Morning all.
I’m looking for options for a (mostly) off-road route from Wakefield to Halifax/Brighouse. Dropping my van off for some work in Wakefield near Pugneys and thought I may as well make a decent ride out of it.

Looking at a map, I figure if I can get from Pugneys towards Middlestown then I know theres some stuff around there back towards Mirfield (but I’ve not ridden any of it in about 15 years!). Then Mirfield to Brighouse and from there I know decent off-road bits back home.

So:
1) are there any decent off-road sections or at the least, towpath etc from Pugneys to Middlestown?
2) can anyone reccommend a good option to get me from Middlestown to Mirfield. Would be nice to finish through Hopton Woods etc.
3) is there a decent option from Mirfield back towards Brighouse apart from the towpath? Something that goes up through Bradley, over the M62 and into Brighouse near the station?

Cheers!

1) There’s nothing decent as such, but to keep it off road you can follow the Wakefield Wheel from Pugneys to get you back towards Horbury Junction then cross the River using the weird Railway Crossing get on the canal beyond the Navigation Pub. You then have a couple of options to get up towards Middlestown.
RM.

You can follow the canal/river from Pugneys all the way to Brighouse but if you get off the canal at Horbury Bridge at the Bingley Arms pub, now shut down, then you can head up through Coxley woods. Then make your way over towards Briestfield/Whitley via Denby Grange bridleways this will eventually bring you to the top of Dewsbury golf course and Hopton Woods area.

Route 66 – the greenway can be followed the other way, ending up at the navigation pub.

Its only flat canal but pleasant enough and very few gates to lift over.

For a bit more fun you could climb up to Ainley top and come down into rastrick woods or do the mink farm etc

Cheers – traced those bits on a map as far as Horbury Bridge. Remember bits in Coxley Woods and seem to remember that if you come up from Horbury Bridge and keep right and climb, theres a nice little flowy descent back to a BW/path to a house and then you can exit and up towards Middlestown / tracks out towards the Mining Museum. Just need to look at the OS map for the BWs from there towards the top of Hopton – remember doing them, can’t remember where they were!

alibongo – plan is once I reach Mirfield, head towards Brighouse via whatever method I find and then up to Razzy Woods, down Razzy Woods and then probably smash along the towpath home.

when you come out of Coxley at the top in Overton you work your way across on Grange Road towards the A642 where the mining museum is, head toewards Huddersfield for about 1km and the bridleway is on your right about, it’s called Denby Grange Lane. 200m before The Kaye Arms pub. Head down there and cross Denby Lane and keep following the BW. This turns in to Sowood Lane, follow this then theres a short steep road climb to the Shoulder of Mutton pub. Turn left and follow the road till you see a dirt track in front of you, Back Lane. Bottom of there turn right up Howroyd Lane up to the Woolpack pub. Go down the side of the pub and that takes you to the top of the golf course