Newmillerdam - can you ever find solitude in a city park?

Living in a busy city, but having grown up in the country, I often long for solitude and an unspoilt landscape to be within easy reach. We'd heard other people talk about Newmillerdam in Wakefield and so one crisp Autumn Sunday we headed out that way for a walk. The place is signposted from the A61 through Wakefield and is easy to find. However, parking was a nightmare! There is one designated pay and display car park, but there must have been ten cars waiting for a space. We found an alternative space to park in on the road, but also noticed people using a closed pub's car park. Clearly parking is a regular problem! It was a walk along the busy A61 to get to the dam, which the road crosses. We found the entrance to the park at the side of another pub, but greatly obscured by parked cars; it was a challenge to get our pushchair between them to actually get on to the footpath.

Once through the gates there is sketchy map which shows a path around the water. It was really busy with lots of people enjoying the clear blue skies. There are ducks who clearly enjoy being fed and lots of gulls. The site is apparently a Site of Scientific Interest and also a Local Nature Reserve. I admit to being a bit of a bird watcher, so was quite interested to see what we could see. Mallards and sea gulls were the answer! Not particularly inspiring!

The paths are easy to walk along and are pushchair friendly. There are lots of benches to sit on and watch the world go by. Sadly we didn't manage to find any solitude or peace. The A61 is just too close, so there is a constant hum of noise. There is a small cafe part way round, but we didn't try anything from there. Alternatives for refreshments include a Toby Carvery pub and a cafe on the opposite side of the dam. If I'm honest, it's not particularly pretty and I wouldn't rush back - it's just too busy for me.

Click on link for a map of the location