t-hill-built-by-newspaper-s-readers-1-5847218 there is also an old video out there of one of the meets back in the 30's, but I can't find it at the moment. There was POW camp there as well. The wifes uncle was housed in it immediatley after the war as a goverment sponsered indentured worker.

Cheers for the link. a lot of stuff I didn't even know. It being named after the Yorkshire Post and all. I'd heard rumours about a POW camp but no solid information as t where it was located or anything. Interesting stuff. Maybe I should see if The Yorkshire Post wants to do a story on the vandalism of the place.